War, pain, suffering, hatred, political unrest, and natural disasters are the news of the day. It seems everywhere we look there is more bad news. IF you're like me you'd like to here some good news for a change.
Today, I want to examine three statements that Jesus made from the cross. These statements are so closely related that I wanted to share them together. These statements all come together to deliver some powerful good news for you and I.
These three statements are as follows:
And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”—which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Mark 15:34
Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” John 19:28
When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. John 19:30
When we look at these three statements from Jesus we at first may ask what they have to do with each other. How do these words of Jesus bring hope and good news to the pain and suffering that I face?
To understand this we must first understand what is going on in this moment on the cross.
"At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”—which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
The sixth hour, noon, the brightest and hottest part of the day, the Bible tells us that darkness came over the whole land. It is believed that it is at this moment that the sins of all people where put upon Jesus. For the first time in His life Jesus felt the pain, agony, guilt and grief of sin. In this moment Jesus cried out, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" These words, to those reading them in English, show us the depth of pain and longing that we feel in our deepest moments of sorrow.
However, to those in ancient Israel it said much more. During this time, rabbis would use a teaching method to draw the attention of the people to a passage of scripture. They would simply quote a verse. When this verse was quoted the people where drawn to the passage. Then they would teach or illustrate the passage, and then quote the end of the passage.
As we study this statement from Jesus we need to allow ourselves, like the people who were there, to be drawn to the scriptures. Look with me at the 22nd Psalm which starts with this verse, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?" As we study this Psalm we will find the events of Jesus' death opened up for all people 1,000 years before Christ's death on the cross.
Jesus wanted everyone to know that God's plan of redemption for mankind was being fulfilled before their eyes. That this moment wasn't just a tragic event in human history but a moment that would forever shape human history.
As we continue looking through this Psalm we find ourselves coming face to face with verses 14 and 15 which say, "I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death."
Jesus was stretched out on that cross, His bones out of joint, His heart broken for the people, His strength draining away and He cries out, “I am thirsty.” Thirsty! The need for a drink. The living water experienced a thirst that goes beyond just a need for water but also a spiritual thirst, a thirst that comes from the sins of the world driving a wedge of separation between the Son and the Father.
As we continue through Psalm 22 we arrive to verse 31 that ends, "for he has done it." What is really amazing about this line is what happens if you were to translate the Hebrew to Greek and then to English. It would then translate, "It is Finished by Him." And Jesus cried out, “It is finished.”
These words are the best news for you and I. These word declare the finished work of salvation through the sacrificial atoning death of Jesus Christ. Jesus wasn't crying out for mercy. He wasn't crying out for pity. He was crying out "look at the salvation of God." Look at God's desire to sacrifice it all for our brokenness, our sinfulness, our pain, our filth.
It is finished! Thank you Jesus for taking the cross for me.
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