DECEMBER 03 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#33 “Eli, Eli lama sabachthani? that is, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46)

 DECEMBER 03  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#33  “Eli, Eli lama sabachthani? that is, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”  (Matthew 27:46)

LIVING FOR JESUS - Daily Prayer   

JESUS, my Lord, my God, Praise be the Name above all names, Jesus, the One that became flesh and Sacrificed His Innocent Sinless Life to set this sinner free! 

Lord Jesus, You alone are worthy of the praise of men and may my lips be filled with Praise for God’s Only Begotten, who being Obedient Unto Death achieved the Ultimate Victory over death, sin, and the grave.    AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

Jesus, after being betrayed by Judas in the garden of Gethsemane, is standing alone in front of Pilate having been brought there by the chief priests who had held an illegal meeting to condemn Jesus. Pilate therefore is trying to determine if Jesus is deserving of death but can find no cause to pass the sentence of death onto this innocent Man standing by Himself and making no defense. Pilate went so far as to offer (as is the custom of the governor’s feast held during the Passover) to release a prisoner to the Jews. “Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, ‘Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?’” (Matthew 27:15-17)  When the cries from the Jews for the release of Barabbas was made to Pilate he said, “What then shall I do with Jesus who is called the Christ?” (Matthew 27:22) 

It was at this point that God’s Master Plan of Salvation was again demonstrated, for just as in the Garden of Eden in response to man’s first sin, God Himself had killed an innocent animal thereby establishing the Substitutionary Sacrifice where God would accept Innocent Blood for the covering of Adam and Eve’s disobedience, here again the sinner [Barabbas] is being set free and Jesus Christ is the Substitutionary Sacrifice who will shed His Innocent Blood to cover the sin of His people  who have rejected and denied Him thereby disobeying God who had earlier in the earthly ministry of Jesus declared: “This is my Son … listen to Him!” (Luke 9:35) 

Pilate then washed his hands of the whole affair and declared “I am innocent of the blood of this just Person.” (Matthew 27:24) The Jews that had cried “Crucify [Jesus]” and “release Barabbas”  cursed themselves and future generations when they responded to Pilate’s comment about shedding “the blood of this Just Person” when they said, “His blood be on us and our children.” (Matthew 27:25) 

The facts have been established that (1) Jesus is standing alone (2) Jesus is innocent and is not deserving of death (3) the sinner Barabbas will be set free because Jesus will die in his place (4) it is established by the highest authority that Jesus is a “just Person” and that Innocent Blood will be shed (5) the people who are rejecting Jesus as the Son of God have passed their own sentence of personal guilt and condemnation on themselves when they declared “His blood be on us…” (6) Jesus is recognized at His trial as the “King of the Jews” and as “Jesus Christ” (7) and finally, the death of “Jesus Christ” would be by “Crucifixion” (Matthew 27:11-25) The die has been cast and Matthew writes: “Then [Pilate] released Barabbas to them; and when [Pilate] had scourged Jesus [Pilate] delivered Him to be crucified. (Matthew 27:26)

 There can be no doubt by reading Matthew’s account that Jesus was doing this completely on His own — this fact will be made painfully clear as Jesus is on the cross and at the point of death, asks His Final Question of God the Father — JQ#33  “Eli, Eli lama sabachthani? that is, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”  (Matthew 27:46) Could it be made any clearer that Jesus and ONLY Jesus had to pay the penalty of sin and He did it ENTIRELY ALONE !!! 

For at the point of death, God the Father had to endure all by Himself the Ultimate Pain required in His Master Plan for the Remission of Sin because to demonstrate His Justice, God the Father had to “Forsake” His Only Begotten Son because being God Most High and in pure Holiness, God the Father could not look upon any sin, MUCH LESS ALL SIN, which had been placed upon JESUS CHRIST the Holy Spotless Passover Lamb of God!!!  

When Jesus cried, “It is finished” we must realized that the Holy Trinity had COMPLETED the Master Plan of Salvation: Because the Spirit was DENIED, God’s Only Son was CRUCIFIED and the Loving Holy Father CRIED!!!  It was the toughest thing imaginable for the Father to allow His Son to be killed but it was worse that IN ORDER TO PROVE THAT HE WAS FAIR AND JUST THAT GOD THE FATHER HAD TO TURN HIS BACK ON JESUS HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON AND LET HIM DIE ALONE ON THAT CROSS — OR ELSE THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN NO VICTORY OVER SIN AND DEATH!!!  

When you look at the death of Jesus from this perspective you can have full confidence that God will do everything possible to provide salvation to even the worst sinner — all we have to do is accept the Father’s Gift of Grace!!!