Day 39: Abandoned To Die
And at three Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lemá sabachtháni?” which is translated, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”
…Jesus let out a loud cry and breathed his last. Then the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
Mark 15:34, 37-38
Across the world today, countless people have their minds filled with thoughts, images and ideas of an event that happened 2000 years ago. A man, battered, bruised and bloody hung on a cross of wood in one of the worst forms of execution known to man. And yet, it is Good Friday!
Mark tells us that on that Friday 2000 years ago, from noon until 3pm, usually the brightest part of the day, darkness covered the land. Creation groaned.
Jesus had faced illegitimate and unjust trials. He was hit with mocking & beatings. A crown of thorns was pushed into his scalp. Now he hung, nails through his hands and feet.
At 3pm he cried out, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (v34)
He soon let out one last cry and breathed his last. His corpse was taken down and laid in a tomb. The Son of God, abandoned to death. The greatest evil ever committed, and yet the greatest gift ever given.
Jesus was abandoned, so that sinners could be brought home.
He cried out in anguish, feeling the pain and trauma of being abandoned by his Father, and yet this was always the plan. On the cross, Jesus took the place of sinners. Each and every single human who has ever lived deserved to be there. There has to be divine judgement on sin, and this is what it took to deal with it, God’s own Son was tortured, murdered and abandoned.
As Jesus died, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. This wasn’t any old curtain, but was possibly 60 feet high and 4 inches thick. It was a symbol of the distance between God and man. Only the high priest could go through this curtain, having made sacrifices. But now, because of Jesus’ once for all sacrifice, anyone could come into God’s presence.
Jesus was abandoned, so that sinners could be brought home.
Now, all who trust in Jesus can come into God’s presence. We may at times feel that God is distant, but if our trust is in Jesus we will never be abandoned. We may face trauma, persecution, rejection or shame. We may lose friends or family. We may feel alone. But because Jesus was abandoned to bear the wrath of God, we can be assured that we will never be separated from the love of God, and one day we will fully and finally be brought home to our Father.
Take comfort and courage today that Jesus was abandoned to death so that we might live with his Spirit present in us. We will never be alone, and will one day truly go home. What a Good Friday!
Passage for today: Mark 15:33-47
A thought to remember: Jesus was abandoned, so that sinners could be brought home.
A question to ask: What comfort and courage do you find from the Gospel today?
A song to sing: The Lord is my Salvation