Dear Christian friends:

The Romans found an easy, comfortable way to die, to kill themselves, lie in a hot bath tub and cut your wrists. Many people think the same about crucifixion. They think that a crucified person slowly bleeds to death. That's not true! Dying on a cross was not an easy, comfortable way to die. The crucified person was naked. Many people came to watch, some mocked. The crucified person did not die because of blood loss, but because of dehydration, asphyxiation, and shock. When the Romans crucified a person that person knew he could not escape. Even if the person was crucified with many others, as often happened, it was a lonely death, a slow death, a painful, shameful death. Perhaps there are other more painful ways to die, but none as destructive to body and mind as crucifixion. A person hanging on a cross is rejected. Earth doesn't want him and heaven doesn't want him. The Bible says, "Cursed is everyone that hangs on a tree."

The church and the state condemned Jesus to die on a cross. It is not a nice, pretty picture as some artists have painted. It is a disgusting revolting picture of God's Son dying between two criminals, people mocking and tormenting Him.

What I have just explained about crucifixion is not comfortable to hear. Some perhaps do not want to hear it. But you haven't heard the worst yet. Jesus suffered something much worse. It was worse than anything any other crucified person suffered. No one has ever suffered or felt the pain our Savior suffered when, He on the cross, was separated from His Father in heaven. That terrible pain made Jesus cry out with a loud voice, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?" You know that loneliness is a terrible thing. We all have felt loneliness. You old people often complain that family and friends have forgotten you. Young people at college or in the armed services are often lonely, and homesick. Often a wife feels that her husband does not love her and is very depressed and the husband feels that his wife does not understand him and his many problems at work. He, too, feels alone and unloved. Our teenagers often feel that their parents, and teachers do not understand them. Many teenagers today are killing themselves. Jesus also experienced this loneliness. Judas betrayed Him, Peter denied Him. The other disciples forsook Him. The Church Council and Pontius Pilot condemned Him to death. That loneliness Jesus understood and accepted, but now also His Father in heaven forsakes Him. That loneliness you and I can't really understand. We have never experienced such loneliness. Never has God forsaken any person on this earth except Jesus.

God does not forsake the worst criminal. God did not forsake Hitler or Stalin or Mao. They all enjoyed God's blessing here on earth. The atheist who says, "There is no God" receives the blessings and protection of God. The humanist who says "There is no sin," receives the blessings and protection of God. The person who does not pray for his food or thank God for it, receives it anyway. The Bible says, "He makes His sun to shine on both the evil and on the good. He sends rain to fall on the just and the unjust."

As long as anyone lives here on earth, he receives the blessings and protection of God and God's natural laws. But Jesus on that first Good Friday when He hung upon the cross from 12:00 noon until 3:00 P.M. did not receive the blessings and protection of God His Father. God fully forsook Him!

We can't understand that. We have never experienced that. Only the souls and devils in hell can tell you about that. They have been experiencing that. Only they can tell you how it feels when God fully forsakes you. I pray God that we never go there. I pray God that we never have that experience.

But Jesus experienced the loneliness of hell while He hung upon the cross. Why did God forsake Jesus? How could God be so cruel to His own Son? In doing that God was not cruel; He was showing His great and wonderful love. Because God loved you and me He forsook His own Son. God doesn't want any person to experience the loneliness of hell, so He let Jesus experience that instead. Because Jesus willingly accepted our sins and the sins of the whole world God let Him experience that loneliness. God forsook Jesus. He need not forsake us. He forgives us.

Hear Jesus' cry from the cross and then hear John 3:16 "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." When God loves, He loves a world. When God gives He gives a Son, Himself. Such is the no-limit love of our wonderful God! Can anyone hear about God's love and not cry with thanksgiving? Can anyone hear Jesus cry from the cross, and not be touched by God's fantastic love?

One boy in Sunday School memorized John 3:16 and when the teacher asked him to say it, he said, "God so loved the world, that He gave His only forgotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." The teacher accepted that and asked the boy, "Why did God forget His Son?" "I don't know," replied the boy. The teacher answered, "God forgot His Son, so He could remember you." God forsook His Son, so He could love you!

On the cross that first Good Friday Jesus cried out "My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?" so that we would never need to experience such loneliness. Let us believe on Him and love Him and respond to His love.

Amen