Another brief thought: whoever coined the phrase "real men don't cry," had never heard, or at least truly understood, the gospel message.
This may or may not come as a surprise to those of you who know me, but as I sat in the church service this morning as we prepared for communion, I cried. What caused it? The reminder that after Jesus had been brutally scourged, humiliated, and nailed to the Cross, he bore the weight of all of MY sins, and the sins of the whole world. As the sins of the world descended on him, he cried out Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani? My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? For the first time in all eternity, Jesus Christ was separated from God the Father. Yes, he was physically separated from God when he was on earth, in that he was here and God was in heaven, but I believe he still daily, perhaps even constantly, heard God's voice and could talk to him. When the sins of the world came upon him, God the Father turned his back on his one and only begotten son, and for the first time in all eternity Christ could not hear his Father's voice. What a crushing feeling that must have been, to be totally and utterly separated from God, and yet Christ did it obediently, not loving his life, but obediently laying it down for his enemies. When I hear that Jesus Christ took my sins - my horrible, numerous sins - upon himself, I weep.
Great is our God, who willingly went to the cross with our sins. May his name be glorified forever and above all things, Amen.
Your Brother in Christ,
Joe
