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pain and suffering

Matthew 27:46
"And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?"

We should keep studying the questions that Jesus asked. Jesus's questions are very educational. This week, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" When Jesus hung on the cross He was in agony and literally dying. The pain He was experiencing was in the EXTREME. His loss and separation was on full display for ALL to see. Anguish doesn't begin to describe His experience on the cross.

Jesus’ cry happened around 3 pm as He was experiencing the full weight of humanity’s sin and God’s wrath. Jesus felt abandoned by God. A feeling He would never have known before. Yet, it had some familiarity as He had the experience of being GOD rejected and abandoned by people. It's here on the cross where people and GOD are reunited!

This question and this feeling is known to all of us. We might see it as part of the human condition. But, we may also appreciate that GOD has this experience too. It should not surprise us to find a record of this feeling in the Old Testament. Turn to the Psalms, chapter 22, verse 1, "My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me? why art Thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?" This verse has various interpretations over time. We can say for sure that it is a lamentation of the righteous suffering of the psalmist. In these words, we can see a powerful expression of Jesus’ humanity AND divinity, as He experienced the suffering of humanity and the wrath of God. It serves as a testament to the depth of His love and sacrifice, as He cries out in anguish, feeling abandoned by God, yet ultimately fulfilling the plan of redemption. It's on the cross where He saves us. And, it's where we meet Him properly, sharing a small taste of His pain and suffering.
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