I speak of the Savior's solitary task of shouldering
alone the burden of our salvation.
I speak of those final moments for which Jesus must have been
prepared intellectually and physically, but which He may
not have fully anticipated emotionally and spiritually
that concluding descent into the paralyzing despair of
divine withdrawal.
When He cries in ultimate loneliness, "My God, my God
why hast Thou forsaken me?"
Thus, of divine necessity, the supporting circle around Jesus
gets smaller and smaller and smaller.
Essentially, His lonely journey back to His father
continued without comfort or companionship.
It was required, indeed it was central to the significance of
the atonement, that this perfect son who had never
spoken ill nor done wrong nor touched an unclean thing, He
had to know how the rest of humankind would feel, us, the
rest of us.
Then finally and mercifully, it was finished.
Against all odds and with none to help or uphold him, Jesus
of Nazareth, the living Son of the living God restored
physical life where death had held sway and brought joyful
spiritual redemption out of sin and hellish
darkness and despair.
One of the great consolations of this Easter season is that
because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly
alone, we do not have to do so.
As we approach this holy week, Passover Thursday with its
paschal lam, atoning Friday with it's cross, Resurrection
Sunday with its empty tomb, may we declare ourselves to be
more fully disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, not in word
only and not in the flush of comfortable times but in deed
and in courage and in faith.
May we stand by Jesus Christ at all times and in all things
and in all places that we may be in, even until death.
For surely that is how He stood by us when it was unto
death, and when He had to stand entirely and utterly
alone in the sacred name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
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