https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/03\/WhenGodForsookJesus.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n\tby Jeffrey W. Hamilton<\/p>\n\t
Text: Matthew 27:33-54<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I. Assumptions can lead to wrong conclusions<\/p>\n
A. As Jesus was dying on the cross, he cried out – Matthew 27:46<\/p>\n
B. Some claim that God abandoned Jesus because Jesus took on the world’s sins:<\/p>\n 1. “My answer is that it was Jesus, the Man who became sin for us. When he\nabsorbed the darkness and weight of the sin of the world into Himself, He\nhad the sense of abandonment by God the Father that sin always brings.\nBlinded by sin and horrified by its effect on and in Him, the man Jesus\ncried out of His humanity, “Why have you forsaken me?” In that moment,\nHe identified Himself with every person who has ever felt abandoned by\nGod. He became one who felt isolated, lonely, abandoned, forsaken and\nhopeless on behalf of you, me, and everybody who would ever feel that\nway.” [Steve McVey, “Did the Father Forsake Jesus on the Cross? No!”]\n 2. “And this, no doubt, all the prophets did foresee in spirit, that Christ\nshould become the greatest transgressor, murderer, adulterer, thief, rebel,\nand blasphemer, THAT EVER WAS OR COULD BE IN THE WORLD.\nFor he, being made a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world, is not now\nan innocent person, and without sins; is not now the Son of God, born of\nthe Virgin Mary; but a sinner which hath and carrieth the sin of Paul, who\nwas a blasphemer, an oppressor, and a persecutor; of Peter, which denied\nChrist; of David, which was an adulterer, a murderer, and caused the\nGentiles to blaspheme the name of the Lord; and, briefly, which hath and\nbeareth all the sins of all men in his body: not that he himself committed\nthem, but for that he received them, being committed or done of us, and\nlaid them upon his own body, that he might make satisfaction for them\nwith his own blood” [Marin Luther, \n C. The claim is that the sins of the whole world was imputed upon Jesus. Since God\ncannot bear sin, He abandoned Jesus at his time of need.\n D. There is just one problem: Matthew 27:46 does say why<\/i> God forsook Jesus.\nPeople assume<\/i> that Jesus’ human nature became sinful, but assumption is not\nevidence.\nII. Before digging into our topic, I would like to draw your attention that Mark’s account and\nMatthew’s account differ slightly\n A. Mark 15:34 – Mark’s account follows the spelling of Jesus’ words as pronounced\nin the Aramaic dialect that was common in Galilee at this time period.\n B. Matthew’s account records the Hebrew spelling of the words Jesus said, which is\nunderstandable since Matthew was aiming at a Hebrew audience.\n C. There is no difference in meaning between the two accounts. The Holy Spirit\nhimself supplied the translation – II Peter 1:19-21; I Corinthians 2:10-13\n
III. Did Jesus become sinful?<\/p>\n
A. II Corinthians 5:21<\/p>\n 1. At first glance the statement sounds almost contradictory. He who knew\nno sin became sin for us.\n
2. Jesus was without sin<\/p>\n
a. I Peter 2:22 – Jesus committed no sin<\/p>\n
b. Hebrews 4:15 – Our High Priest was without sin<\/p>\n
c. Jesus was undefiled – Hebrews 7:26<\/p>\n d. Jesus was the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world because he\nalone in all the world’s history was without sin. If Jesus died in a\nsinful state, then he not be the perfect sacrifice.\n
3. Paul did not say Jesus became sinful, he said Jesus was made to be sin<\/p>\n
a. That sounds awkward in English<\/p>\n
b. Paul is referring to the sin offering in the Old Testament<\/p>\n (1) A sin offering required an unblemished animal to be\nsacrificed for the sins committed by another – Leviticus 4:3\n
(2) The animal did not sin. It did not take on the person’s sins.<\/p>\n
(3) Its death stood as a substitute for the death of the sinner<\/p>\n c. But the death of an animal could not atone for men’s sins –\nHebrews 10:1-4\n (1) It took the sinless death of God’s own Son to accomplish\nwhat animal sacrifices could not do – Hebrews 10:10\n d. “As a sinless substitute he suffered for our sins, that our sins might\nthus be atoned for, the law satisfied, and we be forgiven and\naccounted righteous. Since we die with Christ, in him we pay the\npenalty, and are justified.” [People’s New Testament Commentary]\n– Romans 6:5\n
4. The Greek word for “sin” is amaritia<\/i>.<\/p>\n a. It means sin, transgression or guilt. So when Paul said Jesus knew\nno sin, he is saying that Jesus was innocent of all guilt.\n b. But this same word also is used to mean a sin offering or a\nsacrifice for sin.\n (1) The Septuagint translated sin-offering as amaritia<\/i> 94 times\nin Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers according to the\ncommentator Adam Clarke\n (2) By not noting the second definition for the word, the\ntranslators confused sin with the punishment due sin.\n (3) Jesus suffered and died in our stead, bearing the\npunishment that was due because of our sins\n
B. Galatians 3:13 <\/p>\n 1. Like II Corinthians 5:21, this passage is saying that Jesus took on the\nconsequences that the Law laid out for sin.\n 2. Paul is stating that Jesus was treated as if <\/i>he was a heinous criminal, but\nhe is not stating he was a heinous criminal.\n 3. The quote is of Deuteronomy 21:22-23, but note that Paul leaves out “of\nGod” after “accursed.”\n
a. Jesus was treated as a curse, but he wasn’t accursed by God.<\/p>\n
b. The original law dealt with hanging, not crucifixion.<\/p>\n c. Paul is making a parallel between what happened to Christ and\nwhat the Law stated. \n
d. In the case of Christ, the innocent was treated as if he was a curse.<\/p>\n
C. Isaiah 53:6-12<\/p>\n 1. Jesus bore the consequences of our sins, laid on him by the Father –\nRomans 4:25\n 2. Notice especially Isaiah 53:4-5 the emphasis on the punishment that was\nlaid on him\n
D. I Peter 2:24<\/p>\n 1. Again, the implication is that he bore the consequence or punishment for\nour sins.\n
2. One person cannot be charged with the sins of another – Ezekiel 18:20<\/p>\n 3. “In his body” refers to where the punishment for our sins was inflicted\nupon Jesus.\n a. It does not mean that our sins were placed in his flesh while\nsomehow his spirit remained untainted by them. Such is an\nimaginary mechanism unsupported by any teaching in the\nScripture.\n
IV. Did God abandon Jesus?<\/p>\n
A. John 8:16 – “for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me”<\/p>\n
1. present active indicative – continuous, on going<\/p>\n
2. Jesus continues to be with the Father<\/p>\n
B. John 8:28-29 – “He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone”<\/p>\n 1. “He” is not in the Greek. When Jesus is lifted up on the cross, we will\nknow that he is “I am” – a reference to his deity – Exodus 3:14\n
2. In a prophecy about the Messiah – Isaiah 48:12-19<\/p>\n
3. God has not left Jesus alone when he is lifted up on the cross<\/p>\n
C. John 16:32 – “And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me”<\/p>\n
1. The disciples will abandon Jesus, but Jesus will not be alone.<\/p>\n
D. Jesus denies that Father would desert him.<\/p>\n
V. Then why did Jesus say his Father forsook him?<\/p>\n A. Jesus quoted the first line of Psalms 22. It was a reminder to his disciples to\nremember that particular psalm and all<\/i> that it said.\n
B. Psalms 22:1-5 <\/p>\n
1. It starts out as a cry of despair but becomes a cry of trust<\/p>\n
2. The emphasis is on the outcome – Matthew 26:39<\/p>\n 3. It is “forsaken” in the sense of not being rescued but left to his enemies,\nnot as a personal rejection.\n C. The rest of Psalms 22 describes Jesus’ suffering on the cross, punctuated with\nassertions of complete trust in God – Psalms 22:7-11\n
1. Men would reject him, but God would always be there.<\/p>\n
2. No one else could deliver him<\/p>\n
D. The psalmist realizes that God had not truly abandoned him – Psalms 22:22-24<\/p>\n
1. This is the opposite of what some ascribe to Jesus on the cross!<\/p>\n 2. Jesus died a horrible death on the cross. A death that God did not spare\nhim from facing – Romans 8:32\n
E. But Jesus’ trust was well placed – Acts 2:29-31<\/p>\n
F. With such an example of fulfilled trust, could we do no less? – Hebrews 12:1-3<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Matthew 27:33-54 I. Assumptions can lead to wrong conclusions A. As Jesus was dying on the cross, he cried out – Matthew 27:46 B. Some claim that God abandoned Jesus because Jesus took on the world’s sins: 1. “My answer is that it was Jesus, the Man who became sin for us.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[119,32],"tags":[228,73,179],"class_list":["post-37922","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audio","category-sermon","tag-crucifixion","tag-jesus","tag-sin"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2150,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-deity-of-christ-while-on-earth\/","url_meta":{"origin":37922,"position":0},"title":"The Deity of Christ While on Earth","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 14, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Philippians 2:5-8 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A debate arose among brethren concerning the nature of Christ several decades ago \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I watched the debates rage. It is easy to see that both sides stretch the position of the other as they attempt to justify their belief. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It does not\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":63205,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-other-side-of-truth\/","url_meta":{"origin":37922,"position":1},"title":"The Other Side of Truth","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 22, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: II Thessalonians 1:3-10 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0People tend to focus one aspect, one characteristic when they deal with another person \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0We have a tendency to categorize people, to pick out a dominate trait \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0When people talk about God or Jesus, they will focus on the love of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":28677,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/one-great-birth-two-great-names\/","url_meta":{"origin":37922,"position":2},"title":"One Great Birth, Two Great Names","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 17, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"by Doy Moyer We are at that time of year when the birth of Jesus Christ is on the minds of many. That much is a good thing. There are many misconceptions about His birth, but doors may be opened to talk about it and we need to be willing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":53697,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/views-of-mark-1616\/","url_meta":{"origin":37922,"position":3},"title":"Views of Mark 16:16","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 22, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Mark 16:14-20 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Jesus had just one meaning in mind when he spoke Mark 16:16. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It isn\u2019t for men to put their own spin on Jesus\u2019 words - II Peter 1:20-21 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Not that this has ever stopped people from trying \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0C.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0God doesn\u2019t author confusion -\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":12782,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/doesnt-matthew-527-28-only-apply-to-married-people\/","url_meta":{"origin":37922,"position":4},"title":"Doesn’t Matthew 5:27-28 only apply to married people?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 21, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: With the Scripture:\u00a0\"You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart\" (Matthew 5:27-28). Only married people can commit adultery, so as I see it, this Scripture is not meant\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":37121,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/resist-the-devil\/","url_meta":{"origin":37922,"position":5},"title":"Resist the Devil","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 15, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: James 4:1-10 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0When we are faced with temptation, it is a struggle to resist \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The urge to give in seems overwhelming. Even when we know we should not, too often we do it anyway - Romans 7:14-15 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Since the action goes against what we\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37922","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37922"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37922\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37922"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37922"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37922"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}