This is the 12th post in my series "Asking Myself," in which I weekly ponder one question posed in Teresa Blythe's rich book, 50 Ways to Pray. You can find the start of the series here and last week's post here. The first nine posts focused on theological musings, while post 10 to now prayerfully consider the specific questions Jesus posed in the New Testament.
Q: "My God, My God! Why have You forsaken Me?" (Mark 15:34)
This question comes just in time for Easter. I'm still trying to figure out how to celebrate Jesus' death and resurrection with my kids... but I'm certain I don't want their prevailing impression to always be eggs and bunnies. When they are ready, I want them to wrestle with tough questions, like this one.
The tone and theme of the question suggests the asker's deepest trust has been shaken and his deepest love has been severed. A premature twilight has passed over the fiery passion of Jesus' soul.
It's difficult to "Ask Myself" this question because I've not felt anything remotely like the agony Jesus must have at the moment he no longer beheld the cloudless face of God the Father guiding him, smiling upon him. No longer feeling the intimacy of being One. I'm not saying the Triune God ceased to be One, but, in that moment in time, in a very real sense, Father and Son were separated. I think it's safe to say there's some mystery here.
Make that an awful, blinding mystery that stung like the drops of blood drawn from a thorn-pierced brow and nail-pierced hands. A disorienting, nauseating, numbing swirl of mystery as consciousness was fading in and out. Jesus knew it would happen. But did he fully know—do any of us humans, ever fully know before we experience?
My God! My God! Why have you forsaken me?