Opening Prayer
“My God, be not far from Me, For trouble is near; For there is none to help.” (Psa 22:11)
Text: Matthew 27:45–49
Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, “This Man is calling for Elijah!” Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and gave it to Him to drink. The rest said, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.”
Devotion
Being forsaken by God is the same as being damned. So did God want to do this with His Son? Did this happen by the Father’s determined will?
Not one sparrow falls to the ground unless God wills it. Should this then be done without Him? The Scripture expressly says that it was according to God’s gracious will that the Son tasted death for us all (Heb 2:9). Or what power other than His love could bring the almighty Father to withdraw from His beloved Son? It happened because of our guilt, according to the decision of His own good will. He left Him in the pains of death under the tempting, mocking, and tormenting power of the devil and man. And the Son knew that He was forsaken and fully realized the horror of it. The darkness of eternal death surrounded Him and rushed in against His soul with all the terrors of hell. All that the world deserved now comes upon Him, all the suffering of punishment which we human beings together have deserved to taste eternally are collected in one cup and He drinks it down and tastes all the fire of wrath which is in it. “I don’t know what happened before in heaven and in the Redeemer’s soul to bring about being forsaken of God. But I shudder at the thought, and a nightmare comes over my soul, just as over nature at that time. Here I see that there is complete truth in St. Paul’s and Luther’s doctrine of Jesus’ substitutionary atonement. Whoever does not see it is blinder than that night which fell on the land when Jesus was crucified” (Löhe).
The power of sin, the severity of justice, the torments of the damned, the greatness of mercy, my soul’s eternal worth with God — nowhere is all this revealed so well as in the Lord’s words: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” But what can I, a wretched sinner, say about it? I sink down at the foot of Your throne with a profound sense of my unworthiness to be redeemed at so great a cost and with my soul full of thanks and adoration.
Closing Prayer
Because You, my Jesus, cried out so, I can say with joyful voice even in death: Praise to You for the unspeakably great mercy of redemption! Justice is satisfied, condemnation is taken away. Nothing keeps me from Your love; eternal life belongs to me. Now together with all the saints I shall be with You with praise and thanks forever! Amen.
Hymn
Near the cross was Mary weeping,
There her mournful station keeping,
Gazing on her dying Son,
There with speechless grief oppresséd,
Anguish-stricken, and distresséd;
Through her soul the sword had gone.
Whom upon that Suff’rer gazing,
Bowed in sorrow so amazing,
Would not with His mother mourn?
‘Twas our sins brought Him from heaven;
These the cruél nails had driven;
All His griefs for us were borne.
When no eye its pity gave us,
Where there was no arm to save us,
He His love and pow’r displayed;
By His stripes He wrought our healing;
By His death, our life revealing,
He for us the ransom paid.
Jesus, may Thy love constrain us
That from sin we may refrain us,
In Thy griefs may deeply grieve.
Thee our best affections giving,
To Thy glory ever living,
May we in Thy glory live.
Sporon, based on Stabat Mater: L 332:1.2.4.5 [We substitute] ELH 294 H. Mills, based on Stabat Mater;
tune: Alles ist an Gottes Segen