It is April 15th and I have spent the last two weeks working on a series for the resurrection season. The second part of my three part series on “Jesus, the Suffering Servant King”, has me literally marinating in the events surrounding Jesus’ death.

I wanted to catch a fresh glimpse of the passion of Christ; I have watched the film, “The Passion of Christ”, in past years and been deeply moved by the visual images portrayed. This year, however, I wanted to be contemplative, read the scriptural accounts in all of the gospels and imagine in my mind how it might have been. Additionally, I chose this year to research the work of several prominent doctors who discussed the mechanics of Jesus’ suffering and death so that I might have a deeper understanding of the physical pain he endured for me.

Beverly had minor foot surgery during this time and so part of my studying was done at home. I remarked to her on several occasions, “I can hardly do this because it is so painful”. Just to read about the horror of crucifixion was at times more than I could process.

But what struck me the most was a poignant memory from about twenty-two years ago when my father died suddenly of a heart attack. Due to a conflagration of events with nearby family members, no one from our family was with him when he died. For me, that was—and is-- the most sad memory I carry from his tragic premature death. My dad loved people, and he especially loved his family, and from his initial heart attack to the second one that took his life, we know from the doctors he was conscious, and we lament the fact that he was separated from his family. My father was a man of strong faith and I know in those moments he was comforted by the assurance and the presence of God.

But what strikes me as the greatest part of the passion of Christ was the absence of His Father as He died. The Garden of Gethsemane exposes us to the depths of His own anguish with His own words, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death” in Matthew 27:38 and Luke’s observations of His praying there, “and being in anguish, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground”, Luke 23:44.

The greatest witness to His suffering are the words that Matthew 27:46 and Mark15:34 record, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Two things capture my attention. (1) It is first time in the gospels the only time that Jesus fails to address His heavenly Father as “Father”. (2) In spite of the abandonment He feels in this moment, He still addresses His heavenly Father as “My God”.

The theological implications of this moment are spelled out in II Corinthians 5:21 when Paul observes, “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” Comprehending what this means for me practically is overwhelming. I am sinful, deserving of death. Jesus was sinless, undeserving of death. Because of love---and in obedience to His Father-s will—Jesus willingly died in my place. He paid the price for my sin—a sinless sacrifice--and satisfied the wrath of a holy God who hates sin. Because of that singular act, I am saved from eternal death and ushered into the hope of eternal life.

It is no wonder that Paul writes in I Corinthians 6:19,20, “You are not your own; you were bought at a price.”