The Deepest Love

On Monday morning, Allison and I got up earlier than normal and both of us had a heavy feeling in our chests. That morning I would be driving her to the airport, because she has a 5 day business trip to New Orleans. I had known about the trip for a while, and had been thinking to myself, "I'll be fine, it's only 5 days." But the reality of the separation from my wife really started to sink in as I was driving her to the airport. I started to think about how I'll be spending 5 days without the love of my life.

It starts off as simple attraction, and chemistry comes with time. Then, as you get to know someone more deeply you enjoy them more and more. It doesn't seem as if you can spend enough time with them! As you learn about them, you become more and more fascinated by the beautiful person they are, and at times you can't even believe they are real! You start to adore and admire their quirks, mannerisms, jokes, ways of speaking and acting that you get to see on such an intimate level. You also get the deep care and concern they have for you, the arms of support and the voice of comforting words when life gets hard as it so often does. That person you love becomes the wind in your sails and the joy in your heart in so many ways that simply weren't there before.

And when that person with whom you are so deeply intertwined and connected isn't there it is a void, a deep feeling as if a piece of you is missing. All of this was swirling through my head and I was in a "glass case of emotion" to quote Anchorman, as I drove to work.

But as God often does, He consoled and comforted me by shifting my thinking from my circumstances to His love for me. And these lyrics came into my mind from the hymn, "How Deep The Father's Love For Us."

How great the pain of searing loss
The Father turns his face away
As wounds which mar the Chosen One
Bring many sons to glory

In the midst of feeling my pain of separation, I was left awestruck and quieted by the thought that Jesus was forsaken. He suffered the greatest void of all. God the Father sent Jesus to die for our sins, and turned His face away from His Beloved Son for our sake. From eternity, God the Father had delighted in Christ and now, for our sake, Christ was forsaken. The gospel account of Matthew quotes Jesus on the cross:

"And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mt. 27:46)"

Oh, the pain of searing loss as the Father turns His face away from the Son and pours out His wrath upon Jesus! Imagine God hearing this cry from His dying son on the cross!

Why was Jesus forsaken?

1. Jesus was forsaken out of God's love for us. God willed that Christ should die.

John 3:16 says, "“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

Ephesians 2 says, "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—" (v. 4-5).

Why did Jesus have to die?

In the book Knowing God theologian J.I. Packer writes, "The gospel tells us that our Creator has become our Redeemer. It announces that the Son of God has become man "for us men and for our salvation" and has died on the cross to save us from eternal judgment. The basic description of the saving death of Christ in the Bible is as a propitiation, that is, as that which quenched God's wrath against us by obliterating our sins from his sight. God's wrath is his righteousness reacting against unrighteousness; it shows itself in retributive justice. But Jesus Christ has shielded us from the nightmare prospect of retributive justice by becoming our representative substitute, in obedience to his Father's will, and receiving the wages of our sin in our place." (p. 189)

God sent Jesus to die a horrific sacrificial death to take the wrath and penalty for our sin upon the cross. Even when we were dead in our trespasses and enemies of God, He made us alive together with Christ.

Romans 5 says, "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life." (v. 8-10)

We were sinners. Christ died for us according to God's will. We have been justified by his blood, set free from the wrath our sin deserves, and reconciled to God.

2. Jesus was forsaken because he loved us.

Philippians 2 says, "And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." (v.8)

Jesus humbled himself in obedience to the Father's will that he should die. He gave up his own will and accepted the will of God the Father, and was willing to die for our sake.

Ephesians 5 says, "...Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God" (v. 2b) and "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word" (v. 25-26)

The good shepherd laid down his life for the sheep. And he did it to get us, his bride, the church!

He gave himself up for us without grumbling, "He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth" (Isaiah 53:7)

Imagine that love that never resisted oppression and affliction, never uttered a word in the face of death.

John Piper says in his book, 50 Reason Why Jesus Came to Die, "The death of Christ is not only the demonstration of God's love (John 3:16), it is also the supreme expression of Christ's own love for all who receive it as their treasure. The early witnesses who suffered most for being Christians were captured by this fact: Christ "loved me and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20). They took the self-giving act of Christ's sacrifice very personally. They said, "He loved me. He gave himself for me." (p. 30)

Jesus was willing to go to the cross for your sake and mine! Sacrificial love was displayed in all glory at the cross of Christ! And it is a personal, sacrificial love at that! He gave himself for you and me as individuals, that we might belong to him, because of his great love for us.

Jesus loves you, and he gave himself up for you, rejoice in that truth today!

So often the comfort of Scripture comes to us by taking our focus off of our circumstances, and placing our eyes and minds onto Christ. My 5 days of separation from Allison are a drop of rain in the oceans compared to the separation that God the Father and Christ the Son experienced at the cross.God gave up the Son he loved most for His enemies. Christ gave up his life and accepted the wrath of God for our sake. That is the deepest love! It's immeasurable!

Jesus was separated from God so that we don't have to be!

That is why we sing:

How deep the Father's love for us
How vast beyond all measure!

If you haven't yet trusted Christ as Lord and Savior, I urge you to consider the depth of God's love for you. Go to the foot of the cross and see how much God loves you, see how much Christ loves you! If you are a follower of Christ go to the foot of the cross and marvel at the love that bought you! Rejoice in your salvation and delight in your Redeemer! All glory be to Christ!


Paul Stiver