14. When Jesus Was Forsaken

(Matthew 27: 27-66)

For three long years Jesus went about doing good, living for others—feeding the hungry, healing the sick, opening the eyes of the blind, unstopping the ears of the deaf, causing the lame to walk, raising the dead, comforting the weary-hearted, and teaching messages of love to all. At last untrue men, who did not love goodness and truth, jealous because the multitudes followed Jesus, said, “Away with him—crucify him!” And Pilate, the Roman governor, gave the sentence, “Let him be crucified!” That meant death on the cross, the cruel cross on which only the worst criminals, and those mostly slaves, were put to death for the basest crimes. So one Friday morning about nine o’clock, Jesus, carrying the heavy beam upon his shoulder, was led up the steep road to a green hill outside the city wall. There they nailed him cruelly to the cross. Jesus quietly prayed to his Father to forgive his enemies. He also prayed for one of the two thieves dying near him on another cross, that God would forgive him and bring him to heaven. He saw his mother, Mary, weeping bitterly near his cross, and said to his friend John, “Take care of my mother, and be a son to her.” Just at midday a sudden and strange darkness came over all the land. There was thunder and lightning and a great earthquake! The people around the cross listened and heard through the storm and out of the darkness this piercing cry from Jesus, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” It seemed to Jesus that not only had all his disciples and nation forsaken him, but that God, his heavenly Father, whom he had always tried to please in everything all his life long, had hidden away his face from him and had forgotten and forsaken him. After three hours the light broke out again and Jesus said, “It is finished!” Then, “Father, into thy hands I yield my spirit.” And Jesus was dead. To make the more sure that he was dead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a sharp spear, and from the wound water and blood came forth. And the water mingled with the blood showed that Jesus died of a broken heart for the sins of men!

That evening some friends came and tenderly took his body down from the cross and buried him in a new tomb in a garden, and rolled a great stone across the door of the tomb.

And when the stars shone out that night it was the close of the world’s blackest day, because the King of Love, who came to bring to men “peace and good will, good will and peace,” had been rejected and was dead and buried.