"Good Friday" Day 235 Matthew 27:45-50 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. 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?” Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, “This Man is calling for Elijah!” Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink. The rest said, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.” And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. I don't know about anyone else, but for as long as I can remember, I have been confused about verse 46; not to the point of it driving me to find answers or to the point of it affecting my relationship with God. No, it was more like one of those things that every time you read it you think, hmm, that just doesn't make complete sense; however, today for me it does (thank you Holy Spirit). I am reminded that when Moses was meeting with God in Exodus 33: 20-23: But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live. And the LORD said, “Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.” The Lord made it very clear to him that he could not look upon God. The reason was not that God didn't want Moses or anyone else to see Him, but rather that God did not want Moses to perish. You see, the human body is not holy; it is not consecrated, and any time a non-consecrated human body comes in contact with a holy and pure God, the human body literally perishes and ceases to be. Remember 1 Samuel 6:19: Then He struck the men of Beth Shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the LORD. He struck fifty thousand and seventy men of the people, and the people lamented because the LORD had struck the people with a great slaughter. Or 2 Samuel 6:6-7 when Uzzah tried to stabilize the Ark: And when they came to Nachon’s threshing floor, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. Then the anger of the LORD was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his error; and he died there by the ark of God. Now, back to Jesus, the reason He was feeling forsaken by God was because He was, for Jesus was at that time the very manifestation of sin; therefore, God had for the first time ever separated Himself from Jesus; Jesus felt and was abandoned! The compassion of Christ is now complete. You see, He suffered in sin just as we suffer in sin, and because He did, He can now relate to you and me in every aspect of life. That, my friend, should bring great hope to all mankind! Jesus understands the pain of separation from God the result of sin; He knows how you feel when the loneliness of sin overcomes you! Just as you can comfort those who have been through similar trials, your savior can comfort you in every way; Praise God! Daily Prayer: Father, thank You that every aspect of salvation and redemption has been covered by the blood of Jesus. Thank You, Lord, that we can now commune with You. Help us, Lord, to never forget and to passionately share this hope with all mankind. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. “Communion with God can only come through communion with Christ.” Gene Burroughs, Pastor

Day 235 Matthew 27:45-50 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. 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?” Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, “This Man is calling for Elijah!” Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink. The rest said, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.” And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. I don't know about anyone else, but for as long as I can remember, I have been confused about verse 46; not to the point of it driving me to find answers or to the point of it affecting my relationship with God. No, it was more like one of those things that every time you read it you think, hmm, that just doesn't make complete sense; however, today for me it does (thank you Holy Spirit). I am reminded that when Moses was meeting with God in Exodus 33: 20-23: But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live. And the LORD said, “Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.” The Lord made it very clear to him that he could not look upon God. The reason was not that God didn't want Moses or anyone else to see Him, but rather that God did not want Moses to perish. You see, the human body is not holy; it is not consecrated, and any time a non-consecrated human body comes in contact with a holy and pure God, the human body literally perishes and ceases to be. Remember 1 Samuel 6:19: Then He struck the men of Beth Shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the LORD. He struck fifty thousand and seventy men of the people, and the people lamented because the LORD had struck the people with a great slaughter. Or 2 Samuel 6:6-7 when Uzzah tried to stabilize the Ark: And when they came to Nachon’s threshing floor, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. Then the anger of the LORD was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his error; and he died there by the ark of God. Now, back to Jesus, the reason He was feeling forsaken by God was because He was, for Jesus was at that time the very manifestation of sin; therefore, God had for the first time ever separated Himself from Jesus; Jesus felt and was abandoned! The compassion of Christ is now complete. You see, He suffered in sin just as we suffer in sin, and because He did, He can now relate to you and me in every aspect of life. That, my friend, should bring great hope to all mankind! Jesus understands the pain of separation from God the result of sin; He knows how you feel when the loneliness of sin overcomes you! Just as you can comfort those who have been through similar trials, your savior can comfort you in every way; Praise God! Daily Prayer: Father, thank You that every aspect of salvation and redemption has been covered by the blood of Jesus. Thank You, Lord, that we can now commune with You. Help us, Lord, to never forget and to passionately share this hope with all mankind. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. “Communion with God can only come through communion with Christ.” Gene Burroughs, Pastor