June 20, 2013
SCRIPTURE: Matthew 27:45-53
OBSERVATIONS/APPLICATION
‘My God, my God, why have you deserted me?’ (Psalm 22:1)
In this passage we see Jesus receiving the curse of sin (Genesis 2:17), even though He does not deserve it.
As the fullness of God in human form, emptied of His divine powers, He genuinely experiences this rejection from God.
These are real words, not a hollow bible study quote of the Jewish bible.
What was supposed to happen to Adam, Eve and all of us, happens here to Jesus.
I may feel deserted, I may face disappointment with God, but it will never be like this.
The darkness, the earthquake, the bodies rising, these are significant, apocalyptic signs of a world-changing event.
If the fall into sin (Genesis 3) was a high speed shift from ‘Drive’ to ‘Reverse’, Jesus is shifting it into ‘Drive’ again.
This is God’s way of making things right, assuring me that He loves me through hell and high water, no matter how dark and deadly things become.
Because of this, I can say, ‘My God, my God, You have not deserted me!’
What do you sense the Lord saying to you?
PRAYER
Lord, thank You for taking the curse for me, for showing me how far You will go for me. Thank You that You will never desert me !
As Jesus way dying on the cross, nature was doing strange things. Darkness for 3 hours in the middle of the day? This is more than an eclipse that would last a few minutes. One of the plagues on the Egyptians talked about the land being put into complete darkness. It is hard to fathom a reason for this. What was blocking the sun?
As Jesus breathed his last the curtain in the temple was torn in two. We take this to mean that the divide between man and the place where God was has been eliminated. We can come directly to God at any place. The earth shook and righteous people came back to life. This last part is undeniably God’s hand moving. Earthquakes can happen and do happen regularly, however, seeing people in the streets that have died, and knowing that they were holy people would send a message to those around. I would find this to be an interesting event to hear reports on. How would people explain this? The raising of the holy people is not really expanded on.
I am thankful that Jesus died for me. The events surrounding His death are supernatural, and awe inspiring. I pray that as I go about working for God, that I remember this part of the story of Jesus, as this is the reason He came to earth. I pray that I can understand more fully the story of sin, redemption, and ultimate reunion with God.