And we're going to be reading from verses 45 to 54, and the words are up on the screen as well,
so you can follow along there or in your Bibles, whichever you prefer.
But I'm going to read Matthew 27, starting in verse 45.
From noon until three in the afternoon, darkness came over all the lands.
About three in the afternoon, Jesus cried out in a loud voice,
Eli, Eli, lemma sabachthani, which means, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
When some of those standing there heard this, they said, he's calling Elijah.
Immediately, one of them ran and got a sponge.
He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff and offered it to Jesus to drink.
The rest said, now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to save him.
And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
At that moment, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
The earth shook, the rocks split, and the tombs broke open.
The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.
They came out of the tombs after Jesus' resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened,
they were terrified and exclaimed, surely he was the son of God.
Martin, thank you.
Thanks very much.
Alex, it's lovely to be back with you again.
On a few other occasions, we've looked at some of these sayings of the Lord Jesus on the cross,
and we're going to look at the other one that was mentioned from Psalm 22 this morning.
We'll really just focus in on those words of Jesus,
but obviously they come within the context of what's happening around it,
and hopefully we'll look at those verses to help us make sense of what Jesus says here on the cross.
But let's pray before we look at this together.
Father, we pray now that you might help us to grasp the truths of which we read,
that we might grasp the very depths of suffering that Jesus experienced for us,
so that we might never have to.
And so, Father, we pray that even as we think this morning of what it means to be forsaken by you,
that we might both grasp what Jesus has done for us,
and rejoice then in what is ours because of all that he has done.
And we ask this in Jesus' name.
Amen.
The very word forsaken is one of the most tragic in all of human speech.
That's what Arthur Pink writes before he lists a few examples.
A man forsaken by his friends,
a wife forsaken by her husband,
a child forsaken by its parents.
Perhaps you've known what it's like to be forsaken.
The word forsaken is one of the most tragic of all of human speech.
Yet it's the word that Jesus uses here.
Forsaken.
It's only in the last couple of years that I finally got around to reading Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.
When I say reading, I really mean listening.
I was too lazy to read the book.
I wasn't sure what to expect,
but I found it to be an incredibly moving story
in which I was filled with pity for Frankenstein's monster.
Victor Frankenstein is obsessed with creating life,
and he eventually succeeds in making a creature
that not only breathes and moves,
but thinks and feels.
But the creature's form is hideous,
and his stature is frightening.
Frankenstein is repulsed at the creature he's brought into being,
and he abandons him.
The story is really one of being forsaken.
At one point, the monster cries out to his creator,
I ought to be thy Adam,
but I am rather the fallen angel
whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed.
We finally sense the anguish of the monster.
He cannot understand why he's being treated as he is.
Rather than being loved by his creator,
the creature has been abandoned and forsaken.
He's treated more like Satan,
driven from God's presence,
than Adam, who was created to enjoy God's company.
And now his physical attributes mean
that no one else will ever accept him.
He's both hideous and frightening.
If his creator cannot love him,
who will?
He is alone,
abandoned,
forsaken.
Now when we think of that sense of abandonment,
whether it's a creature forsaken by its creator,
a wife forsaken by her husband,
a child forsaken by parents,
or a person forsaken by friends,
it's incredible then to contemplate
that Jesus experiences
what it means to be forsaken at the cross.
not just by his many followers,
or even by his closest friends,
but by his father in heaven.
Because here we see a man forsaken by God.
Now I've chosen those words really carefully.
A man forsaken by God.
Maybe you've heard statements before
about how the eternal relationship
between God the Son and God the Father
is broken during these three hours upon the cross,
as though somehow there has been a change
in the eternal being of God.
But God is unchangeable in his being.
The trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
cannot be broken,
even for a second,
or else God himself would cease to be God.
But this is the very reason
why the eternal Son of God
took on human flesh.
So that as a man,
he might experience
what it would be impossible
for God to experience.
Things like hunger, tiredness,
suffering, pain, death,
even being forsaken by God.
These things are true of the humanity of Jesus,
not of his divine nature.
But for all of his life here upon earth,
Jesus has enjoyed unbroken fellowship
with his heavenly Father.
This is something that no other human being
has ever enjoyed.
Jesus enjoys this unbroken fellowship
because he enters the world without sin,
and he lives in this world without sin.
There's absolutely nothing to hinder
his relationship with God.
He alone enjoys
what should have been the experience
of every human being.
what we all would have enjoyed
except for mankind's rebellion
against his Creator.
And we see evidence
of this unbroken fellowship
throughout Jesus' life on earth.
Even as a young boy,
you remember that Jesus
disappears to the temple,
telling his earthly parents
that he must be about
his Father's business.
Jesus says what his Father wants him to say.
He has come to do the Father's works.
At times, Jesus pulls away
from the crowds to be alone
and to have more intimate times
to talk to his Father in prayer.
But he lives all of his life
conscious of the Father's presence.
And yet now,
as he hangs upon the cross,
this unbroken fellowship with God,
which he has enjoyed
for every second
of every minute,
of every hour,
of every day,
for his 33 years here upon earth,
comes to a sudden end.
And he cries out,
My God,
Why have you forsaken me?
He is a man forsaken by God.
And this forsakenness
is evidenced in a couple of ways.
Matthew, first of all,
describes the darkness
of divine judgment.
It's a strange phenomenon, isn't it?
In verse 45,
from about noon
until three in the afternoon,
darkness came over the land.
It must have been a sight
that no one living at the time
would ever forget.
Perhaps you can remember,
at least I remember,
especially in my childhood,
times when the electricity
went off at home
and we had to rummage around
before we had torches
on our phones
to find the candles
in the drawers
and the matches
and light them up
and work out
how we were going to survive
without light in the house
for however many hours
the electricity would be off.
Such events
are memorable
enough.
But this,
this is darkness
in the middle of the day.
This is darkness
when the sun
is supposed to be
at its brightest.
From about noon
until three in the afternoon,
darkness came over
the land.
Now of course
there'll be many people
and you've probably heard
people try to put this event
in the category
of a natural event.
It was just a solar eclipse
and it was just a coincidence
that this occurs
at the time that Jesus
is on the cross.
Now I'm no scientist
or astrologist
but like the rest of you
I have the ability
to Google
what is the longest
possible solar eclipse
and if you're to do that
you'll find that the answer
is about seven and a half
minutes.
So whatever this is
it's not a natural
solar eclipse.
What happens here
is a supernatural
event.
The question is
what are we to make
of it?
Well it might
immediately conjure up
in your mind
a similar event
that lasted
not just for three hours
but for three
whole days.
There have already
been eight plagues
sent upon the land
of Egypt
because Pharaoh
refused to let
God's people go.
Each plague
seems to grow
in intensity
and severity.
And after the plague
of darkness
Pharaoh tells Moses
never to come
before him again
and Moses
assures Pharaoh
that he will never
see Moses'
face
again.
You see
this darkness
that fell upon
Egypt was the
darkness
of divine
judgment.
The plague
of darkness
was followed
only
by the death
of Egypt's
firstborn
sons.
Egypt would face
the judgment
of God
from which it
would never
fully recover.
Pharaoh had
ignored God's
commands,
resisted God's
purposes
and spurned
God's mercy
and all that
remained was the
darkness of
divine judgment.
Now here at the
cross for three
hours between
noon and three
o'clock
darkness came
over the land
and just as in
Egypt it was the
darkness of
divine judgment.
Just as Moses
had withdrawn
from Pharaoh
now it seems
that God
himself withdraws
from Jesus.
And just as
divine judgment
fell upon the
firstborn sons
of Egypt
now the
judgment of
God falls
on his
own son.
Not just
the judgment
of God
for the sins
of one
nation
but the
judgment of
God for the
sins of
all nations.
The judgment
of God for
all those who
had ignored
God's commands
resisted
God's purposes
and spurned
God's mercy.
The judgment
of God for
the sins of
the whole
world rested
upon Jesus.
This strange
darkness that
covers the
land is
nothing less
than the
darkness of
divine judgment.
It's no
surprise then
is it that
whenever Jesus
would talk
about the
eternal judgment
of hell
that will
come upon
those who
reject Jesus
he would
describe it
in terms of
complete
darkness.
Outer
darkness.
This kind
of darkness
the darkness
of divine
judgment
the darkness
of hell
itself
is what
Jesus
experiences
at the
cross.
Because
you not
only see
the darkness
of divine
judgment
but the
despair
of divine
absence.
Jesus cries
out in a
loud voice
my God
why have
you forsaken
me?
This
strange
darkness
could have
been God's
judgment
on the
whole land
of Israel
for their
rejection
of their
Messiah.
That would
be understandable
wouldn't it?
But no we
see that God's
judgment is far
more specific
than that.
God's judgment
is not falling
on the whole
land of Israel
not even the
whole world
it is falling
upon one
person
Jesus
because as
the darkness
of divine
judgment
falls on
the land
Jesus
experiences
the despair
of divine
absence.
David had
once wrote
I was young
and now I
am old
yet I have
never seen
the righteous
forsaken.
But isn't
that exactly
what we see
on the cross?
there was
no one
more righteous
than Jesus.
No one
could be
more righteous
than Jesus.
He had
perfectly
obeyed the
commands of
God and
completely
fulfilled the
purposes of
God.
No one
was more
righteous than
Jesus and
no one
could be
more righteous
than Jesus
yet here
he is
forsaken
by God
experiencing
the despair
of divine
absence.
Again
Arthur Pink
comments
the hiding
of God's
face from
him was
the most
bitter ingredient
of that
cup which
the father
had given
the redeemer
to drink.
This is
what caused
the torment
in the
garden
of Eden
or Gethsemane.
In number
six there's
a blessing
I'm sure
you know
the Aaronic
blessing to
Aaron and
his sons
where the
people of
God say
the Lord
bless you
and keep
you.
The Lord
make his
face shine
on you
and be
gracious
to you.
The Lord
turn his
face toward
you and
give you
peace.
There could
be no
greater
blessing.
The Lord
turning his
face towards
you.
The Lord
shining his
glory upon
you.
The Lord
granting you
grace and
peace.
But here
Jesus
experiences
the very
opposite.
The Lord
turning his
face away
from him.
The light
of God's
countenance
being removed
from him.
The judgment
of God
falling
upon him.
Do we
begin to
grasp the
horror of
what is
actually
happening
here at
the cross?
Jesus,
the only
truly
righteous
person who
has ever
lived,
is forsaken
by God,
enduring the
darkness of
divine judgment
and experiencing
the despair
of divine
absence.
grace.
But Jesus
is not
only forsaken
by God,
he is
forsaken
for us.
Jesus
wasn't the
one who
should have
experienced
the darkness
of divine
judgment.
We should.
Jesus
wasn't the
one who
should be
forsaken
by God.
We should.
And it's
impossible to
make any
sense of
what Jesus
experiences
here at
the cross
unless we
understand that
Jesus was
not only
forsaken
by God,
but that
he was
forsaken
for us.
You see,
Jesus was
forsaken so
that he
might open
the way
into God's
presence.
Those three
hours of
darkness were
not the
end of
the strange
events of
this day.
Look at
verse 51.
At that
moment,
that is the
moment of
Jesus'
death,
the curtain
of the
temple was
torn in
two from
top to
bottom.
It was
the curtain
in the
temple that
divided the
holy place
from the
most holy
place.
It was
the curtain
that separated
the area in
which the
priests worked
and the
area into
which not
even a
priest was
allowed to
set his
foot.
It was
the curtain
that separated
the sinful
people from
the presence
of a
holy God.
Apparently,
it was about
ten centimetres
thick.
It was as
good as a
wall that
had a sign
placed on
it saying
in bold
letters,
no entry.
But at
the very
moment that
Jesus dies,
the curtain
of the
temple was
torn in
two from
top to
bottom.
The fact
that it's
torn from
top to
bottom indicates
that this
wasn't something
that people
could do,
but it was
the action
of God.
And it
was completely
torn from
top to
bottom,
removing any
hindrance to
enter the
most holy
place.
Now,
looking around,
I know some
of you are
old enough to
remember the
dramatic scenes
in November
1989 when
the Berlin Wall
was pulled
down.
I won't
hazard to
guess that
any of you
remember when
it was first
put up.
For 28
years, it
seemed like an
impenetrable
divide between
East and
West Germany.
And if you
can remember
the news
at that
time, we
watched the
wall crumble
in ours.
The wall
that had
separated people
from one
another simply
was removed
within ours.
The wall
that for so
long had
said no
entry all
of a sudden
had a hole
in it that
invited people
to come
through.
in the
temple.
Now in
just seconds,
the same
thing happens
in the
Jerusalem
temple.
The curtain
that had
stood as a
barrier for
hundreds of
years was
torn in two
from top to
bottom and
the way was
opened into
the presence
of God.
those who
once wouldn't
have dared
to enter the
presence of
God
could now do
so freely
because the
sin that kept
us out,
the sin that
meant we should
be forsaken
by God
had been
taken by
Jesus
and he
was forsaken
for us.
He experienced
God's absence
so that you
and I
might be able
to enjoy
God's
presence.
But that's
not all.
Jesus was
forsaken
so that he
might secure
eternal life
for his
people.
If the
tearing of
the temple
curtain was
a dramatic
symbol of
the way
being opened
into God's
presence,
well it
seems like
it was
only the
warm-up
act for
what happens
next.
What happens
next is far
stranger than
darkness in
the middle
of the day
or an
impenetrable
barrier being
torn in
two.
Dead
people
come to
life.
Look at
verses 51
to 53.
At that
moment the
curtain of
the temple
was torn
in two
from top
to bottom.
The earth
shook,
the rocks
split,
and the
tombs broke
open.
The bodies
of many
holy people
who had
died were
raised to
life,
they came
out of
their
tombs after
Jesus'
resurrection,
and went
into the
holy city
and appeared
to many
people.
How
incredible
is that?
At the
moment that
Jesus dies,
the dead
bodies of
some of
God's
people were
brought back
to life,
just as
Lazarus had
been brought
back to
life,
except these
had probably
been dead
for much
longer than
the few
days that
Lazarus had
laying in
his tomb.
It seemed
as though
they only
managed to
get out
of their
tombs and
make their
way to
Jerusalem in
time to
hear the
news that
Jesus had
risen from
the dead.
They were
able to
say,
we too
have been
brought back
to life.
It happened
when the
ground shook
a couple of
days ago.
What,
others must
have asked,
that was
when Jesus
died.
This really
strange event
bears witness
to what
Jesus will
one day
do in
the future.
He has
secured
eternal life
for all
of his
people,
and when
he comes
again,
he will
raise even
our dead
bodies from
the ground
to enjoy
the life
we were
always
intended
to enjoy.
These two
incredible
events,
the turning
of the
curtain
and the
raising of
the dead
to life,
demonstrate
that Jesus
has both
defeated
sin and
conquered
death.
You see,
it is only
sin that
keeps us
from the
presence of
God.
It is only
sin that
condemns us
to death.
But upon
the cross,
Jesus takes
the sin of
the world
upon himself.
As a result,
he is kept
from the
presence of
God.
He is
condemned
to death.
He is
forsaken
by God,
and he
is forsaken
for us.
And because
he was
forsaken,
we do
not have
to be.
We can
know our
sins
forgiven.
We can
have access
to the
presence of
God.
We can
have the
certainty
of eternal
life.
And we
can die
with confidence
that our
bodies will
not be
left in
the grave
because
Jesus took
our sins
to the
grave,
rose from
the dead,
ascended to
heaven,
from where
he will
come to
raise us
even from
the ground
to enjoy
the life
that he has
purchased for
all who are
trusting in
him.
Let's pray
together.
Father, we
pray this
morning that
you might
help us to
grasp
something
of what
Jesus
experienced
on the
cross.
And that
as we do,
we might
grasp
that that
is what
we have
been saved
from.
Not because
of anything
in us,
but because
Jesus was
forsaken
for us.
Oh,
Father, may
that stir
our hearts
with love
and gratitude
and thankfulness
towards you
that reorient
us to
direct us
towards you
to want to
live a life
that pleases
and honours
you because
we are
confident that
our sins
are forgiven,
that eternal
life is
secure,
and that
we too
in this
life can
enjoy
fellowship
with our
Father
in heaven.
We ask
this in the
name of the
Lord Jesus.
Amen.