It's 11:17 on a Thursday night and I can' t sleep due to some FM pain in one leg. So I got up from bed and decided to read my devotionals which I didn't have time for this morning. One of them talked about the Father turning away from the Son while He was suffering on the cross.
My youngest, C, knows the Bible fairly well. So I asked him, "Do you know of any place in the Bible where it talks about God the Father turning His back on the Son?" He said he couldn't think of a specific verse but he said God can't look on sin. So...
Not good enough for me so I started searching for any references about turning away in the Scriptures. There are a number of them but none having to do with Christ on the cross. So I looked up Matthew 27:46
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud
voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is,
“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
Using Strong's Concordance, "sabachthani" means, "you have left me." It doesn't say turned your back; it could mean that but I don't think so. At least not any more.
Have you ever been in a situation with your child where you wish more than anything you could get them out of it, take them away from it, never let them feel the pain or hurt that they are feeling, but you you are helpless and there is nothing you can do? If you read one of my previous posts, you know that I've been going through that with J & A. There's nothing I can do to take it away.
Now, am I saying that God the Father was incapable of taking the cross and the pain away. No, He could have, but the payment for sin and death would never have been made. Christ Himself could have come down off of the cross, but again the payment would not have made.
I do believe the Father was there, facing the cross with His Precious Son on it carrying our debt. I wonder if tears flowed from His eyes knowing that the sacrifice had to be made, the payment for sin carried through. Scripture tells us that the sun was darkened for 3 hours. I believe it was a private time for the Father and the Son. The rest of us were not allowed to look on; even creation couldn't.
This brings great comfort to me because again I'm reminded that God our Father and our Precious Saviour know our sorrows. They understand the tears that we shed. My God can comfort me and all others because He has known sorrow and has come through it.
When Christ was on the cross, one of the last things He said was, "It is finished." This is an accounting term. The debt has been paid in full - there is no more payment needed. Jesus Christ, dying on the cross, taking your and my debt for sin, has paid for it. By believing in Him and what He has done, I know there will come a day when I will meet that little one who is gone from this earth. I know J & A will meet the special one as well as the rest of my family.
The question for you is: Will You Meet Them? If the answer is yes, that is great! But if it is no or "I'm not sure," believe on the LORD Jesus Christ today. Know that He has paid the debt for your sins and you do not have to face the eternal punishment that will come to those who reject Him.
And to all who believe, what a great reminder that our God truly is the God of all Comfort because He has been there.
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