One of my favorite books to reread at Easter is
"No Wonder They Call Him The Savior" by Max Lucado. There are thirty-three short chapters, just perfect for the month before Easter. I hope this small selection from the book will inspire you in your preparation for this most holy of holidays.
The chapter I reread the most is The Cry of Loneliness. Lucado seems to step inside the heart of Jesus and pour out for all to see the humiliation of the world's sinsickness and the "gut-wrenching" loneliness Christ felt as God had to turn his back on the SIN.
Many people know the details of where they were, how old they were, when they received Christ as personal Lord and Savior. I will always remember the depth of pure heartache, the tears and total devastation I felt as I read these haunting words and realized anew that my sin sent him there--my sin caused the separation.
How could I live, how could I ever survive if the Spirit of God was taken from me? At that moment in time I cried with the psalmist, "Please do not take your Holy Spirit from me." (from Psalm 51)
"
Lucado writes: ....."The most gut-wrenching cry of loneliness in history came not from a prisoner or a widow or a patient. It came from a hill, from a cross, from a Messiah.
"My God, my God!" he screamed, "Why did you abandon me?"
Never have words carried so much hurt. Never has one being been so lonely.
The crowd quietens as the priest receives the goat--the pure, unspotted goat. In somber ceremony he places his hands on the young animal. As the people witness, the priest makes his proclamation, "The sins of the people be upon you." The innocent animal receives the sins of the Israelites. All the lusting, adultery, and cheating are transferred from the sinners to this goat, to this scapegoat.
He is then carried to the edge of the wilderness and released, Banished. Sin must be purged, so the scapegoat is abandoned, "Run, goat! Run!"
The people are relieved.
Yahweh is appeased.
The sinbearer is alone.
And now on Skull Hill, the sinbearer is again alone. Every lie ever told, every object ever coveted, every promise ever broken is on his shoulders. He is sin.
God turns away, "Run, goat, run."
The despair is darker than the sky. The two who have been one are now two. Jesus, who had been with God for eternity, is now alone, The Christ, who was an expression of God, is abandoned. The Trinity is dismantled. The Godhead is disjointed. The unity is dissolved.
It is more than Jesus can take. He withstood the beatings and remained strong at the mock trials. He watched in silence as those he loved ran away. He did not retaliate when the insults were hurled, nor did he scream when the nails pierced his wrists.
But when God turned his head, that was more than he could handle.
"My God!" The wail rises from parched lips. The holy heart is broken. The sinbearer screams as he wanders in the eternal wasteland. Out of the silent sky come the words screamed by all who walk in the desert of loneliness. "Why? Why did you abandon me?"
" |
Thank God for the gospel of the second chance.
"Lucado continues
........."The two are again one.
The abandoned is now found.
The schism is now bridged.
'Father,' He smiles weakly. "It's over."
Satan's vultures have been scattered.
Hell's demons have been jailed,
Death has been damned,
The sun is out,
The Son is out.
It's over,
An angel sighs, A star wipes away a tear.
"Take me home,"
Yes, take him home.
Take this prince to his king,
Take this son to his father,
Take this pilgrim to his home,
(He deserves a rest.)
"Take me home."
Come ten thousand angels! Come and take
this wounded troubadour
to the cradle of his Father's arms!
Farewell manger's infant,
Bless you, holy ambassador.
Go Home, death slayer,
Rest well, sweet soldier.
The battle is over!" " |
[No Wonder They Call Him The Savior] Max Lucado
Copyright [Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1986 & 2004]
Used by permission
