Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?

Have you ever heard a sermon that just sort of woke you up? Not that it is anything new or something you have never heard before, but someone makes a connection that wasn't apparent to you before. Last weekend I went to a new church with my roommates (more on that later in another post). This church is currently looking at the final words of Jesus on the cross and the guest speaker (who was very boring and monotone and had a stutter but had good stuff to say) looked at Matthew 27:46 which says

At about three o'clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" which means "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

It's a passage we have all hear before but one that I never really saw the depth and complexity of. The speaker went all the way back to the story of Exodus and the first Passover where each family was instructed to choose a lamb with no defects to sacrifice. Each family was instructed to slaughter their lamb at twilight which translated means around 3 o'clock. They also had to take some of the blood on a hyssop branch and smear it on the sides and top of the wooden door frames of the house before they ate the animal. The Israelites were instructed to eat their meal with their shoes on, being fully dressed and ready to move at a moments notice. Again... All stuff we have heard before...

Later in John 19, the account of Jesus' death says that it was the day of passover and around noon when Jesus was condemned to be crucified. When Jesus was nailed on the cross his blood covered the wooden cross from his hands, feet, and head. While on the cross Jesus said, "I am thirsty" and the guards dipped a sponge in some sour wine and raised it up to his lips on the end of a hyssop branch! What??? A hyssop branch??? How have I not noticed that before???

Which brings me to the passage in Matthew. At 3 o'clock, Jesus called out "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" 3 o'clock? Are you kidding me?

My mind was seriously blown. I know that Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. He was the perfect spotless lamb that took on the sins of the world. He fulfilled and covered us with his blood so that we might live. It's something that I have always known and have believed, but there was something about this sermon that just got to me.

Maybe it's the Easter season. Maybe being in the middle of Passion week has made me just sit and think and be thankful for what Christ did for us. But during this week, I am so thankful for the perfect spotless lamb who covered us with his blood so that the angel of death might passover us. During this week, I pray that you are will find yourself covered with the blood of the Lamb. I pray that you will be a sojourner with God in His story. And more importantly, if you are feeling forsaken, know that you are in good company!