My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?
(His Abandonment, My Abundance)

Scripture Text: Mark 15:33- 39

An astronaut was asked to relate his feelings as he had just returned from being blasted into space in his aircraft. He recalled that he was thrilled and excited, but all of a sudden there was a technical failure and he lost contact with the people on earth for a few minutes. In that few minutes he was overwhelmed with a surge of loneliness which he never experienced before. How overjoyed he was when he was reconnected. We may have felt loneliness at some time in our lives, but who can really experience the loneliness that Jesus felt on the cross when He was abandoned and separated from His Father? Let us try to understand the mystery, the meaning and the message of this cry of abandonment.

THE MYSTERY OF THE CRY OF THE ABANDONMENT

Separated from God because of our sin

In Psalm 22, we were given some insight of how Jesus felt as he went through the agony and pain of being separated from His Father. God took sin very seriously and He destined that the Son of God, who knew no sin, to take all our sins upon Himself. He did it so willingly for us, although we did not deserve it. We read that Jesus used to rise very early in the morning to meet and communicate with His Father; therefore, to be separated and have His Father turn His face from Him must have been very difficult for Him. How He must have suffered for each one of us!

THE MEANING OF THE CRY OF ABANDONMENT

Imputed righteous because of His blood

We saw that God’s wrath was on Christ Jesus as He took all our sins upon Himself. Jesus paid the full price of our sins with His blood so He could turn away God’s anger from us (2 Cor 5:21). Our sins crushed Christ on the cross as He shed His blood for us that we might wear His robe of righteousness.

THE MESSAGE OF THE CRY OF ABANDONMENT

New life for us because of His death

When Jesus breathed His last breath, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom. This tearing of the curtain gave us a new beginning where we could come before God ( Heb10:19-22). The cry of abandonment was not a cry of despair. Death on the cross did not mean death for Christ. It meant death to sin for everyone who put their trust in Jesus. Indeed when our old nature died with Christ on the cross, Christ broke the power of sin. We no longer are subjected to the second death. We can boldly proclaim that my God shall never leave me nor forsake me. (Heb13:5-6) As Christ has given us a second chance, let us stop sinning and go towards the goal he has set for us.

Prayer Response

Lord, I thank you for your great love for me. Thank you for taking all my sins upon yourself and taking the Father’s wrath away from me. Thank you for giving me a new life and a second chance. Thank you for the promise that you will never leave me nor forsake me. Amen

Devotional based on sermon by Ps Leslie Lim