Speaking of the loneliest journey ever made and the unending blessings it brought to all the human family. I speak of the Saviors solitary task of shouldering alone the burden of our salvation. Rightly He would say; I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me. ... I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold me. We know from scripture that Jesuss messianic arrival in Jerusalem on the Sunday preceding Passover, was a great public moment. But eagerness to continue walking with Him would quickly begin to wane. Soon enough He was arraigned before the Israelite leaders of the day--first Annas, the former high priest, then Caiaphas, the current high priest. In their rush to judgment these men and their councils declared their verdict quickly and angrily. What further need have we of witnesses? they cried. He is worthy od death. With that He was brought before the gentile rulers in the land. Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee, interrogated Him once, and Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor in Judea, did so twice, the second time declaring to the crowd, I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man. Then, in an act as unconscionable as it was illogical, Pilate scourged Jesus, and delivered him to be crucified. Pilates freshly washed hands could not have been more stained or more unclean. Such ecclesiastical and political rejection became more personal when the citizenry in the street turned against Jesus as well. It is one of the ironies of history that sitting with Jesus in prison was a real blasphemer, a murderer and revolutionary known as Barabbas, a name or title in Aramaic meaning son of the father. Free to release one prisoner in the spirit of the Passover tradition, Pilate asked the people, Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas. So one godless son of the father was set free while a truly divine Son of His Heavenly Father moved on to crucifixion. This was also a telling time among those who knew Jesus more personally. The most difficult to understand in this group is Judas Iscariot. We know the divine plan required Jesus to be crucified, but it is wrenching to think that one of His special witnesses who sat at His feet, heard Him pray, watched Him heal, and felt His touch could betray Him and all that He was for 30 pieces of silver. Never in the history of this world has so little money purchased so much infamy. We are not the ones to judge Judass fate, but Jesus said of His betrayer, Good were it for that man if he had not been born. Of course others among the believers had their difficult moments as well. Following the Last Supper, Jesus left Peter, James, and John to wait while He ventured into the Garden of Gethsemane alone. Falling on His face in prayer, sorrowful ... unto death, the record says, His sweat came as great drops of blood as He pled with the Father to let this crushing, brutal cup pass from Him. But, of course, it could not pass. Returning from such anguished prayer, He found His three chief disciples asleep, prompting Him to ask, Could ye not watch with me one hour? So it happens two more times until on His third return says compassionately, Sleep on now, and take your rest, though there would no rest for Him. Later, after Jesuss arrest and appearance at trial, Peter, accused of knowing Jesus and being one of His confidants, denies that accusation not once but three times. We dont know all that was going on here, nor do we know of protective counsel which the Savior may have given to HIs Apostles privately, but we do know Jesus was aware that even these precious ones would not stand with Him in the end, and He had warned Peter accordingly. Then, with the crowing of the cock, the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord. ... And he went out, and wept bitterly. Thus, of divine necessity, the supporting circle around Jesus gets smaller and smaller and smaller, giving significance to Matthews words; All the disciples left him,, and fled. Peter stayed near enough to be recognized and confronted. John stood at the foot of the cross with Jesuss mother. Especially and always the blessed women in the Saviors life stayed as close to Him as they could. But essentially His lonely journey back to His Father continued without comfort or companionship. Now I speak very carefully, even reverently, of what may have been the most difficult moment in all of this solitary journey to Atonement. I speak of those final moments for which Jesus must have been prepared intellectually and physically but which He may not have fully anticipated emotionally and spiritually --- that concluding descent into the paralyzing despair of divine withdrawal when He cried in ultimate loneliness, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me? The loss of mortal support He had anticipated, but apparently He had not comprehended this. Had He not said to His disciples, Behold, the hour .. is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me and The Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him? He did please HIs Father perfectly and that a perfect Father did not forsake HIs Son in that hour. Indeed, it is my personal belief that in all of Christs mortal ministry the Father may never have been closer to His Son than in these agonizing final moments of suffering. Nevertheless, that the Supreme sacrifice of HIs Son might be as complete as was voluntary and solitary, the Father briefly withdrew from Jesus the comfort of His Spirit, the support of His personal presence. It was required, indeed it was central to the significance of the Atonement, that this perfect Son who had never spoken ill nor done wrong nor touched an unclean thing had to know how the rest of humankind -- us, all of us -- would feel when we did commit such sins. For His Atonement to be infinite and eternal, He had to feel what it was like to die not only physically but spiritually, to sense what it was like to have the divine Spirit withdrew, leaving one feeling totally, abjectly, hopelessly alone. But Jesus held on. He pressed on. The goodness in Him allowed faith to triumph even in a state of complete anguish. The trust He lived by told Him in spite of His feelings that divine compassion is never absent, that God is always faithful, that He never flees nor fails us. When the uttermost farthing had then been paid, when Christs determination to be faithful was as obvious as it was utterly invincible, finally and mercifully, it was finished. Against all odds and with none to help or uphold Him, Jesus of Nazareth, the living Son of the living God, restored physical life where death had held sway and brought joyful, spiritual redemption out of sin, hellish darkness, and despair. With faith in the God He knew was there, He could say in triumph, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit. Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly alone, we do not have to do so. His solitary journey brought great company for our little version of that path -- the merciful care of our Father in Heaven, the unfailing companionship of this Beloved Son, the consummate gift of the Holy Ghost, angels in heaven, family members on both sides of the veil, prophets and apostles, teachers, leaders, friends. All of these and more have been given as companions for our mortal journey because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the Restoration of His gospel. Trumpeted from the summit of Calvary is the truth that we will never be left alone nor unaided, even if sometimes we may feel that we are. Truly the Redeemer of us all said: I will not leave you comfortless: My Father and I will come to you and abide with you.
Posted on: Fri, 03 Oct 2014 05:55:21 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015