I WAS THERE
~ ~ I WAS THERE~ ~
Matthew 27:46 ~ ~ “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
THIS IS THE DAY ~ ~ ~ THE DRAMA WITHIN~ ~
“MY GOD MY GOD, WHY HAST THOU FORSAKEN ME?”
God forsaking God!
And yet, He didn’t forsake US!!
He forsook His Son because of OUR SIN,
and yet, forsaking Him, He embraced US!!!
HOW CAN IT BE?
Even in the midst of God forsaking God, God forsaking Himself, He kept the earth in it’s orbit when the sun’s light disappeared.
Even Angelic light was dimmed, and all was darkness, like before the beginning of time,
Like the earth before the creation of light, when it was under the control of Lucifer.
Yet, The Father kept the essentials going even then…..
even in the saddest time since eternity past, and never to be again in eternity future.
when the angels dropped their glorious wings,
when the light of the Father dimmed in sorrow for what He must do.
Sin now clothed and invaded the very human body of His Dear Son
Mankind was railing against Him, not knowing that it is their own sins against which they spat and railed and whipped.
They didn’t know that it was Love Himself that they were beating,
Their Creator, their King and God, who consists of the power of Love.
But Love is not Love without Justice to shine a light onto it.
Grace is not Grace without the distant vision of eternal punishment.
God is not God if He isn’t thoroughly just.
It’s that justice that they railed against.
It’s justice that their father, the devil taught them to hate.
It’s justice that they didn’t want to be used against them.
It is justice they feared, and justice that made them rage.
I believe that somewhere deep inside, they saw their own sins upon Jesus,
but their pride would never let them know, so they turned against
the One who represented their sin, and the One who represented Justice,
and the clash of the two was more than they could bear!
Wait! I hear one who saw, and was there—-OR COULD THIS BE US?
The thought that jumped momentarily into his conscious mind MUST be squelched!
“CRUCIFY HIM! CRUCIFY HIM!” There, maybe that’ll help. Maybe that’ll
silence the screaming within his head. “THIS JESUS IS THE SINNER! HE WORKS
FOR THE DEVIL!” AH! That feels better, the voice is silent now……..
for a while, but only for a while.
“HE WILL RISE” He heard someone say. He grabs his head—- “ OHHH The voice is there again!!!—guilt—-
STOP IT! I MUST HAVE SILENCE WITHIN ME!!!”
“It isn’t my fault!!!! It can’t be true!!! What???? He was the Son of God, you say, Centurion? Why would you say that? Why MUST you say that when my head is already spinning?”
The touchable darkness, the earthquakes, and now this talk of the temple curtain!
“But He’s just a criminal—-just a man—-Just a man who was silent in the torture.
A man who spoke of forgiveness through bleeding, torn, parched lips.
‘FORGIVE THEM!!!!’ He said.
WHY, WHY? Why would any man say that? ———-Wait…. what is that?
What…what is my tortured mind groaning about? I WAS THERE! He heard my taunts,
He felt the pain of my hand, and of the sticks I held tightly in anger to inflict Him.
Could it be? Could it be that He meant ME? Me also? NO NO NO!
Could it be that forgiveness was directed at ME? Grace in the midst of such pain?
But…..but….I don’t sin—I am righteous. I go to temple (church), I keep ALL the comman………
Well, that was just a little sin, one time………………..
And that, I was tricked into it, you see……………. That was just a little white……….
WHAT AM I DOING? I’m losing my MIND!
I don’t need forgiveness……….. Do I?….. No, of course not—those other guys, they…….. well, except ……….except for my actions today……….And yesterday, and……………..
OH MY GOD, MY SAVIOR! YOU ARE TRULY THE SON OF GOD!
PLEASE FORGIVE ME AS YOU DID THE CENTURION!!!!! AS YOU DID THE THIEF.
AS YOU DO ALL WHO COME TO YOU THROUGHOUT THE AGES!
IT WAS MY SINS THAT TORTURED YOU, AS IF I WAS YIELDING THE
WHIP MYSELF, AND BEATING UPON MY OWN SINS THAT WERE BORNE BY YOU!!!
IT WAS ME, NOT THE CENTURION, WHO CUT YOUR TORN FLESH DEEPLY
WITH THE SWORD, AND YET, YOU LOVE ME. HOW CAN IT BE??? HOW CAN IT BE?????
Live in the Light of Our Lord 