Our devotion is based off scripture from Mathew 27, Mark 15, and John 19:30
According to Mark 15:25 it was the third hour (9am) as Jesus is hung on the cross. You could hear the nails being driven into the cross. Close your eyes and imagine that sound boom, boom, boom, and the deep agony as they pierced through the very flesh of Jesus’ hands. Now when the sixth hour approached darkness fell. There was no weather that could explain the thick, eerie gloom that proceeded all through the land. In the darkness of the ninth hour, Jesus cried out, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? It was this moment Jesus mourned in the garden, as big drops of blood fell from his face, as he prayed for another way. As Jesus hung on the cross, he experienced the departure of His Father. Alone, Jesus hung on the cross and suffered for our sins. The sins of mankind had been heaped upon the unblemished lamb, and now marred with sin, God could no longer look upon him. Can you imagine something so horrendous happening to your child, it caused you not to be able to look upon their face?
2 Corinthians 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Jesus was standing in the gap for us. Jesus could not pay the price for all of mankind, if he had not in fact felt the tragic separation from God. There are times in our life when calamity enters, and we indeed feel forgotten by God. But Jesus experienced these same emotions, to become our intercessor. Does anyone need to know today that Jesus has been where your are right now? His heart has been broken, he has been betrayed, he has been mocked, he has been called a liar, he has been rejected, he has been beaten, and on and on the list goes. He died for these very reasons, that you might be set free in Him.
If the story ended with Jesus crying out, "why have you forsken me?", it would be indeed a tragic tale. However, it is not the end. Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “It is finished, and yielded up His spirit”. Mathew 27:50/John 19:30 (ESV). The Greek word “amphiemi” means to send forth. Jesus is yielding, giving up His life on His terms in order to pay our debt. It is also interesting to look at the statement “it is finished”. In Greek it is one word “Tetelestai”, which is a victors shout, a cry of a man that has finished his task; a cry of triumph over struggle; a cry from out of the darkness, into the light; a cry of a mighty king who has grasped the crown. It was truly finished; the entire work of redemption had been brought to completion.
I think William Barclay says it best: Jesus passed through the utter abyss, and then the light broke. If we too cling to God, even when there seems to be no God, desperately and invincibly clutching the remnants of our faith, quite certainly the dawn will break and light will come. The victor is the man who refuses to believe that God has forgotten him, even when every fiber of his being feels that he is forsaken. The victor is the man who will never let go of his faith, even when he feels that its last grounds are gone. The victor is the man who has been beaten to the depths and still holds on to God, for that is what Jesus did.
The darkest day in history, is the most glorious day for us. Jesus paid a price for every tribe and nation; that we would all be redeemed by the blood of the lamb. Are you redeemed? If not, don’t let such a precious gift pass you by. Simply admit that you are a sinner, and you are in need a Savior. Believe that Jesus is God's Son, and confess your sins. It's never too late to be washed by the blood. Praise the Lord I am redeemed.
All my life I have been called unworthy
Named by the voice of my shame and regret
But when I hear You whisper, "Child lift up your head"
I remember, oh God, You're not done with me yet
I am redeemed, You set me free
So I'll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe away every stain, now I'm not who I used to be
I am redeemed, You set me free
Big Daddy Weave I AM REDEEMED
According to Mark 15:25 it was the third hour (9am) as Jesus is hung on the cross. You could hear the nails being driven into the cross. Close your eyes and imagine that sound boom, boom, boom, and the deep agony as they pierced through the very flesh of Jesus’ hands. Now when the sixth hour approached darkness fell. There was no weather that could explain the thick, eerie gloom that proceeded all through the land. In the darkness of the ninth hour, Jesus cried out, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? It was this moment Jesus mourned in the garden, as big drops of blood fell from his face, as he prayed for another way. As Jesus hung on the cross, he experienced the departure of His Father. Alone, Jesus hung on the cross and suffered for our sins. The sins of mankind had been heaped upon the unblemished lamb, and now marred with sin, God could no longer look upon him. Can you imagine something so horrendous happening to your child, it caused you not to be able to look upon their face?
2 Corinthians 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Jesus was standing in the gap for us. Jesus could not pay the price for all of mankind, if he had not in fact felt the tragic separation from God. There are times in our life when calamity enters, and we indeed feel forgotten by God. But Jesus experienced these same emotions, to become our intercessor. Does anyone need to know today that Jesus has been where your are right now? His heart has been broken, he has been betrayed, he has been mocked, he has been called a liar, he has been rejected, he has been beaten, and on and on the list goes. He died for these very reasons, that you might be set free in Him.
If the story ended with Jesus crying out, "why have you forsken me?", it would be indeed a tragic tale. However, it is not the end. Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “It is finished, and yielded up His spirit”. Mathew 27:50/John 19:30 (ESV). The Greek word “amphiemi” means to send forth. Jesus is yielding, giving up His life on His terms in order to pay our debt. It is also interesting to look at the statement “it is finished”. In Greek it is one word “Tetelestai”, which is a victors shout, a cry of a man that has finished his task; a cry of triumph over struggle; a cry from out of the darkness, into the light; a cry of a mighty king who has grasped the crown. It was truly finished; the entire work of redemption had been brought to completion.
I think William Barclay says it best: Jesus passed through the utter abyss, and then the light broke. If we too cling to God, even when there seems to be no God, desperately and invincibly clutching the remnants of our faith, quite certainly the dawn will break and light will come. The victor is the man who refuses to believe that God has forgotten him, even when every fiber of his being feels that he is forsaken. The victor is the man who will never let go of his faith, even when he feels that its last grounds are gone. The victor is the man who has been beaten to the depths and still holds on to God, for that is what Jesus did.
The darkest day in history, is the most glorious day for us. Jesus paid a price for every tribe and nation; that we would all be redeemed by the blood of the lamb. Are you redeemed? If not, don’t let such a precious gift pass you by. Simply admit that you are a sinner, and you are in need a Savior. Believe that Jesus is God's Son, and confess your sins. It's never too late to be washed by the blood. Praise the Lord I am redeemed.
All my life I have been called unworthy
Named by the voice of my shame and regret
But when I hear You whisper, "Child lift up your head"
I remember, oh God, You're not done with me yet
I am redeemed, You set me free
So I'll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe away every stain, now I'm not who I used to be
I am redeemed, You set me free
Big Daddy Weave I AM REDEEMED
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