Today's Scripture Reading (January 2, 2021): Matthew 27
First impressions are not always right. And
neither is the crowd. Just because there are many does not necessarily mean
that they are correct. It is the reason why we need to hear dissenting voices
and maybe gain a fresh perspective. It is also why echo chambers, where all we hear
are opinions that we agree with, are so dangerous; they tend to reinforce the
error.
I mention this because I hold a dissenting
opinion when it comes to Jesus quoting Psalm 22:1 (My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?) from
the cross. The traditional understanding is that as Jesus bore the sins of the
world on his shoulders, God turned his back on his son; that God actually
forsook him. My struggle with this interpretation is that it doesn't seem to
fit with the rest of the gospel message. Our teaching has always been that it
doesn't matter what you have done; God loves you and will not walk away from
you. The truth is that we tend to walk away from him and what matters is that
we return to him with a repentant heart.
It is the story that Zechariah tells in his prophecy. He sees
the High Priest, Joshua, brought before an angel of the Lord, with Satan
standing by his side ready to accuse him. Joshua's sin is symbolized by the
filthy clothes that he is wearing. The angel's presence represents God's
presence, and the angel does not turn his back on Joshua, forsaking him.
Instead, he orders that the filthy clothes be removed. "Then he said to Joshua, 'See, I have taken away your sin, and
I will put fine garments on you'" (Zechariah 3:4b). For
the repentant heart, the reaction of God is never rejection. How much more would
this be true for the Son of God?
If we have misread this passage, then what might be the
proper reading? Were the words just a mental calculation on the part of Jesus
to say what was expected from him on the cross? I don't think so. I also don't believe
that there is any great mystery here. In times of great stress, we often feel
that we are alone or that the world has conspired against us, even when that is
not the truth. Regardless of the support that we might have, the uncomfortable truth
is that we can't feel that support and love. Amid help and hope, we feel alone.
As Jesus suffers on the cross, he feels, maybe for the first
time, disconnected from his heavenly Father. And so, he quotes the words of the
Psalmist; "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me" (Psalm 22:1a)? The
truth? As it is during our moments of great stress, the Father is holding his
son close to him, weeping over the ordeal Jesus is being put through, even
though he understands the reason this must happen. But Jesus can no longer feel
that love or connection. All Jesus feels is alone, separated from, and forsaken
by his Father.
And this should be a moment of comfort for us. We know those times
of stress in our own lives when we feel alone. But the reality is that we are
not. God is with us, holding us close, taking off our filthy clothes, and
giving us clean clothes to put on. Even our sin couldn't chase God away; we
just couldn't feel his presence amid our stress. But when the pressure is
removed, we will find, just as Jesus did, that God remained with us; he is
still our hope and the one worthy of our trust.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Mark 15
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