Mark‬ ‭15:34‬ ‭- And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

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As I was walking this morning I decided to listen to a few songs from a CD I have by Michael Card. The song is Love Crucified Arose. (See all the lyrics here.) Or listen to the song here.

I have listened to this song many times but I was so taken by just this part: 

At last the time to love and die

The dark appointed day

That one forsaken moment when

Your Father turned His face away

The Father turned His face away. I wondered about that. Did He turn away out of disgust because Jesus bore all the sins of the world upon Him? He cannot abhor sin and cannot be in the presence of it, we are told.

You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on wickedness. Why do You look on those who deal treacherously, and hold Your tongue when the wicked devours a person more righteous than he? (Habakkuk‬ ‭1:13‬)

I believe God, the Father, turned His face away because it grieved Him that He had to allow this to happen to His Son, although this is why Jesus came into the world and that He would be resurrected. But, still, in the end...it so grieved Him. For that short moment in time He had to look away...

I did some research on this and found out Jesus never called His Father God. It is suggested that He spoke these words (My God, My God...) which come from Psalm 22 as a reference that the Jews might one day see that His death had been prophesied...that they might know Him, whom they crucified. Oh, people, it's not just for them, it's for everyone. God so wants all of us to see the truth of Jesus, to know Him, to be reconciled through Him to the Father.

God loved His Son so much. Jesus loved His Father also. They both love us. Jesus only did the will of His Father, knowing at some time in His life He would be the sacrificial Lamb like the one before the exodus from Egypt. The one then that would save God's people. The One today who saves "whosoever" will believe in Jesus and learn and believe all these great accounts throughout the Bible that so prophesy about a Savior come to this world to die for us. 

This same Father must turn His face upon each of us until we recognize His only Son, the One who died on the cross...the One whom His Father had to turn away from in grief because of all the sin He bore. We bear this sin. We are dead until we receive Christ. God cannot be in our presence because of our sin, which we all have, and we are separated from Him. When we bow before the Lord and ask for forgiveness and receive His gift of salvation that we might be resurrected as Christ, He will resurrect us, like His Son. Oh, why are there so many whose pride prevents them from doing this?

Listen to these final words. They are so familiar in the Gospel accounts. They are truth. And God hears when we earnestly, honestly call out to Him.

Psalms 22:1,8,16-19,24 - “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, and from the words of My groaning?"

He [Jesus] trusted in the LORD, let Him rescue Him; let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!

"For dogs have surrounded Me; the congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; I can count all My bones. They look 
and stare at Me. They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots. But You, O LORD, do not be far from Me; O My Strength, hasten to help Me!"

For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; nor has He hidden His face from Him; but when He cried to Him, He heard.