Scripture Reference: John 19:28-30

1. Jesus Addresses the Father – Continued

From Last Lesson: Jesus knows He must go the way He is heading; He will continue on; it is the only way, not only by the will of the Father but as well by His own will.

But now, all of a sudden, the reality of it all seems to overwhelms Him. All the tempests of God’s wrath now overwhelm Him as He hangs on that cross breathing His last breaths. He descends into hell, for what else is hell than to be forsaken of God. Other men enter upon hell as sinners; they know they deserve to be forsaken of God. They have an evil conscience, at the last they affirm the holiness of God; in hell they gnash and grind their teeth at the holy God more than ever for His very holiness, justice and love. But Jesus has no evil conscience. How then could the Father send Him into hell.

Spontaneously He grasps for the words He Himself by His Spirit inspired the Psalmist to write in the twenty-second psalm, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Psalm 22:1). You can imagine Himself thinking, “Haven’t I kept every jot and every tittle of the law? Doesn’t he who keeps the whole law, by loving God above all and his fellowman as himself, deserve eternal life in Your presence? Yet now, You are casting Me into eternal death!” Any other human being would be thinking those thoughts. Yet Jesus is not like every other human man.

“Get behind Me, Satan. I am not forsaken of My Father for Myself; I am forsaken of the Father for the sake those who deserve to be forsaken. I am forsaken of My Father for them whom the Father Himself has given Me. Satan, you are no longer a hindrance to Me!”

But imagine if you can, that it is then the full reality of God’s forsaking Him was upon Him. The curse of God comes down upon Him from the offended love of the Father. So He cries out: “My God, my God,” not “My Father, my Father.” He no longer sees the smiling face of the Father, or even feels His presence. . . . “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Why? Because only at that moment could He save His people from their sins and only by doing this could He “glorify” the Father on earth. The holy God required this way; there was no other way.

Now, in that instant, all this agony is over. It is finished. No other human being, clutched in the agonies of death and then suddenly and unexpectedly delivered from death, even spoke words with such depth of meaning before. It was as if He were stating, “Father, I have kept My covenant with You.” Now we must remember His previous discourse with His disciples:

When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” (John 17:1-3).

To Be Continued

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, ESV © 2016 by Crossway Bibles.
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