God Forsakes His Son

Cody Hale

Matthew • Sermon • Submitted 5 years ago

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Jesus experienced the abandonment of God, the rejection of his people, and the profession of the centurion.

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Introduction

There’s no feeling quite so traumatic, quite so painful as the pain of abandonment, is there? It’s one thing to be lonely, but it’s another thing entirely to be lonely and know it isn’t getting better. It’s one thing to be unloved, and it is yet another to believe someone loves you only to have them walk out of your life. Abandonment has a way of making our whole world dark. It darkens the world so that we become skeptical and cynical of the people we meet and even the apparent good that we experience.

In , this is the place from which David writes and prays. He writes a song of lament, lamenting not the abandonment of his dad or the abandonment of wife, but the abandonment of God. He says, “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?” He’s in crisis, and there’s no relief in sight. He’s praying, and there’s no answer. He’s seeking, but he isn’t finding. It appears as though God has deserted him. This morning, we will hear those very words come from the lips of God’s own Son. God will forsake his very own Son. God will darken the world, and Jesus will taste the agony of utter abandonment in a way that we can’t fathom and David couldn’t write.

God’s Word

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Three Experiences of the Cross (headline)

v. 45 “Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land” Jesus is nailed to the cross at nine in the morning. He hangs there for three hours in pain so intense that the Romans invented a new word for it — excruciating, which means ‘of the cross.’ For three hours, they mock him, spit upon him, and gamble for his clothes. And, after three hours, around noon on that Good Friday, Matthew records a series of occurrences that are largely unique to his book. These occurrences are being used by Matthew to tell us exactly who it is that was hanging on that tree and what He had come to accomplish. He does this by showing us Jesus’ three experiences of the cross (headline).

Jesus is “Forsaken”.

v. 46 “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” The first experience of Jesus that I want us to note is Jesus is “forsaken”. Matthew says that at noon the sky began to darken. In , God had spoken through his prophet: “And on that day,’ declares the Lord God, ‘I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight.” These were words of judgement spoken by God to his people. In , God had brought darkness upon Egypt so dark that the entire kingdom shut down as the final plague of warning before the Angel of death visited the homes of the Egyptian, slaughtering the firstborn. And, that is the case on this day. God’s judgement has come, and it has come with such force that no other man or woman had ever known in the history of the world. God had sent darkness to fill the sky because His judgement for the plague of man had come to lay upon Jesus as the the slaughter of his own firstborn Son. And so, you can see the picture that day as the righteous and holy Lord Jesus, not guilty of a single sin or a single indiscretion hung on the cross in excruciating pain against the back drop of a sky with a darkness so thick that it was palpable.

It’s at that horrifying scene that we hear Jesus’ famous cry of dereliction, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why have you abandoned me? Why have you deserted me? Jesus has been betrayed by his disciple, abandoned by his friends, and convicted by his people. Yet, as painful and horrifying as each of those experiences were they cannot even hold a candle to his being orphaned by his Father. It is in this moment that Jesus knew what He had never known before: loneliness, a lack of fellowship with his Father. This is the only time in all of Matthew that Jesus refers to God, not as Father, but as God. Their fellowship was broken. Their relationship was fractured. The Father’s comfort, the Father’s care, the Father’s answer was painfully absent, and in its place, was the Father’s hatred, wrath, and judgement.

And, it is then

There’s no way for us to stand in Jesus’ shoes. But, imagine being best friends with your dad. Every time you call, he’s there. Every time you experience something good or something bad, he’s the one you call. Every time, you need encouragement, your dad has the words. You can count on him, when you can’t count on anyone else. Now, imagine that you’ve been framed for a heinous crime that you didn’t commit. You’re locked away, and put on death row, knowing your perfect innocence. Now, you need your dad more than any other time. You’re going to die in the chair of another. But, your dad never comes. Your dad never answers your calls. Your dad never returns your letter. Instead, you find out that he was the very judge that declared you guilty, and he has petitioned the state so that he can be the one to flip the switch on your electric chair. Oh, this is but a fraction, a shred of the forsakenness that Jesus experienced as He hung on the cross for the next three hours exhausting the infinite wrath that God had stored up for sin.

APPLICATION: But, This isn’t the gracious Son and the overbearing Father. This was the Father’s idea. This was the Father’s love. This was the Father’s will. The cross was the cost of God loving the world. For God so loved the world that He sent his only Son to the world because He was sending his only Son into the world to die for them, to take their place. Jesus’ cross is because of the “justice” of God. If God doesn’t punish sinners and put sinners to death, then He isn’t holy, righteous, or just. He hasn’t done what He said He would do. He hasn’t lived up to his own standard. Yet, God had let them live. God had forgiven their sin. God had credited their faith as righteousness. How could He be just? But, the cross isn’t just because of God’s justice, Jesus’ cross is because of the “love” of God. God created us, provided for us, and blessed us. Yet, we rejected him. We returned kindness as meanness. We returned generosity with self-centeredness. We returned love with unbelief. Yet, though we have spat in God’s face every chance that we’ve had, God has remained steadfast in his love for us. Though we don’t seek him, God has sought us. God has come for us. God has made a way for us. God planned the cross because God loved us. The cross is where God’s “justice” and “grace” intersect. It is the cross that proves that God is unwilling to overlook sin but yet willing to forgive sinners. It is the cross where God demonstrates both his righteous anger and his unstoppable love. At the cross, God the Father orphaned God the Son as a substitute so that sinners might become his sons. God forsook his only Son so that we might be able to say God ‘will never leave (me) nor forsake (me).

Why Me?

APPLICATION: Think about that. God “orphaned” his Son that He might “adopt” me. We live in a generation that’s always asking: What about me? Someone gets a raise that we want we ask God: What about me? Someone has better health than we do, and we ask: What about me? Someone has children that we want, and we ask again: What about me? But, when you see the forsaken Christ writhing on the cross, our entitlement evaporates. The cross compels us to ask a different question: why me? I am not worth God’s Son. I am not worthy of righteous blood. I am not worth the price God paid. Except that God deemed it so! Except that God has said you are! Ligon Duncan says, “God does not love you less than He loves His own Son.”

Jesus is “Rejected”.

v. 49 “Let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” Next, we see that Jesus is “rejected”. Matthew was a Jew who was writing to Jews. And, it’s important to his message for them to see how many opportunities the Jews had to recognize Jesus as the true Christ and how many times they rejected him as their Savior instead. Here we see yet another picture of their committed unbelief. And, we know it’s the Jews that he’s talking about, though Matthew doesn’t mention them specifically, by what they say. They say, “This man is calling Elijah....Let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” The Romans would have had no reason to talk about Elijah here, but in first century Judaism, there was a superstition that because Elijah never died, because God carried him to heaven on a fiery chariot, that devout people could call on him to come down and help them in a time of distress. And, when Jesus cries out, “Eli, Eli...” They would’ve been some distance away, and it would have sounded very much as though Jesus were screaming out for Elijah in his struggle. And so, they likely had it in their minds that Jesus had taken them up on their challenge for him to ‘come down’ so that they might believe. Their response is, “Let’s see. Let’s see whether or not you’re the Son of God.” Basically, they’re telling Jesus, ‘Good luck.’

We Need More

APPLICATION: ‘Let us see’ is the profession of unbelief. They were telling Jesus that they needed to see more to believe. God had given them his word, God had given them his Son, and God had given them miracles. Yet, still they said, ‘We need more.’ We need to see Elijah. We need to see him peeled off of the cross by a prophet long gone. For them, Jesus wasn’t impressive enough. And, we often tell God the same thing, don’t we? How often we tell God, “I need to see more.” Have you ever noticed how tightly you hold doubt and how loosely you hold faith? We worry ourselves to death with anxiety, saying, “I know God says that He’ll come through. I know that in the past God has come through. But, I don’t believe it this time.” We live oppressed by our past sin, saying, “I know that God says that He has forgiven me. I know that the cross Jesus died for my forgiveness. But, I don’t know how this can be forgiven.” The doubt we hold on to and the faith that we dismiss are all telling God the same thing: We need more. “Let us see more.” That’s why it’s faith that saves you, and that’s why it’s faith that sustains you. You come to Jesus by faith, and you walk with Jesus by faith. “Faith” looks at Jesus’ cross and says, “I’ve seen “enough!” Faith sees that God raised him from the dead and says, “I’ve seen enough.” Faith comes to Jesus, trusting that his cross is proof that Jesus is willing and able to forgive. Faith stays with Jesus wherever He leads to whatever He calls trusting that Jesus is always enough.

Spiritualized Disobedience

APPLICATION: But, these onlookers to the cross didn’t have faith. They rejected the Son of God, and they spiritualized their rejection. They “spiritualized” their disobedience. This was the hypocrisy that was found among priests and pharisees of Israel that Jesus so detested. They used religious language to justify and excuse their disobedience. They invoke one of the most revered names in Israel, Elijah, and say, “We’ll listen to what Elijah has to say. We want to believe. We really do. We want to follow. We want to obey. So, just bring Elijah down here so that we can be certain. After all, God did give us common sense, and it’s just not sensible to give our allegiance to a self-proclaimed, slaughtered Messiah. Oh, how easy it is for churchgoers and small group leaders and elders and deacons and ministry heads to follow down the path of the Pharisees rather than the path of our Lord! How easy it is for us to spiritualize our sin so that we’re excused from our disobedience! How many look at pornography and spiritualize it away as victimless, harmless, and private? How many are greedy and tightfisted with what they have, spiritualizing it away as prudent and earned? How many are unwilling to go where God is sending them, spiritualizing it as being responsible? How many spiritualize laziness as sabbath and materialism as deserved? No! Don’t spiritualize your sin. Don’t spiritualize your disobedience. Don’t spiritualize your unbelief. Drag it to the cross, and put it to death!

Jesus is “Recognized”.

v. 51 “And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.” Lastly, Jesus is “recognized”. In verse 51, Matthew says that after Jesus had hung on the cross for six hours, after he had cried out to God in forsakenness, against that darkened sky, the earth began to quake. The rocks of the ground were split open like busted watermelons, and the veil in the Temple was torn from top-to-bottom. talks also about the quaking earth, and the shaking earth is a frequent picture of God’s judgement throughout the OT. It was judgement upon God’s people, and it was judgement upon the Temple. The curtain that was not some tiny little drape, but an 80 foot veil that formed a cube right in the center of the Temple, a center that formed the Holy of Holies.

Jesus is the “Sacrificial Lamb.”

It’s here that we see the glory that Jesus is the “Sacrificial Lamb”. The curtain was the hanging illustration that Israel’s access to God was limited. The Holy of Holies was the place in which the very presence of God was fully manifested. Only one Israelite, the High Priest, could enter the Holy of Holies only once per year, the Day of Atonement. Access was practically zero. The High Priest would offer a sacrifice there before God for the sins of the people. He was the mediator for all of Israel, and his ability or inability to represent them well defined the purity or the impurity of the offering that was made before God. At the ninth hour, Jesus cried out, “Into your hands, I commit my spirit.” At the same time, the curtain that defined the inaccessibility of God to sinners, the curtain that illustrated how far mankind was from being safe in the presence of God, the curtain that required a mediator to speak on our behalf was torn, not by scissors or razor blades or knives from the earth to heaven. No! It was torn by the very hand of God from top to bottom, from heaven to earth. You see, Jesus is the fulfillment of the Temple. He is the greater Temple where people readily and personally can meet with God. Jesus is the Great High Priest who mediates between man and God. The sacrifice that He offers to the Father is pure, unstained, and unblemished. The sacrifice that He offers to the Father is a once-for-all covering for our sins. Jesus does not lay an unblemished lamb upon the altar symbolically. He lays himself upon the altar of the cross sacrificially. Jesus is the “sacrificial Lamb”! He is a sinless sacrifice for the sake of sin. He is a righteous sacrifice for the purchase of righteousness. He is an infinite sacrifice for the infinitely sinful. He is an eternal sacrifice for all of who were made immortal. Jesus is the greater Temple, the True Holy of Holies, the Great High Priest, and the Unblemished Lamb simultaneously so that He gives uninhibited access to the Father himself to every person and every race and every class, to whomever will come to God through him. No special temple, just the true Temple. No human priest, just the Great High Priest. No bull to slaughter, just come to the Worthy Lamb that laid down his own life.

The curtain was the hanging illustration that Israel’s access to God was limited. The Holy of Holies was the place in which the very presence of God was fully manifested. Only one Israelite, the High Priest, could enter the Holy of Holies only once per year, the Day of Atonement. Access was practically zero. The High Priest would offer a sacrifice there before God for the sins of the people. He was the mediator for all of Israel, and his ability or inability to represent them well defined the purity or the impurity of the offering that was made before God. At the ninth hour, Jesus cried out, “Into your hands, I commit my spirit.” At the same time, the curtain that defined the inaccessibility of God to sinners, the curtain that illustrated how far mankind was from being safe in the presence of God, the curtain that required a mediator to speak on our behalf was torn, not by scissors or razor blades or knives from the earth to heaven. No! It was torn by the very hand of God from top to bottom, from heaven to earth. You see, Jesus is the fulfillment of the Temple. He is the greater Temple where people readily and personally can meet with God. Jesus is the Great High Priest who mediates between man and God. The sacrifice that He offers to the Father is pure, unstained, and unblemished. The sacrifice that He offers to the Father is a once-for-all covering for our sins. Jesus does not lay an unblemished lamb upon the altar symbolically. He lays himself upon the altar of the cross sacrificially. He is a sinless sacrifice for the sake of sin. He is a righteous sacrifice for the purchase of righteousness. He is an infinite sacrifice for the infinitely sinful. He is an eternal sacrifice for all of who were made immortal. Jesus is the greater Temple, the True Holy of Holies, the Great High Priest, and the Unblemished Lamb simultaneously so that He gives uninhibited access to the Father himself to every person and every race and every class, to whomever will come to God through him. No special temple, just the true Temple. No human priest, just the Great High Priest. No bull to slaughter, just come to the Worthy Lamb that laid down his own life.

You Have Access

APPLICATION: Brothers and sisters, Christ has given you access to God! says, “18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.” Are you broken down and beaten down? You can come to the Father! You don’t need a priest. Christ has given you access. Are you guilty of the very worst sins? You can bring them to the Father who is holy and not fear. Christ has given you access! Are you struggling with doubt and unbelief? You can come to the Father! It is only because of the access give by Jesus that sinners can take comfort in the presence of God, but through Christ, we not only have access — we have privilege! God in his might and in his splendor and in his holiness is a refuge for us who otherwise should be damned.

18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

Jesus is the “Lion” of “Judah”.

v. 52 “And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised.” But, Matthew’s not content to leave you hanging as though Jesus were only the sacrificial lamb. He tells us something that none of the other Gospel writers tell us so that we can see that Jesus is the “Lion” of “Judah”. Here’s what Matthew wants his readers to realize by including these seemingly strange resurrections in his gospel: Jesus died on the cross, but He wasn’t defeated on the cross. Resurrection is coming. You can imagine the celebration of hell as Jesus cried out at the forsaking of God. You can imagine the unbridled joy of satan as Jesus’ heart stopped breathing and he stopped gasping for air. The thought must’ve entered his mind. He had done it. He had matched wits with God and proven himself more beautiful, more wonderful, more powerful. The Messiah had come as the Son of God, and He had been defeated soundly. He had been defeated publicly. And, were Jesus bound by the laws of humanity, this certainly would’ve been the case. Oh, but Jesus wasn’t defeated that day. You see, Jesus isn’t just the Lamb of God to be slain; He is the Lion of Judah who will vindicate his people as the great victor.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

Oh, here is a glimpse of what the cross is! Because of the curse, we die, and it ends life. But, the victory of the cross is that Jesus dies, and life begins. Jesus’ death isn’t the end; it’s the beginning! Jesus went to the grave to rob the grave. Jesus died on the cross, not because He was defeated, but so that death itself would be defeated. If there was any party in hell, it didn’t last long. If there was any celebration from satan, then his celebration was soon upended.

Jesus “Saves” Those Who “See”.

v. 54 “Truly this was the Son of God!” The centurion sees all that transpires and is awestruck. He declares with all of his heart, “Truly this was the Son of God!” A single centurion and those with him out of a rioting crowd. A Gentile out of a crowd of Jews. An executioner in a crowd of priests. What was different about the Centurion? He knew less than the priests. He wasn’t an example of moral purity. After all, he was one of Jesus’ executioners! He observed what everyone else observed. It wasn’t what he knew. It wasn’t what he did. It wasn’t even what he observed. The difference between the centurion and everyone else was that he could see! He “SAW…what took place”, and He was convinced.

Jesus “saves” those who “see”. He saves those who don’t just read the Scriptures, but who really see them and love them. He doesn’t save those who attend church; He saves those who can see the gospel in the life of the church and through serving in the church. He doesn’t save those who can pass a test about Jesus or pass through a baptistry. No! He saves those who recognize him as the Sacrificial Lamb and treasure him as the Lion of Judah, worthy of all of their lives. And, for whomever has eyes to see, whether their Jew or Gentile, whether their black or white, whether they’re rich or poor, whether they’ve murdered or stolen, whomever for whatever nation He is mighty and willing to save.

Questions:

Why is it important for us to understand God’s justice? How does the Father’s forsaking of the Son prove that He is loving?

How does “Why me?” change our perspective in a culture that says “What about me?” When are some times that you ask, “What about me?” How does “Why me?” draw us into worship?

What are some times in your life that you’ve told Jesus that you needed to see more to believe? Do you tend to hold more tightly to your doubts or to your faith? Why?

What are some ways that you spiritualize your disobedience? Are there areas of disobedience in your life right now that you’re spiritualizing?

How do we take advantage of the access to the Father that Christ has bought us? What does it say about your faith and your view of Jesus’ sacrifice if you don’t take advantage?

How does Jesus saving a Gentile Centurion in a crowd of Jews point us forward to the Great Commission to reach all nations? How does the Centurion’s salvation encourage you? How does burden you?

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