By Simone Allen
When we reflect upon Good Friday, we tend to focus on Jesus death on the cross because of what it means for us when we see His victory over death. But when we stop to examine the finer details of how Jesus spoke to God while he was on the cross, we are also able to see an example of how to communicate with God in times of difficulty when victory seems far.
One can find the account of the crucifixion of Jesus in Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23 and John 19. Within these chapters we read about Jesus encounters and experiences leading up to as well as on the cross. There is a lot taking place – but there are three verses across Matthew, Mark and Luke which catch my attention – these are the times Jesus speaks to the Father. It is in this context of Jesus crucifixion on the cross, his flesh pierced and likely throbbing with pain, blood cascading out of his wounds, mockers and naysayers shouting at Him, that Jesus does not withdraw or disconnect, but He turns to the Father. We see honest and sincere interactions with the Father in the moments leading up to His death.
The first recorded interaction is in Luke 23:34 when Jesus says “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” As soldiers divided his clothes and cast lots. Following on, in Matthew 27:45-46 and Mark 15:33-34 Jesus is recorded as quoting Psalm 22:1 calling out to God, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?) and finally, in Luke 23:46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” These interactions allow us to see Jesus interceding, Jesus lamenting and Jesus accepting and trusting the Fathers plan, which allows us to reflect upon our own circumstances and how we commune with God in difficult times.
In Luke 23:34 we are reminded of the grace of Jesus and His desire and goal to intercede on behalf of sinners. This example of mediating or bridging the gap for those casting lots is an incredible example of Jesus far reaching grace which extends to all – even these individuals who were treating him with no respect and dividing his clothes amongst themselves as he hung on the cross. In this instance Jesus intercession is one of prayer but the pinnacle of this event is that his intercession went beyond prayer and became action as Jesus exchanged his righteousness for our sin through his crucifixion (Isaiah 53:12, Luke 22:42). Jesus prayer for those casting lots in front of Him shows but a sliver of His desire to mediate on our behalf and act as ransom for all people, that we could be united with the Heavenly Father (1 Timothy 2:3-6). What this means for us as believers is that even when we are in difficult times we can still intercede prayerfully for others (even those casting lots against us) much like Jesus did. Adding to this, we can always find peace in the hope we have in Jesus and his mediation for us – he is concerned about our lives. Jesus didn’t ignore what was taking place in front of him – he was concerned for those sinners and he is concerned for us. Jesus interactions with the Father show him as an intercessor, but they also show us his vulnerability with the Father as he laments.
According to the Oxford online dictionary, to lament means ‘to express passionate grief about’. In Matthew 27:45-46 and Mark 15:33-34 Jesus is quoting from Psalm 22:1 – a psalm with a use of strong and personal lamenting language. The psalmist calls on God twice and asks why he has been forsaken – abandoned or deserted. If you turn your attention to the whole of Psalm 22 you will find a number of verses which actually run in accordance with the days events of Jesus crucifixion. The Psalmist laments and pleads with the Lord but ultimately finds peace and victory from Psalm 22:22 onwards. Consider all that Jesus must have been experiencing at a physical, mental and spiritual level; He was hanging on a cross in front of a crowd of people he had a personal relationship with as well as curious strangers, hateful onlookers and even soldiers mocking Him and patronising him, telling him to take himself down from the cross. Jesus didn’t turn away from God – he called out to Him. From these words of Jesus on the cross we can learn the value in lamenting and humbling ourselves before God, calling on Him even when we may well feel abandoned. In fact it is in the same scene that we see Jesus press even further into the Heavenly Father.
The final words spoken by Jesus at his crucifixion are found in Luke 23:46. “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” Let this sink in. Jesus had previously cried out, feeling he had been forsaken and yet here he is committing himself to God. This must have taken an exceptional amount of trust and faith in the Fathers plan for him. In difficult times it is easy to stay in a time of lamenting, but what we can learn from this is that there is a point in which we need to submit ourselves to God and trust Him and His plan for us.
Good Friday marks a day in our calendars to reflect upon Jesus’ journey to and death on the cross. If you are reading this blog I would like to challenge you to seek the Lord in which areas (intercession, lamenting or trusting) He can grow you in over this time as we reflect upon His death and what it means for us.