Treachery: The Cross Comes Into Focus Part 4

The Cross Leaves Christ Forsaken.

Matthew 27:45–50 ESV

45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 47 And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” 48 And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. 49 But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” 50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.

Darkness - This is a sign of Judgment.

sixth hour … until the ninth hour. From noon until 3:00 p.m. Josephus says that the ninth hour was the time when Jews offered the daily evening sacrifice.

This cannot be explained as an eclipse, for it was Passover time and with a full moon an eclipse is not possible.

This cannot be explained as an eclipse, for it was Passover time and with a full moon an eclipse is not possible.

This is judgment.

Amos 8:9 ESV

“And on that day,” declares the Lord God, “I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight.

Amos 9:8

Amos 8:9 ESV

“And on that day,” declares the Lord God, “I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight.

Amos 8:9–10 ESV

“And on that day,” declares the Lord God, “I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight. I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation; I will bring sackcloth on every waist and baldness on every head; I will make it like the mourning for an only son and the end of it like a bitter day.

Amos

He’s calling Elijah. See note on v. 46. Elijah was expected before the Lord’s coming (), but in rabbinic tradition he also was thought to act like an angel and help rabbis in need.

This cannot be explained as an eclipse, for it was Passover time and with a full moon an eclipse is not possible.

44 verses where Jesus Addresses Christ as Father!

v. verse (in the Chapter being commented on)

Leon Morris, The Gospel according to Matthew, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press, 1992), 719.

a. The horror of the cross means that there is something more dreadful than physical torment.

anaboáō: To shout with unusually loud volume—‘to cry out, to scream.’

The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament 310. ἀναβοάω anaboáō

anaboáō

Tim Keller States,

Up to this moment, Jesus has been unbelievably calm. Didn’t you see that all the way through last week, when we looked at the arrest? He is always so calm. He is always so poised. No matter what happens to him, no matter how much physical suffering, no matter how much emotional or psychological suffering, he is completely in control. He never complains. He’s always poised. He never raises his voice.

anaboáō

What makes Jesus suddenly break out into a scream?

anaboáō: To shout with unusually loud volume—‘to cry out, to scream.’

a. The horror of the cross means that there is something more dreadful than physical torment.

What makes Jesus who has been quit up to this point suddenly break out into a scream?

b. The horror of the cross is that Christ was rejected by the Father.

Think about this if you have an acquaintance that cuts you off it is no big deal. If you have a dear friend that cuts you off that can be extremely difficult. If you have a beloved spouse that cuts you off you almost never recover from that. Even that analogy comes short of Christ’s relationship with the Father!

In the Gospels Jesus addresses God as Father every time except this single exception.

“Hell came to Calvary that day, and the Savior descended into it and bore its horrors in our stead.” William Hendriksen

William Hendriksen

William Hendriksen

Michael J. Wilkins, Matthew, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2004), 903.

anaboáō

God dies like a man.

Christ was abandoned so that we might be adoption.

It is not the same as having a forever family!

Jesus was abandoned so that we might be adopted!

The Cross Eliminates Separation.

The Cross Eliminates Separation.

Matthew 27:51 ESV

51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.

Matthew

a. Sin established a barrier between God and Man.

b. The cross bridges the divine/human divide.

The sixty-foot-high curtain was split from top to bottom, which is a sign that God himself abolished the separation from the Holy of Holies, signifying that the new and living way is now open for all people to enter into his presence through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross (; ).

The tearing of the temple curtain testifies that Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross has fulfilled the hopes expressed in Israel’s years of temple sacrifice. Jesus is the great high priest, whose sacrifice is the permanent satisfaction of God’s wrath on humanity’s sin (). Jesus is the permanently accessible new temple in whom all who turn to him are reconciled to the Father.

Matt 27:

Matthew 27:51–55 ESV

51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, 53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. 54 When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!” 55 There were also many women there, looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him,

The Cross Brings Resurrection.

Matthew 27:52–54 ESV

52 The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, 53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. 54 When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

Matt 27:52-

a. Christ’s death means life for the saints.

b. Christ’s death mean hope for the sinner.