Introduction
A. I borrowed portions of this sermon from Pastor Charles R Brown of Esther First Baptist Church, From his Series: Cross Sayings From The Christ
1. This one is titled “Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me?”
a. Lets turn to Matthew 27:45 - 46
B. When you spend some time in the Word looking at the crucifixion, you should soon find yourself consumed with emotion
1. At first glance, the casual reader might think the crucifixion lasted about an hour or less
2. But the Gospel writers with great detail tell us that the entire episode took up a quarter of a day
Matthew 27:45-46 (NKJV)
Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. {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?"
a. His hands and feet were nailed to wood at 9 in the morning
b. He uttered three statements and then darkness fell
(1) Lets start out by turning to Luke 23:34
3. Lets visit the three utterances Jesus made before the darkness
a. This is the first utterance from the cross
Luke 23:34 (NKJV)
Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." And they divided His garments and cast lots.
b. This is very precious, Jesus was hung on the cross because you and I needed a savior, and He willingly went and was crucified
(1) Just imagine, Jesus having endured everything described last week
(2) Being nailed to the cross, and looking down upon them
(a) The Roman soldiers
(b) The chief priests, possibly even the high priest
(c) The scribes and Pharisees
(d) The crowd of citizens
(e) And the rabble
(f) And Jesus utter these precious words, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do”
i) Lets turn to Romans 5:8
(3) I can’t help but think of this when other theologians say you can lose your salvation
(a) When was the sin that I committed yesterday forgiven?
(b) When was the sin that I committed ten minute ago forgiven?
(c) When will the sin that I will commit an hour from now be forgiven?
Romans 5:8 (NKJV)
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
(d) My sins were all forgiven 2,000 years ago on that cross when Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do”
i) Is that a precious thought? It is for me
a) Now lets turn to Luke 23:39-43
4. This is about the repentant thief crucified next to the Lord
a. This is the second utterance from the cross
Luke 23:39-43 (NKJV)
Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, "If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us." {40} But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, "Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? {41} "And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong." {42} Then he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom." {43} And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."
b. Ryrie’s notes comment on the thief’s faith, “when You come into thy kingdom”
(1) Seeing Jesus dying on a cross but believing that He would come into His kingdom shows the amazing faith of the thief
(2) This is also evidence of the forgiveness of the Savior
(3) The thief was promised Paradise
(a) Now lets turn to John 19:25-27
5. This is about Christ’s love for His mother Mary
a. This is the third utterance from the cross
John 19:25-27 (NKJV)
Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. {26} When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold your son!" {27} Then He said to the disciple, "Behold your mother!" And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.
b. This is something that some have taken to mean that Joseph, Mary’s husband, was dead
(1) As the first born son, Jesus responsibility was to care for His widowed mother
(2) Jesus said, to His mother, look now at your son, referring to the apostle John
(a) Just think, Jesus is saying in essence, “I love you, mom. I task my disciple John to take my place and care for you.”
(b) And to John, “John care for My mother as you would your own mom.”
(3) This shows just how deeply Jesus love was
(a) Love for His mom
(b) Love for His disciple
i) Lets turn back to Matthew 27:45 - 46
II. Body
A. The fourth utterance from the cross
Matthew 27:45-46 (NKJV)
Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. {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?"
1. Note after Jesus took care of His responsibilities concerning His mother, the passage says, from the sixth hour which we would understand to be noon
a. Jesus was nailed to the cross about the third our, we would think about 9 A.M.
b. Three hours later it got dark
2. Then there was silence “until about the ninth hour”, 3 P.M.
a. Darkness fell over the earth like a thick, hot blanket
b. And there was silence
(1) Just think, all the insults, jeers, and blasphemy stopped
c. Then just before He died, the Lord Jesus uttered again, several statements
(1) Remember, there’s no such thing as surviving crucifixion
(2) Death always comes
(a) Turn to 1 Peter 2:23
(3) Peter, an eyewitness, tells us that even though He was reviled, He didn’t revile in return
1 Peter 2:23 (NKJV)
who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously;
d. In Isaiah 53: 7, Isaiah tells us
Isaiah 53:7 (NKJV)
He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.
(1) In all, Jesus made seven statements from the cross.
(a) The first was toward those who crucified Him
i) He said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing”
(b) The second was uttered to a thief hanging near Him and Jesus said, “This day you will be with me in Paradise”.
(c) The third statement was to His mother, He said, “Woman behold your son” and to John, “behold your mother”
i) Turn to Matthew 27:45 - 46
B. This was a statement of anguish
Matthew 27:45-46 (NKJV)
Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. {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?"
1. The fourth statement is the most anguishing of all and that’s the one Matthew records in Matthew chapter 27, verse 46.
2. Called by one man the most staggering sentence in Gospel record, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?”
3. There was a thick darkness all around
4. It seemed as though nature bowed in sympathy as its Creator was put to death
5. It seems as though its heart is broken and it give no light
6. The darkness at the crucifixion of Christ represents God’s divine judgment on sin
a. The cross became the place for the pouring out of His wrath
b. Jesus was the recipient of divine judgment, God’s judgment upon sin
c. And in the darkness, out of that place where death existed, from that crown at Calvary, the words came
d. “My God! Why have You forsaken Me?”
e. In our Matthew passage , Matthew prepares the scene for us.
f. From noon until 3 in the afternoon there were two things present:
(1) Darkness
(2) And silence
7. Somewhere around three o’clock Matthew records Jesus makes this statement
a. There are three things I want you to see in this statement
(1) He Screamed the Statement
(a) This is not recorded and probably is not true of the other six statements
(b) But it’s true of this one.
i) Jesus screamed it
ii) In verse 46, the words “cried out” are a combination of two words: to shout and it’s prefix is “up”. “To shout or scream up.”
iii) It is often used in Scripture for a guttural scream, a roar.
iv) That’s the word used for Jesus’ crying out.
(c) So in the darkness, picture it, there’s been silence then suddenly, abruptly there is the screaming from the lips of our Lord, “MY GOD! MY GOD! WHY HAST THOU FORSAKEN ME?”
(d) That seems to be the proper setting for the fourth statement Jesus gave
b. Second, Matthew recorded this statement exactly as Jesus said It
(1) Notice that the statement is given to us exactly as Jesus said it
(2) In fact, there is another sentence given to us in another language
(3) The Holy Spirit has preserved it through the centuries in the transcribing of the text
(4) The Holy Spirit made sure there is this original sentence in the original language, not translated into our language, “Eli, Eli, lama sabacth’oni!”
(a) Why does it appear like this?
(b) First of all, that is Aramaic and not Greek.
(c) Jesus spoke Aramaic; that was the tongue that He used
(d) So we have reverted to the mother tongue of the Lord Jesus in this statement
(e) Why? I believe it seems to capture the depth of feeling, the trauma that must have gone through the mind of Jesus at that moment
(f) There’s nothing quite like the expressions of the mother tongue to get that feeling across
(g) So He screamed this statement and it’s given to us exactly as He said it in Aramaic
c. Third, we see what may seem to be estrangement between the Father and the Son
(1) Many theologians seem to think that the Father turned His back on Jesus
(a) They seem to think that there was a distance, an estrangement between God the Father and God the Son
(b) Jesus spoke to His Father three times while on the cross
(c) Only here does He address Him as God
i) Both of the other two times, He calls Him Father
ii) It’s almost as if you would walk up to your father and address him as mister
iii) I believe that this was an utterance of Jesus humanity expressing how He felt
iv) I do not believe that there was any thing between God the Father and God the Son except the love there had always been
v) Jesus said it well in John 10:30
John 10:30 (NKJV)
"I and My Father are one."
C. Does it make any difference whether we believe that the Father turned His back on Jesus or not
1. In reality, what ever we believe makes no difference at all
2. Was Jesus abandoned for that moment when He carried the burden of sin for the whole world
3. Or was Jesus simply expressing His human feelings when He shouldered that burden of sin
4. What I believe or what you believe in no way alters reality
5. Christ died on that cross for the sins of the world
a. And we are the benefactors of God’s love, grace, and mercy
b. Made possible by Christ’s sacrifice
(1) Turn to Hebrews 10:10-14
Hebrews 10:10-14 (NKJV)
By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. {11} And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. {12} But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, {13} from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. {14} For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.
6. Turn to Hebrews 13:5-6
a. No matter how we feel, it does not alter reality and the reality of this we find in our Hebrews passage
Hebrews 13:5-6 (NKJV)
Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." {6} So we may boldly say: "The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?"
