Title Matthew 27:38-46 Why
Contents
Matthew 27:38-46 Why?
- Some of the crowd see Jesus hanging on the cross and start mocking him. Also, the two thieves who were hung together for crucifixion also reviled Jesus (verses 39-44). After being crucified at 9 am, three hours later, at 12 pm, the whole earth suddenly became dark, and this darkness covered the whole earth for 3 hours. And about 3 pm, six hours after he was hung on the cross, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” You cried.
Through this text, I hope that we can all hear the voice of the Lord on the morning of the last Sunday of 2009.
1. 41-42 / 27:41 The chief priests also mocked with the scribes and elders, saying, 27:42 He saved others, but he cannot save himself; he is the King of Israel. Come down now from the cross, and we will I believe
- People who watched the humble and miserable figure of Jesus hanging on the cross could not help but shake their heads. You must have started to grow angry at the thought that the abilities he had shown over the past three years, his excellent sermons, and all that he had saved and changed so many people were just a scam. Then they start teasing Jesus. “He saved others, but he cannot save himself. He claimed to be the king of Israel, then come down from the cross now. If you do that, we will believe you.”
- There are many times when we talk recklessly about other people without knowing exactly where they are. Misunderstandings and wounds occur when you do not know the position and situation of the other party. Think about our past for a moment. How many people have been hurt because of my careless words? Now that I think about it, it seems that most of the times it was because I didn't know the person's position. I myself have made the same mistake many times. I just ask for their forgiveness.
- The reason people mocked Jesus was because they did not know God's plan to forgive mankind's sins through the cross. The reason that people around us ridicule or criticize the saints who discover the mystery of the cross, receive the Lord as their Savior, and lead a religious life is also because they do not know the secret of the cross. Jesus, the powerful man who has saved so many people so far, is now hanging on the cross in a miserable state. Because people did not know the secret of God hidden on the cross, they mocked him, not knowing that Jesus, who suffered on the cross, was the best gift God had prepared.
- Jesus is hanging on the cross and looking down at people who point their fingers at him and make fun of him. The Lord understood their situation. And instead, he prayed to the Father for them. It is not in the Gospel of Matthew, but it is recorded in the Gospel of Luke. “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 22:34). The Lord was not angry with them, knowing that the reason they mocked him was because they did not know what they were doing. We all desperately need this kind of heart from the Lord. If all of us had such a broad mind and understanding, the world would be transformed into a heaven right now.
- On the morning of the last Sunday of 2009, the Lord's first counsel to us is to forgive and pray for those who misunderstand me. Because they do not have the ability to discern spiritual things. We have faith by the grace of God. They can mock us the same way they mocked Jesus on the cross. At this time, we should be able to pray for them. I hope that we all embrace the heart of Christ and welcome 2010.
2. 46/ About the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama, sabachthani, which means, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
- About 3 pm, six hours after he was hung on the cross, Jesus suddenly cried out in a loud voice, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” You cried. The Lord is now making the most beautiful devotion in human history to do the Father's will. But the cost was unimaginable pain. The time hanging on the cross was completely different from the six physical hours we feel. Time is quality, not quantity. Even the same hour feels like a minute when you are with the person you love.
- Jesus' massive body is now hanging on just three spikes. The torn and ruptured pain of his whole body must have flooded Jesus' whole body and soul every second. Those of you who have been treated for tooth decay know this. Even if the dentist touches the nervous tissue even for a moment, the whole body feels unbearable pain. So no one is afraid and reluctant to go to the dentist. But the suffering of the cross was incomparable to this. The time the Lord felt in that pain must have been one minute longer than one year. 6 hours X 60 minutes = 360 minutes. In other words, imagine going through this horrendous pain for 360 years without a moment's rest.
- At this time, the Lord must have wanted to receive the Father's comfort, even for a moment. He must have missed his father's voice. No, that would have been enough. But this time the father did not say a word to his son. When he needed his voice the most, he was silent. It was this 'father's silence' that caused the Lord to cry out.
- This is the greatest suffering that can be experienced in our religious life. Even when we live according to the will of God, suffering comes. If you try to lead a good life of faith, you are bound to face greater difficulties. When we face these hardships, we overcome them well by putting our faith in the first place. However, as time goes by, the situation does not improve and rather begins to sink into a swamp of despair, and the problem begins to get complicated. I begin to pray more earnestly to God. Decision prayer, fasting prayer... We cry out to God and seek God's will. But no response. The silence of God so deep and still. even terrifying. One thought that crosses our mind at this time is, "Didn't God forsake me?"
- This was the hardship that Job experienced. Job always lived a life pleasing to God. God knew this, and he always boasted about Job to the angels in the heavenly council (Job 1:8). A terrible ordeal came to Job. At this time, Job did not blame God, but rather acknowledged and praised God's sovereignty. However, as time passed, complaints began to pour out of Job's lips one by one. It was this silence of God that Job could not bear. Suffering itself is somehow bearable. If that suffering pleases God, we can endure it even in the fire. However, if that suffering is meaningless, then any general in the world of faith will fall.
- Have you ever faced such a hardship? Jesus also experienced that suffering on the cross. The cross was the culmination of the Son Jesus' devotion to the Father. The heart of the father looking at his crucified son Jesus was filled with love and pride for him. The Father's heart said, "Just a little bit more, just a little bit more, my son!" you were shouting When Abraham was about to kill his only son, he sent an angel to rescue Isaac. But now his only-begotten Son seeks the Father's voice in this suffering, but the Father is silent. This is because he had to show at the cross how serious sin is and that the cost is eternal severance of relationship with God. For a moment, he was too emotional and could not go wrong with what he had been preparing for thousands of years.
- There are times when we experience the long silence of God in our journey of faith. Why are you silent? Could you please explain why this is happening, but would you be silent? Because this silence strengthens our faith in God. That reflects the maturity of my faith. You have to explain everything to them. But not for adults. To become a giant of faith, you must learn to bear this silence of God.
- In 2010, I hope that all of us will become believers who trust in God's goodness and deep wisdom under any circumstances. In the wilderness life from the Exodus to Canaan, God received the trials of faith from the Israelites through God's silence. Why? Why? Why? In constant doubt, they grumbled and quarreled with Moses. This is the second exhortation from the Lord on the morning of the last Sunday of 2009. Be a person who can embrace the silence of God!
Hallelujah!