Have You Ever Considered His Loneliness?
© 2017 by Tom Boynton (editing by Kathy Boynton)
He hangs, suspended by nails through His flesh. Each nerve is enveloped in searing pain. His body throbs from His shredded back, and from an excruciating agony of thirst. As the whole land becomes shrouded in darkness, He cries out with a God-sized loneliness:
My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?” (Psalm 22:1 cf. Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34).
From what dark abyss comes this agonizing loneliness? This pure one is bearing a horror foreign to His nature. He is bearing the sins of His people. Why does the Father turn away His face? It is because of His own infinite purity. The prophet of old describes Him thus:
“Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?” (Habakkuk 1:13).
The day of reckoning has come. Though never before has the loving fellowship between Father and Son been disturbed, the unthinkable is now happening. As the Father’s Son identifies Himself with my sins, His Father makes good His Holy wrath by forsaking and punishing Him in my place. The Father executes His righteous fury upon His beloved Son as Jesus, the Messiah, who knew no sin, becomes,
“…sin for us, … that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
As I ponder these things, my mind can’t comprehend the immensity of it all. Unless my Savior had taken my place, I would bear this awful punishment, myself, forever. I cannot earn His love. I cannot pay Him back for it. Only the power of His Holy Spirit, causes me to cast myself upon His mercy.
Before my Savior made this horrible payment, He said to His disciples:
“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37).
Lord Jesus, my Savior: I just want to tell you I love you. Thank you for taking my place and forgiving me of my sins.
Dear reader: Have you come to Jesus, the now risen Savior, and cast yourself totally upon His infinite mercy?
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