HIS FINAL WORDS The Seven Sayings of Jesus on the Cross Message Four: Words of Anguish Matthew 27:45-49 I m going to ask you to join me in Matthew s gospel, chapter 27, as we once again make our way to Calvary where mercy was great and grace was free, where God commended His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Calvary, that place where God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Let s make our way back to that place where already we have heard Christ s words of Acquittal as He prayed over and over again, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do ; where we have heard Christ s words of Acceptance as He spoke to the repentant thief saying, Today, thou shalt be with Me in paradise ; and where we have heard Christ s words of Affection as He committed the care and keeping of His mother into the hands of the disciple whom He loved, the disciple John. As we come to this place in our study of Christ s final words on the cross, it is the sixth hour. According to Jewish time, it is now high noon. For three hours the suffering body of Jesus has been exposed to the burning rays of the sun. His tortured mind has been exposed to the taunts and insults of a merciless crowd. For three hours, the Creator has hung suspended between heaven and earth, having been put there by the creation. Then suddenly, a darkness covers the land midday becomes midnight and from the midst of the darkness is heard the cry... Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani... We will call these words of Christ, words of Anguish. Matthew 27:45-49 I. THE ANGUISH OF DARKNESS The darkness that appeared that day was... A. A Substantial darkness - covered all the land B. A Supernatural darkness 1. Bible deniers down through the ages have tried to explain away this miraculous occurrence by saying it was either an eclipse of the sun or a severe dust storm from the east. Neither of these are true. 2. It couldn t have been an eclipse because it was at the time of Passover, and Passover was governed by the fullness of the moon, and the fullness of the moon opposite the sun renders it impossible that there was a solar eclipse. 3. We know it wasn t an eclipse because it lasted 3 hours. Eclipses don t last hours, they last minutes. And besides that, they never cover all the land.
4. More likely than an eclipse would be a dust storm, but I can tell you, without fear of contradiction, that it wasn t a dust storm either, and I ll show you why. 5. Amos 8:9, And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord God, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day: 6. This midnight at midday occurrence was nothing short of a supernatural act of God. C. A Symbolic darkness 1. I believe the three hours of darkness that settled over the land was symbolic of life without Christ which is nothing but darkness. 2. In John 8:12, Jesus said,... I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. If those who follow Christ are not walking in darkness, it only stands to reason that those who do not follow Christ, who is the light of life, are walking in darkness. 3. John 12:35, Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. Again, the idea here is that without Christ, who is the light, there is nothing but darkness. And sadly, those still walking in spiritual darkness don t know that they are headed for an eternity in, what the Bible calls, outer darkness. 4. Luke 1:78-79, Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. Jesus came to give light to those who were in spiritual darkness. The dayspring is a reference to Christ, and it speaks of the sunrise of a new day. Anyone who has been saved can testify to the truth that being born again is like the dawning of a new day. 5. In John 12:46 we read, I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. 6. Paul also makes reference to the darkness that exists without Christ. In Ephesians 5:8 we read, For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: 7. Colossians 1:12-13, Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 8. 1 Thessalonians 5:5, Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. 9. 1 Peter 2:9, But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: 10. We know from 2 Corinthians 4 that Satan s desire is to keep people in the dark, away from the light of the gospel. 11. 2 Corinthians 4:4-6 12. Do you remember the day you saw the light? Do you remember the moment the light of the gospel first broke through to your heart?
13. I m reminded of the song that goes like this: O what a wonderful, wonderful day, day I will never forget; After I d wandered in darkness away, Jesus my Savior I met. O what a tender, compassionate friend, He met the need of my heart; Shadows dispelling, with joy I am telling, He made all the darkness depart. Then the chorus goes like this: Heaven came down and glory filled my soul, When at the cross the Savior made me whole; My sins were washed away and my night was turned to day, Heaven came down and glory filled my soul! II. THE ANGUISH OF DESERTION My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Jesus did not merely utter these words. He did not speak softly. The Bible says He cried with a loud voice. The Greek word for cried is a compound word which means to shout up. So out of this mysterious, unexplained, horrifying darkness comes the loud shout upwards toward heaven, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? The word forsaken means to be deserted, to be abandoned, to be left behind or left alone. When God forsook His Son and left Him alone in the darkness... A. Prophecy was Fulfilled 1. Thousands of years before Christ was ever born, it was predicted that the Messiah would say exactly what Jesus said on the cross. 2. Psalm 22 3. Psalm 22 is what we call a Messianic psalm, meaning it makes reference to the Messiah. As a matter of fact, Psalm 22 gives 33 distinct prophecies which were fulfilled at Calvary. 4. Psalm 22:1 5. Not only was prophecy fulfilled as God forsook His only begotten Son and left Him alone in the darkness, but... B. Pain was Experienced 1. We often talk of the physical pain and suffering that Christ had to endure on the cross, and it was extreme. But I think the most extreme and excruciating pain was the emotional and spiritual pain of being abandoned by His Father. 2. I say that because up to this point, Jesus had said nothing of His suffering. In spite of the stripes on His back, the crown of thorns on His head, and the nails in His hands and feet, He had no complaint. All of the mockery and shame was tolerated in silence. But when the darkness fell, and His Father turned away from Him, it was more than He could take, and from the depths of Golgotha s darkness He cried out, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? 3. Jesus knew what it was to be forsaken by His fellow Jews because, for the most
part, they never recognized Him as the Messiah. John 1:11 says that He came unto His own and His own received Him not. 4. He knew what it was to be forsaken by His family because in John 7:5 it says that even his brothers did not believe in Him. 5. He knew what it was to be forsaken by His followers. Matthew 26:56 says, Then all the disciples forsook Him, and fled. 6. Never before had Jesus been forsaken by His Father. Many times we read of Him getting alone with His Father to pray and enjoy His fellowship. 7. From eternity past, and for all the time leading up to this moment, Jesus had enjoyed unbroken communion with God. 8. When He was baptized in the Jordan there came a thundering voice from heaven, declaring, This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. 9. At the transfiguration, that same thundering voice was heard expressing His pleasure in His Son. 10. This desertion was so unlike God. Never before had He forsaken His own. a. David said, Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me... b. It was also David who said, I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken... c. God had been with Daniel in the lion s den and with Shadrach, Meshech, and Abenego in the fiery furnace. d. He was with Joseph in the pit and Noah in the ark. e. He was with Moses at the Red Sea and Joshua at the battle of Jericho. f. He was with Paul in prison and with John on the Isle of Patmos. g. Down through the centuries He has been with those faithful men and women who have given their bodies to be burned, and their heads to be severed, and their lives to be taken in so many unthinkable ways, all for their faith in Him. h. One of the greatest promises we have from God is that He will never leave us nor forsake us. God never has, and never will, leave us alone. Even when it seems that we are alone, and when it seems that He is nowhere to be found, He s near. i. You may be going through a very dark and troubling time right now. Maybe it s a health crisis or a marriage crisis or a parenting crisis or a financial crisis, I don t know. But what I do know is that if you are a believer, YOU ARE NOT ALONE! 11. But what about our text? What about Christ s cry from the cross? What about Jesus being God-abandoned? It s about the Punishment that was Received. C. Punishment was Received 1. What sin do you suppose Jesus had that deserved to be punished? He had never told a lie. He had never coveted. He had never stolen anything. He had never committed adultery. He had never been angry with anyone without a cause. He had no other gods in his life. He had never committed murder, not even in His heart. He had never gossiped or cursed or let any corrupt communication come out of His mouth. What sin did Jesus have to die for?
2. A better question would be who s sin did Jesus die for because the truth is, He died for every sin I just mentioned, plus some. He died for homosexuality, for incest, for rape, for abuses of all sorts. 3. He died for every sin related to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. BUT, they weren t His sins, they were ours. 4. Jesus endured three God-forsaken hours in total darkness on the cross for every evil, wicked, mean, bad, and nasty thing that has ever been done or ever will be done by anyone, anywhere, at anytime. 5. Paul said it like this in 2 Corinthians 5:21, For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. 6. Here s how Peter put it in 1 Peter 2. Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. 7. Imagine taking, as I stated a moment ago, every sin that has ever been done or ever will be done by anyone, anywhere, at anytime, and placing them in a pile. Then picture God scooping up that vile, wretched, putrefying pile of human iniquity and dumping it all on His Son. 8. Is it any wonder that He turned the lights out? 9. Not only did He not want us to see it, He couldn t see it. In Habakkuk 1:13 we read, Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity... 10. Imagine this. God could not even look upon He had to turn His back on His only begotten Son. For three hours, Jesus suffered alone, totally and completely separated from His Father s presence. 11. Do you know what it is to be separated from the presence of God? Let me give you a hint. 2 Thessalonians 1:9, Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; Paul is speaking here of those who do not obey the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, die lost, and spend eternity, separated from God, in a real place called hell. 12. Jesus went through three hours of hell on the cross as He experienced what it is to be abandoned by God. 13. In three hours on the cross, Jesus suffered everything you and I would suffer for eternity in hell. He suffered the loneliness, the helplessness, the hopelessness, the darkness. And He did it for you and for me. III. THE ANGUISH OF DENIAL A. Some of those standing near the cross thought that Jesus was crying out for Elijah. At least one of them was moved with compassion and ran and attempted to give Him something to drink. The others, however, remained defiant and mockingly said, Let s see if Elijah comes to save Him.
B. It s amazing to me how a crowd could stand there and witness what they witnessed, and hear what they heard, and still deny that Jesus was the Christ. C. It s amazing to me how someone can be so near the cross, yet so far from Christ. D. It s amazing to me that people today can hear the story of Christ s death on the cross and how God forsook His own Son, turning His back on Him as He literally became sin for us, and go away unmoved and unchanged. E. The truth is, Jesus went through the darkness so we could live in the light. He was cursed so we could be blessed. He was forsaken so we could be forgiven. He suffered hell so we could enjoy heaven. F. Do you know what that tells me? It tells me that God is willing to go to any length, even if it means abandoning His own Son, to have a relationship with you and me. G. After all of that, how could we say no? After all of that, how could anyone reject God s offer of eternal life? I honestly don t know, but it happens. I trust it doesn t happen here today.