Holy Week: Seven Days in the Sayings (Day 4 of 7) It Should Have Been Me. It Should Have Been You.

Guest Contributor: This is a post from my sister and good friend Charryse Wright!

Scripture: (Matthew 27: 45-46):  Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani”? That is to say, “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me”?

It Should Have Been Me.  It Should Have Been You.

In this text, it was the sixth hour and darkness fell over the Earth. Darkness is not a term that needs to be explained.  As children, we were taught bad things happen in the dark; the boogie monster hiding under our beds and in our closets, the scary shadowy figures that illuminate our walls when the moon shines through the window.  In the Bible, darkness is often equated with sin, chaos and God’s wrath. God’s judgment is always seen as a day of darkness.

As we read verse 45 and see that darkness has fallen over the land, we can assume that God’s judgment is on the way for those who ridiculed, attacked and condemned God’s beloved, perfect and sinless Son Jesus to the cross. But as we continue into verse 46, and Jesus screams “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani”, we see that it is not the evil sinners, but the beloved Jesus who was facing God’s judgment.

Sinless and perfect Jesus was being abandoned by His father.

Sinless and perfect Jesus was taking on the full weight of God’s wrath and judgment.

How could a Father do that to His Son?  The only begotten Son whom He loves so much? Because of You. Because of Me. Because of ALL of us.

God abandoned Jesus on that cross because of our sins, yours and mine.  And let’s be clear, we deserve to be abandoned by God, because we are a sinful mess. God hates sins and we are sinners. Let me clarify, God doesn’t hate us, God hates our sinful behavior, words and actions.  God and sin cannot dwell in the same space. POINT BLANK and THE PERIOD.  God wanted to dwell in and with us so much that He sent Jesus to be beaten, spit on and nailed to that cross on Calvary as a substitute for you and me. 

Let’s discuss for a brief minute what Jesus endured in our place:

1.      He was scourged-meaning He was stripped of his clothing and his hands were tied to an upright post. His back, buttocks and legs were flogged either by two soldiers or by one who alternated positions. As the flogging continued, the lacerations tore into skeletal muscles and produce ribbons of bleeding flesh.  The purpose was to weaken Jesus to a state just short of collapse or death.  That should have been me. That should have been you.

2.      They covered him in a scarlet robe and spit on him and ripped the robe from His body reopening the wounds dried with his blood.  That should have been me.  That should have been you.

3.      They forced a crown of thorns on his head, which caused more bleeding.  That should have been me.  That should have been you. 

4.      Finally the journey to Calvary began.  The cross weighing anywhere from between 74-125lbs was put across his already weakened nape and shoulders to carry about a mile from Gethsemane to   Calvary.   That should have been me.  That should have been you.

5.      5 to 7 inch iron spikes are driven through Jesus’ wrist. The wrist is full of sensory nerves, so any stimulation would cause agonizing shots of pain in both arms and possibly throughout his entire body.  Then those 5 to 7 inch spikes are driven through his feet and He is now crucified. His nailed wrists carry the weight of Jesus’ body and tear at the wounds. That should have been me.  That should have been you.

6.      Attempting to find comfort in his outstretched arms and shoulders, but unable to because he couldn’t push himself up through the spikes in his feet.  His breathing eventually becomes labored. After hours of pain, cycles of twisting and joint rendering cramps, Jesus slips into unconsciousness due to a lack of oxygen in the body causing suffocation.  That should have been me.  That should have been you.

As we reflect on tonight and these seven last sayings, understand that Jesus had to intentionally put himself in more pain by pushing up on himself to get enough breath to even say a word.

And as unbearable as that was, the physicality of Jesus’ experiences on the cross are just the beginning and doesn’t even begin to fathom what Jesus actually paid for us. Isaiah 53:7 says that when he was afflicted He didn’t open His mouth but stood like a lamb to the slaughter.  His bones were broken and his limbs were dislocated, his body was cut open and bled, he could barely breath but He remained quiet. He didn’t scream, he didn’t moan, he didn’t cry. He didn’t complain. 

Then all of a sudden, he screamed “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani” “My God, My God why have though forsaken me”.  Our version says cries but the Greek translation is scream.  I guess the writers couldn’t bear to say Jesus screamed in agony, but He did and it wasn’t because of the physical pain.  NO, it was the spiritual pain. In that moment, for the first time in Jesus’ human life, He was without God. He was without His Father. He was without the connection to the Source.  He was without His protection.  He was without His Strength.  He was without the Peace.   He felt the unbearable heaviness of a human existence without the presence of God. He felt the weight of our sin.  He became our substitute; HE BECAME SIN. 

And since God and sin cannot dwell in the same space, God abandoned His Beloved Son so that you and me could have the privilege and opportunity to never be forsaken, and always be in an intimate connected relationship with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. God’s love for us is so powerful, that God gave us the ultimate sacrifice to ensure that we will never experience all that what we should have.  AMEN  

Charryse N. Wright

CharryseNWright@Gmail.com

Her book, Finding God's Truth Within, is available for purchase at: https://www.amazon.com/Finding-Truth-Within-Charryse-Wright/dp/1329963156