By the time our Savior hung on the cross, He had already been mocked, beaten, spit upon, flogged, laughed at, stripped, punched and utterly humiliated. He then had to endure six hours on the cross in utter torment of body and soul.
As I have studied the crucifixion the past few weeks, I have continually been assaulted by the gravity of Christ's loneliness on the cross. Abandoned by friends and family, He was alone. But that loneliness was nothing compared to the complete rejection and desolation He faced when The Father was forced to leave His Son.
Because God's full wrath was put upon Christ on the cross; because all of the nastiness of our sin was placed on the shoulders of One who is sinless, God was forced to leave Jesus there alone. We hear our Savior's agonized cry, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?" and cannot fathom the pain of that truth. (Matt 27:46)
How amazing to know that we will never suffer the loss of the Father! Christ did it for us! And because Jesus did it, we will never even know a hint of that loneliness, never catch a glimpse of that rejection. May that beautiful truth color your anticipation and celebration of the Easter season.
Take the opportunity to talk with your child sometime in the coming weeks about loneliness and the truth that we are never apart from the presence of our Father because of Christ's death.
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