A Cry From The Darkness

Pastor Jamie continues our "Seven Sayings From The Cross" series this week. Check it out!Jesus doesn't put on a happy face and pretend everything is OK. He's honest about how he feels. When he knows he is about to be betrayed, and what he is about to endure, in Matthew 26:38 he asks his friends:“My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.”He isn't expecting his friends to fix his situation, he's about to lift his problems up to God in prayer. He's just being honest about how he feels, and his need for fellowship. Christianity isn't something we're meant to practice alone. Even the Christ was looking for support. He stays honest with God too. God of course knows our mind so there's no point in trying to hide what we want as long as we can humble ourselves to submit to his good judgement. In verse 42 Jesus prays:“My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”Of course he doesn't want the wrath he's about to endure, but he wants to obey, and he wants to save his people. Obeying isn't always easy though, even- or maybe especially- for the Christ. In Matthew 27:46 Jesus cries out:“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”What a heartbreaking verse for believers. The Christ experiencing the separation from God so that we won't have to suffer that separation for eternity.What a confusing verse for believers too. Jesus is God and this was all part of his plan. Ultimately this is why he took human form at all. Maybe it's the difference between "knowing the path" and "walking the path". None of us can truly comprehend what it means to be fully God but also fully human. What we can see, is that even in his anguish, Jesus is confessing God's sovereignty. That can be scary if we really think about it. The idea that God deliberately put us in our difficult circumstances? We just saw Jesus wrestling with that. We also saw Jesus clinging to the knowledge that God is using him to work our salvation. What if God is using you to work a miracle?In the face of sorrow and death we might not be able to entertain this possibility. So we need to remember to ask our brothers and sisters to keep watch and remind us to bring our circumstances to God. We need to be honest with him about what we're really feeling, so that we can accept that even when we'd like the cup to pass us by, we'd rather his will be done.