For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.
Happy Monday! I hope you are ready for our final countdown until Easter.
This week, as we prepare to celebrate the ultimate sacrifice Jesus made on the cross, we’ll look at the last four things He said before He died, because they carry incredible significance.
Perhaps the most confusing of His final four statements was “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” meaning My God, My God, why have You forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46 NIV)
The bystanders at the time were confused about what Jesus was trying to say and thought He was calling Elijah (Matthew 27:47 NIV). Even nowadays, theologians break their heads over this statement because we know that Jesus was both fully God and fully man (Colossians 2:9 NIV). So if Jesus Himself was God, how could He cry out to God for forsaking Him?
Perhaps it is one of those mysteries about God too wonderful for us to understand (Psalms 139:6 NIV).
But I think this was a moment where Jesus’ humanity and His theology collided. As God, Jesus knew why He had to die on the cross, He chose to walk that road willingly (John 10:18 NIV) and laid down His life for us (1 John 3:16 NIV). But in His darkest hour, as a man, He cried out to God, “WHY???”
It is ok for you and me to cry out to or question God, Jesus did!
Sometimes, as Christians, we’re told that we can’t question God, that we should only trust and believe and have faith. Expressing our frustrations or questions to God shows a lack of faith, or worse, is considered blasphemy.
I strongly disagree! If Jesus was able to voice His frustrations to the Father, then so should we.
And Jesus wasn’t the only one. Jenny recently wrote a series on seven people in the Bible who were brutally honest with God. I highly recommend it; we’ve uploaded it as a Reading Plan on the YouVersion Bible App.
Even though theologically we know that God is good and faithful, there might be moments where, in our humanity and the reality of our circumstances, we struggle to believe it.
Share your doubts, questions, and frustrations with God; cry out to Him. He can handle it!
