At that point, having never heard this preached, I thought
what a deep message that is! The exact
'body language' of God at the moment Jesus cried out His question isn’t even in
the Bible, but it seemed to explain the concept of Jesus feeling forsaken; an
infinitely holy God would not or could not look upon the amalgamation of all of
the sin of the world, past present and future, as embodied at that moment in
His Son, Jesus. Wow . . . .
The next time I heard the crucifixion preached, and the
minister included the reference to God turning his back thus causing Jesus to
cry, "My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me," I was less moved,
frankly. The time after that, even less
moved, and something new was birthing in my spirit and it began to grow every
time I heard the explanation for the forsakenness Jesus seemed to feel so
deeply. What was growing, and bubbling
up in my spirit and soul was complete disagreement with what I heard coming
from the pulpit both in God turning His back, and in Jesus actually have been
forsaken by His Father, our God in Heaven.We grow up believing that everything we hear from a preacher's mouth is the truth; I certainly had. Because of the esteem in which we normally hold a Preacher, and the fact that their job is to disseminate the Word of God, we do typically take at face value what we hear preached.
In 1999, I briefly met Dr. Myles Munroe at a meeting of the
International Christian Chamber of Commerce, and had an opportunity to hear him
speak. The point of a message he
delivered one evening during the course of the conference was a warning to
adhere to Scripture, and to be wary of teachings which, A) Use Scripture out of
context; B) Ignore Scripture; C) State as fact that which cannot be found in
Scripture, or D) State as fact that which cannot be supported by Scripture.
His message spoke to me that night and gave me a passion for
knowing what the Bible says - what it really says, or can be taught with
confidence. So let's circle back to the body language of our Father in Heaven
at Calvary, and examine what the Bible does, or does not, actually say . . .
1. Although Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John do not mention our
Father God being present, we learn from our study of Scripture that He is
omnipresent, and aware of all happenings and events on this earth (ref. Psalm
139). Furthermore, Jesus states
factually that He and the Father are one, notably in His prayer as recorded in
the 17th chapter of the Gospel According to John, and from this we understand Jesus
and God the Father are one in spirit, responsibility, intent, love, and
concern; two-thirds of the triune Godhead.
2. There is another place in Scripture where the question,
"My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me," is asked and that is in
the 22d Psalm. It is the cry of
David. History tells us that David was
on the run for his life and hiding from King Saul. The deep anguish he must have felt during
this very trying time can certainly be heard in his question to God. But his question begs two others, and they
are, "Had God forsaken David?" and "Has God forsaken anyone?"
3. Following up on the 2d note, I wondered about the whole
topic of forsakenness. After all, we
hear in our mind the words of God when He is quoted throughout Scripture,
"I will never leave you nor forsake you." Yet we learn, when searching Scripture, that
God has indeed forsaken, and we learn what the amazing circumstances must have
been.
Please read the following passages:Deuteronomy 31:17
II Chronicles 12:5
II Chronicles 15:2
II Chronicles 24:2
We find in each of the instances recorded in Scripture that God
has forsaken a person or group of people only after He Himself has been
forsaken by the person or group of people.
This is the testimony of Scripture.
The translation I have used to compile this list is the New American
Standard Bible. It is widely accepted as
the most accurate of the 'formal correspondence' (or word-for-word)
translations, and so as authoritative as I have in my possession.
4. Now we can answer the questions asked in Note 2. David had not
forsaken God and yes, God did forsake certain people and/or groups. As to the most important question, and that
is regarding David; he was on the run for his life from Saul yet never lifted a
hand to kill his pursuer, but instead protected Saul whenever possible. Truly
he was demonstrating love and respect for his enemy echoing words which would
come from the lips of Jesus centuries later, "Love your enemies (Matthew
5:43-48)."
Scripture does not teach that God forsakes those who follow
His will, and so we can say confidently that David was not forsaken of God. Buy why the indictment of God from David's
own lips (Why hast Thou forsaken me?)?
As we read the 22d Psalm we see clearly that David felt God was not near
and seemed absent. In his distress he felt alone and overwhelmed by his circumstances. It was as if he had been abandoned (forsaken)
by God, and he recorded his deeply felt hurt and disappointment.
5. There are two things worth noting in the two instances
where the Bible records, "My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken
me?" First we need to understand
the identity of the man asking the question.
First was David, who was just a man, but a man after God's own heart (I
Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22), and Jesus, our Messiah, born in the flesh as a man,
yet clearly accepting His deity and the knowledge that He is God (John 8:58, et
al.).
6. In personal conversation, David does not refer to God as
Father, and in personal conversation Jesus does not refer to His Father (our
God and Father in Heaven) as God.
7. God does not sleep (Psalm 121:1-4), yet Scripture records
that the incarnate Christ grew weary and rested (Mark 4:38).8. God is Spirit (John 4:24), and would not hunger yet our Lord, Jesus certainly broke bread with any number of men and women during His human existence (Matthew 9:10; Mark 2:15-16; Luke 22:10-15).
9. Jesus clearly understood the call upon His life (Matthew
20:28; Mark 10:45), and that was to die that we might live. Yet the humanity of our Savior could not be
overlooked even in the Garden of Gethsemane when He said, "My Father, if
it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You
will." Matthew 26:39
What I have come to realize or suspect is that many
otherwise devout and well-meaning men and women of God have defaulted to a
convenient line ("God turned His back on Jesus") because of one
passage in the Old Testament taken out of context and then turned into
doctrine. Let’s take a look at the one
and only passage which is quoted to explain preaching to a congregation that
God turned His back on Jesus while He agonized as the sacrificial Lamb of God.
The Prophet Habakkuk states near the beginning of the book
named for him, "Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, and You can not
look on wickedness with favor." The
implication in the sermons stating as fact that God turned His back on Jesus
while He was dying on the cross and became sin (II Corinthians 5:21) is that
this verse from Habakkuk applies to God and therefore to Jesus on the cross. It does not.
Habakkuk was writing at the time the Babylonians were
becoming the dominant power in the region, and Israel, in her rebellion and wickedness,
is about to be conquered and chastened by a people desperately more wicked than
they, and a people absolutely without the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Habakkuk's observation, "Your eyes are
too pure to approve evil, and You cannot look on wickedness with favor,"
is one of incredulity! He is in utter
disbelief that God would use the pagan Babylonians (Chaldeans) to course-correct
the chosen people Israel. Interestingly, context is ignored when this verse is
taught from the pulpit as the cause and fact behind the anguished cry of our
Lord on the cross.
The entire 13th verse gives context, "Your eyes are too
pure to approve evil, and You can not look on wickedness with favor. Why do You
look with favor on those who deal treacherously? Why are You silent when the wicked swallow up
those more righteous than they?"
In an examination of the plain text where does one find our
Lord Jesus? Is He evil? Did He deal treacherously? Did Jesus swallow up those more righteous
than He?Let's look at another passage to demonstrate the practicality and importance of context in Scripture. We all have heard, "You shall know the truth and the truth will make you free (John 8:32)." But upon closer examination how many people do we all know who share our head knowledge about the truth of who Jesus is? How many people do we know who profess to believe in God? And how many of these people are anything but free? Context, as in Habakkuk, tells us to look at the complete thought and not just a sound bite.
The entire thought John was conveying is quoted, "So
Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My
word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and
the truth will make you free.” They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants
and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will
become free’?” Jesus answered them,
“Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. The
slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. So if
the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:31-36)
The truth we come to know when we study the Word of God will
make us free. It is abiding in Jesus
which will set us free, not just a knowledge of what the truth is. His audience
knew of the truth of the law (Abraham’s descendants), but not the truth which
could only come from abiding in the words of Jesus. Context is hugely
important!
Finally let's look at a passage of Scripture which gets
little to no airplay because it seems to be a blatant contradiction of Jesus'
own words, and the clear dictate of Scripture.
It is Jesus speaking, as recorded in the 14th chapter of Luke, "Now
large crowds were going along with Him; and He turned and said to them,
"If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and
wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he
cannot be My disciple." (Luke 14:25-26)
Yikes!
What could Jesus possibly have been saying? Is this gospel? Are we to begin hating folks so we can be His
disciples? Absolutely not! A comparison is being drawn (as was the case
in Habakkuk). Looking at intent and
context we realize Jesus is using His words to define the depth of our devotion
to Him. We are to draw closer to Him
than even to those we hold most dear on this earth, because He is our Lord and
Savior. There should be no comparison as
He is worthy of our greatest love; that which is given with all of our heart,
mind, soul, and strength (Luke 10:27).
An understanding of context tells us now that the fragment
of Habakkuk 1:13 is not authoritative in understanding why Jesus felt
forsaken. It certainly does nothing to
lend credence to any statement which claims God turned His back on Jesus!
The King James Version translates that first thought in
Habakkuk 1:13 as 'look upon evil' rather than 'approve of evil'. The question then is, "Can or cannot God
look upon evil?" We know in His
holiness that He most certainly would never approve of evil and we have already
asked ourselves to consider whether or not Jesus was evil (likened to the
Babylonians). Was the Lamb of God, slain
from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8), evil? Were the lambs sacrificed in the Old
Testament evil or were they substitutionary, taking on the sins of the children
of Israel? Obviously, neither the Lamb
of God, nor the spotless lambs in Old Testament times were evil.
So looking upon evil is the last domino to fall in the
reliance upon the first line of Habakkuk 1:13 as proof that God turned His back
on Jesus. Did God look upon evil in Job
1:6-12? Consider the narrative . . .
Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present
themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. The Lord said to
Satan, “From where do you come?” Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “From
roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.” The Lord said to Satan,
“Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth,
a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.” Then
Satan answered the Lord, “Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge about him and his
house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his
hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But put forth Your hand
now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face."
Then the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do
not put forth your hand on him.” So Satan departed from the presence of the
Lord. (Job 1:6-12)
Ten times in the New Testament, Satan is described as the
'evil one' for surely he is. Four of the
mentions are direct quotes from Jesus.
Are we to assume the dialog in Job between God and Satan occurred with
God unable to look squarely into the face of His former archangel (the evil
one), a being He had created? If so,
there is no mention of it. And the
consideration of such an event borders on the ludicrous!
During the time when Satan personally tempted our Lord Jesus
are we likewise to assume that Jesus was unable to look right into the face of
His tempter when he said, "Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall
worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’” Jesus is God, ladies and gentlemen. Scripture
gives us no indication that Jesus, in any way, shrank from His dominance over
sin and the evil one by having to turn His back. The prophetic word in Genesis
regarding the descendant (seed) of Eve was that the head of the serpent (Satan)
would be bruised by the heal of the seed (Jesus). Genesis 3:15.
So what is the conclusion of the matter?
I have no doubt Jesus deeply, sincerely, and painfully felt
forsaken and abandoned at the moment He took on the sin of the world in our
place. He was our substitute and
sacrifice for sin. This is the clear,
unambiguous testimony of Scripture. The
word excruciating which describes the unimaginable pain Jesus endured on the
cross comes from the same root as crucifixion - the method of our Lord's death.
His humanity, which prompted the sorrow and tears He shared
with Mary and Martha for Lazarus, was overwhelmed at the moment his body of
flesh was weighted down with what lay before Him. We see it when He asked of His Father to
let the cup of suffering pass from Him in the Garden of Gethsemane. So it is not the anguished cry of our Savior
which I question. Not at all! He said it, and I believe the humanity in Him
which required rest and food felt the full brunt of the unimaginable physical,
emotional, and spiritual agony when He took on the sin of the world at Calvary.
My belief, which I hold to be bolstered by a proper and
thorough study of Scripture, is that the humanity of Jesus caused His anguished
cry. I do not discount the possibility
that He uttered the cry in fulfillment of the prophecy in Psalm 22. But, as with David a thousand years before,
God had not forsaken Him. There is
absolutely no support in Scripture for any belief that God turned His back on
Jesus, or even that God had forsaken Him.
Scripture teaches us that it is obedience which is better than sacrifice
(I Samuel 15:22), and Jesus was obedient unto death (Philippians 2:8). He was
within the perfect will of God, and therefore could not have been and was not
forsaken by God.
Our Savior is worthy of all of our praise, all of our honor,
and all of our obedience. Our Father in
Heaven is faithful and will never leave us nor forsake us. He sees our sin, ladies and gentlemen, and
when we are His we can rest assured that although we are blind to His presence
He has not left us, and He has not forsaken us. Nothing can separate us from
the love of God.
"For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor
angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,
nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us
from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39Fearlessly,
JD
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