Holiness

"My God, why have you forsaken me?" Mark 15:34.

Jesus, dying, called out to God. Nails in hands, in feet; thorns pressed into his scalp; back torn to shreds from the whip. We like to point out that Jesus' words invoked a Psalm that ends in hope. And there's good counsel in that. We also like to discuss the problem in Trinitarian theology how could God abandon himself (God, the Father, abandoned God, the Son). And that's a fascinating discussion. We also like to consider God's righteous holiness turning away from the sin imputed to Jesus as sin-offering. And that's most mysterious of all. But. What we finally must hear is a man, tortured in extremis, sick at heart, overwhelmed by human evil. A man. A man pleading without hope of changing the will of God. He's hurting. Hurting bad. And it's God's fault. To save us.

Wherever we meet a brother or sister today we meet on holy ground. God draws us to himself through the Son's surrender. Thank you, Father! Thank you, Brother!