Easter Reflections
by
Rev. R. Hall
The climax
of Christ’s crucifixion comes when he cried in anguish from the cross, “My God,
my God, why have you forsaken me?”
The idea
that the Father would allow his Son to suffer the torture of crucifixion is
beyond me—the humiliation of nakedness, the searing pain, the smell of blood
and sweat, the agony of tears, the spit of drunken soldiers, the scorn of a
laughing, jeering mob.
As tears
mingled with blood on his battered face, he cried out to his Father—the one who
had not once turned away from him in all of eternity. The reply was cold,
unmoving silence.
In those
horrible moments God himself poured the judgment for our sins upon Jesus. Every
sin imaginable: lusting and lying, cheating and coveting, murder and hypocrisy,
cruelty and deceit. Of course, Christ had never been guilty of any of those
sins. But we are. And every one of your sins and mine was racked up on his
account right there on that cross.
As the
prophet Isaiah testified:
“Surely he
has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. . . .
But he was
wounded for our transgressions; he was bruised for our iniquities; the
chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed.
All we like
sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord
has laid on him the iniquity of us all”. (Isaiah 53:4–6)
So where was
God's goodness in treating Christ so? Where was the Father's kindness in
turning his back on his only Son while Jesus cried out in horror and grief?
On that
terrible, wonderful day, God's goodness and kindness were directed toward you.
God forsook his own Son so that he would never have to forsake you! And because
of those dark hours two thousand years ago, God can say to you and me,
“I will
never leave you. I will never forsake you."
As we ponder
that amazing thought may the goodness of God lead us to repentance. To think
that God's anger for my sins was poured out on Christ—and that he has no anger
left for me!
