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Written by Reverend Haskel Swain, 1954
Jesus said, "My God, my God, why hast thou
forsaken me?" Most Christians throughout the world have
misunderstood this statement. It has been told millions of times
that Jesus took all of the sins of the world upon His shoulders, and
they were so dirty and filthy that God, His Father, could not look
upon Him. It has been said, because of the awful mess of sin and
shame, the Father turned His back on His Son and forsook Him in so
much that Jesus begged for The Father not to forsake Him. God did
not forsake His son.
Jesus did die for the sins of the world. God did give His son, but
Jesus had all the power to change the course of man and salvation.
In the garden, Jesus questioned the Father whether or not there was
any other way to bring about a one worldwide redemption for man. If
it had not been the sole decision of Jesus, He would not have gone
to the Father three times. He, Jesus, was making a decision, and
what a decision it was.
On the mountain of transfiguration, Moses and Elijah recounted the plan
to Jesus. Jesus knew all that had been spoken of Him by the
prophets. He knew He had the power to call more than 12 legions of
angels to come and deliver Him. He said, with His own mouth, that if
He did this it would change all of the scriptures (Matthew 26:54).
Jesus had full power to do as He wished. The Father loved Jesus,
His only begotten son, more than any earthly man could possibly love
his son. I would not ask my son to do something and then turn
my back on him; neither would the father of Jesus.
Jesus, making the decision to carry out the will of His Father,
went to the cross. While hanging there looking back on His life, He
saw that He had fulfilled all of the scriptures to the letter except
one: Psalms 69:21: "and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink."
Jesus realized that the Father could not see Him suffer any longer
and was at an instant ready to take life and suffering from Him. By
knowing this, realizing that He had about eight seconds of life left
and not being willing to leave the 69th chapter of Psalms unfinished
(St. John 19:28), Jesus said, " My God, my God, why hast thou
forsaken me? I thirst." In other words, "Father, let life stay in my
body until I get the vinegar and fulfill the scriptures." A soldier
ran, got a sponge, put it on a reed, dipped it in vinegar and gave
it to Him. Jesus said, "It is finished." Life and suffering were
removed from Him, instantly.
The Word says that He gave up the ghost. This means Christ, God's
part of the Son, left Jesus, Mary's part of the Son, on the cross
and went into paradise.
In St. John 8:29 Jesus said, "The Father hath not left me alone."
Please don't say God turned His back on His only begotten Son. God
at no time ever turned His back on His Son.
NO, A MILLION TIMES NO!
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