"Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane" c 1650 by Giacinto Brandi.
This is my sixth post, joining fellow Christian bloggers in reading Christian Classics. In this series we are reading Dr. A.W. Pink's, "The Seven Sayings of the Saviour on the Cross".
Matthew 27:46, "At about three in the afternoon Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" that is, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"
I decided to use a painting from the Garden of Gethsemane to highlight this post because it is here that we see Jesus in anguish, being strengthened by angels, sweating drops of blood and not wanting to partake of the cup.
The cup is symbolic of communion with God and Jesus knew that in a very short time God would turn His holy face from Him, in judgment, as He (Jesus) took upon Himself the sin of the world.
The cross is the hinge pin that opens a new door to all of creation. The crucifixion of the "Son of Man" was the event of all events of earth. The whole of creation took note that day.
So why did Jesus cry, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"? Lets explore together A. W. Pink's thoughts on this matter...
Before Pink launches into his text he wants us to understand very clearly that:
- These are words of appalling woe
- When you contemplate the word forsaken and study its meaning you begin to get the picture. The dictionary defines the word as "to give up or renounce something held dear", "to leave altogether or abandon". Synonyms include: abandoned, ignored, stranded, ditched, left behind, marooned, outcast, forlorn, cast off, jilted, friendless, left in the lurch, isolated, solitary, desolate, destitute, disowned, and a special word just for this moment in time---Godforsaken! From Pink, "What, then, must it have meant to be "forsaken" now by God! Ah, the hiding of God's face from Him was the most bitter ingredient of that cup the Father had given the Redeemer to drink".
- These are words of unequaled pathos
- Consider all that Christ suffered. He was mocked by soldiers, given a crown of thorns, beaten near death, spat upon, hair plucked, left Him near naked, hung on a cross with thieves in shame, hands pierced with nails, feet pierced with nails, taunted by the crowd to come down, saw His mother weeping. Yet all this was done without a cry. Only to God did He cry. Can you fathom this? Pink states, "Surely this is a cry that ought to melt the hardest heart!"
- These are words of profoundest solemnity
- From Pink, "This was a cry that made the very earth tremble and that reverberated throughout the entire universe. Ah, what mind is sufficient for contemplating this wonder of wonders! What mind is capable of analyzing the meaning of this amazing cry that rent the awful darkness! "Why has thou forsaken me?" are words that conduct us into the Holy of Holies. Here, if anywhere, it is supremely fitting that we remove the shoes of carnal inquisitiveness. Speculation is profane: we can but wonder and worship". Very well said!
Pink tells us that in spite of all this, the scriptures tell us that this moment was the "fullest manifestation of divine love and the most awe-inspiring display of God's inflexible justice". To our fallen understandings this certainly seems like quite the contradiction doesn't it?
Pink puts forth seven points for us to consider in seeking to understand this cry from our Saviour:
- Here we see the awfulness of sin and the character of its wages
- From the fall of Adam to this shameful day we clearly get a glimpse of man's depravity aided and abetted by Satan himself. Man hung God on a cross and killed him! The scriptures tell us that the wages of sin is death. This is a physical death (our spirit leaving the body) and a spiritual death (separation of our soul and spirit from God).
- Here we see the absolute holiness and inflexible justice of God
- God is absolutely holy. He can not look upon evil. Holiness requires justice against evil. Christ became evil, on our behalf and suffered God's holy justice. Pinks puts it this way, "The tragedy of Calvary must be viewed from at least four different viewpoints. At the Cross man did a work: he displayed his depravity by taking the Perfect One and with "wicked hands" nailing Him to the Tree. At the Cross Satan did a work: he manifested his insatiable enmity against the woman's seed by bruising His heel. At the Cross the Lord Jesus did a work: He died, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God. At the Cross God did a work: he exhibited His holiness and satisfied His justice by pouring out His wrath on the One who was made sin for us".
- Here we see the explanation of Gethsemane
- Christ, as the sin bearer, was about to take upon Himself the most dreadful of dreads. He had a perfect love relationship with the Father and He was about to become sin and become hated by the Father. He was about to drink the cup that contained "the undiluted wrath of a sin-hating God". So great was his agony that He sweat drops of blood and was strengthened by angels. Gethsemane literally means olive press. Christ was about to be poured out. He was about to be pressed out drop by drop. Jesus Christ was completely poured out, drained out, and fully drank the cup for us on the cross that day.
- Here we see the Saviour's unswerving fidelity to God
- Jesus hung on the cross with nothing to support Him but His faith. Nearly everyone had abandoned Him and now He was abandoned by His Heavenly Father. Alone, with the torments of hell biting at Him, he clung to His faith as He still proclaims, "My God, My God...".
- Here we may see the basis of our salvation
- God is just and God is Holy. What an incredible gift that Jesus Christ, as our substitute, bared the full and mighty wrath of God on our behalf. My mind cannot comprehend this whole thing. Sometimes I think it is a curse to have heard these things from childhood while not fully being able to comprehend. Even now, I can't comprehend. Who can believe such a story? This happened two thousand years ago! Yet with all my heart, I believe this and make it the foundation and cornerstone of my life. If this isn't true, then I am a complete and utter fool believing in fairy tales. Yet I cling to my belief. The proofs, to me are too compelling.
- Here we see the supreme evidence of Christ's love for us
- I remember seeing Mel Gibson's portrayal of the death of Christ a number of years ago. It was graphic and very brutal. I openly weeped in the theater. But the truth of the matter is that Mel only touched on a fraction of the story. The most touching part, the most loving part, the saving part of the whole story is the incredible love displayed. In eternity past God decided to show His love for the Son. He decided to do this by creating millions of people, people created in His image, who would worship the Son for all eternity. Wanting this to be a sincere and real love, God ordained evil and the fall of man. This fall forever separated us from God and the only solution was that the Son would give up His "God-ness" and become sin and withstand the holy fury of Holy God even unto death! And this...this...and inconceivably this he did for me. Individually, personally and even chosen, elected, predestined from eternity past He did this for me. My mind and my heart are melted before the Lord my God!
- Here we see the destruction of the "larger hope"
- Pink warns that many believe that God is too good and loving and merciful to carry out the warnings contained in the Word of God. He bids us to remember that His wrath was poured out on His only Son, who took upon Himself our transgressions. He calls the reader to believe, repent, seek forgiveness of sins to protect themselves from God's Holy judgment.
This was a very moving chapter for me. Especially as I considered the depth of the whole story. To be honest, I have only seen this from "man's eyes". I never considered looking at this from the eyes of Jesus, or the eyes of God. To be honest with you I am melted. I have nothing more to say.
