Scarred, broken, brutalized, and scorned, He watched from the cross alone. With an agonized gaze, He looked upon the vicious mockery of ignorance that was born out of an illusion of lustful power, as they stood crazed by their crime, but their plight touched Him still. With lifted head in the midst of hurtling shouts of ridicule and contempt, he shouted “Eloi, Eloi, Lama Sabachthani”. God turned His back on His Son who voluntarily became sin when He embraced God’s will and not His own. The earth fractured, the sun refused to shine, and time stood still as sobs were silenced, tears froze; minds were bewildered; hearts were assaulted: what has happened here? Blood mixed with water streamed down a pierced side moved a complicit infidel to become a converted believer amid the chaos and fear.
The death of hope mourned the living for three days while defeat lay wrapped in cloths too insubstantial to hold the power of life. Up from the grave He arose carrying the keys of death; riding on the wings of eternity, He ascended to the heavens to sit on the right hand of God Almighty, to judge the quick and the dead. Jesus, the One who came to save His people, all people, from the power of sin and death rose as the bright morning Star, our Horn of salvation who redeems the lost, our Deliver who comforts the downtrodden, the Bread of Life who feeds the hungry, the Vine who offers the water that forever satisfies.
Oh, King of glory, the victim turned Victor, the scorned turned Savior, the abused turned Abba, the ridiculed turned Redeemer, the resurrected One is the Divine; we worship You. Amen and Amen.