LAST WORDS OF CHRIST -- LAMENT AND HOPE
John 11:17-37 (Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead) Matthew 27:46 "... My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Lament: to bring our suffering, our grief and our pain to God. As in “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me. (Matthew 27:46) Or Mary and Martha’s reaction to Jesus’ arrival after the fact of their brothers death. “ Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” (John 11:17, 32) And, “Where were you, God? I prayed every day to you asking you to protect my husband and keep him safe, and now he’s dead!” My God, my God, why have you forsaken us? Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted (Isaiah 53:4-6 , New King James Version) You see, on the cross, Jesus not only took on all our hate, all our selfishness and every willful act of wrong doing ever committed and will be committed by humanity, he also bore upon his bloodied shoulde