The Road to Duty Is Lonely

As we begin today, I want us to think about pain and the threshold of pain. When a person passes beyond the threshold of pain they go into a place of delirium and a place that no one can reach. There is the question that we must ask as we look at this scripture. How far had Jesus gone at the time He cried out, “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” It is possible that He could have been on the border of reaching the threshold but He was conscious enough to reach back to Old Testament to the book of Psalms.

Psalm 22:1 NKJV

My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning?

By quoting this scripture, Jesus was in all probability also giving witness to people that he was the Messiah.

These words came near the conclusion of the six hours he suffered on the cross. His enemies had already quoted from the same Psalm.

Psalm 22:8 NKJV

“He trusted in the Lord, let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!”

Perhaps Jesus was refuting their words with His quotation that had unique application to the situation at hand.

What was happening at Calvary? Jesus was treading the lonesome road to bring forgiveness to humankind. There are things that we can share with others but there are also those things that we must face alone.

Think back to the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus went to pray. This was a time that He had to go alone to the Father. Now He was in the midst of a moment that He had to face alone.