My Pastor pointed out that this may have been the most significant question ever asked. In his "When God Asks the Questions" series, he's been going thru the Bible and preaching on passages where Jesus asked a question; for a good question will unlock the doors of understanding.
This particular question stands alone on it's eternal significance and personal impact on the world. It was not a question that Jesus asked a human being; but, He asked it of God the Father. Jesus asked the question using Aramaic, praying from his "heart language" - his familiar vernacular. He actually didn't just ask it; He screamed it; for the greatest pain He suffered was not the scourging, nor the taunts, nor the crucifixion, but was the alienation from the Father. Jesus became a curse for us; for the wages of sin is death. Jesus didn't just die a martyr's death; nor did He just do it as an example. He suffered God's wrath for all sin for all time for all mankind. What amazing LOVE and GRACE!
What's more, this question was prophesized in Psalm 22 about 1000 years earlier; before even the use of crucifixion. Jesus' fulfillment of prophesy confirmed that He is the Messiah; the promised Deliverer. The torn curtain gives us direct access to God; whereas, it used to separate the Holy of Holies into which the high priest entered only once a year on Yom Kippur.
What Christ did on the cross means the following for us as believers:
- We are loved with the infinite love of God - His death on the cross is evidence of that great love
- Christ paid the penalty for our sins in full - self-loathing is a lie b/c it blocks us from seeing the beautiful and precious truth that we are loved
- We are called to suffer for Christ's sake - In the same way the Father delivered the Son; He will deliver us
- We are guaranteed a place in heaven - that's where HOME is (Christ not only prepared the WAY but also the place)
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