The Forsaken Christ

Mark 15:33-34

The first three statements on the cross does not

surprise us – sabi Niya nung una, “Father, forgive them for
they know not what they do”. (Luke 23:34) Tinuro niya ang
pagpapatawad sa mga disciples, sa mga tao, and in that
moment, we know He came to bring forgiveness, so that
statement does not surprise us. Nung kausap Niya yung
magnanakaw sa right side, He said “To day shalt thou be
with me in paradise” (v. 43) Hindi ito surprise sa atin, dahil
alam natin yung dahilan ng pagbaba Niya sa lupa, which is to
forgive us, save us, so that one day, we could be with Him in
Heaven. The third statement “Woman, behold thy son,
behold thy mother” ay hindi rin bago sa atin, dahil alam natin,
the Lord obeyed the Law, the fifth commandment tells us to
“Honour thy mother and thy mother”, and He certainly did that
His whole life, and even at that moment, in His death. So,
these first three statements does not surprise us. But what
surprise us is the fourth statement – “My God, My God, why
hast thou forsaken me?”
Some years ago, sa bansang Bangladesh, which most
of us do not know, ay nagkaroon ng isang matinding bagyo.
There were 125,000 people that are dead, and millions of
people na nawalan ng bahay. Bangladesh is one of the
poorest countries in the world, and sa panahong yun, there
was death, disease and starvation, we can imagine the
country saying “Why has God forsaken us?
In that same country, there is a hospital with a little girl
na may cancer – a case that is new kung saan kahit yung
doctors ay nagdodoubt na itong batang to ay magtatagal pa.
Yung nanay ng batang ito, sinusubukan maging matapang,
pero sa kanyang puso, sa mga salitang hindi niya mabanggit,
sinasabi niya “Why has God forsaken us?”
 In that same city, may isang nanay na maaga na
namang gigising at 5:30 AM. Bumangon, nagbihis, nagluto.
Yung apat niyang anak, tulog pa. At 7AM, sabay-sabay silang
aalis, siya sa trabaho, yung mga anak niya sa school. Lilipas
ang oras, babalik silang lahat sa bahay yung mga anak,
maglalaro, yung nanay, tuloy sa gawaing-bahay, magluluto,
mag-aasikaso ng anak, matutulog na mag-isa. Iniwan siya ng
kaniyang asawa 2 years ago. Maya-maya lang, 5:30 na
naman. Alone with her thoughts, she looks back at her
situation and asks “Why has God forsaken me?”
Not too far away from that place, may isang lalaki na
nasa trabaho, doing the same job over and over again,
pinatawag ng kaniyang boss bago matapos ang oras ng
trabaho. Sabi ng boss niya “May masama akong balita sayo”.
Just like that, it was all over. 16 years, 4 months, and 3 days
– it was over, and all he had was that envelope. Paano niya
ipapaliwanag sa asawa niya, sa mga anak niya, sa mga
gastusin niya, and in an angry voice, he cries out to God –
“Why have you forsaken me?”
We all have different situations, circumstances, where
we shout, cry out to God, and ask Him “Panginoon, bakit niyo
ako pinabayaan?” – yet we don’t realize and remember, these
are the same words spoken by Jesus Christ on the cross –
“My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” It is a crucial
statement showing how Jesus Christ was really suffering on
the cross. We can see that it was…

I. A Time of Desperation
It was Wednesday in Jerusalem, another hot April day.
It was the day kung saan Jesus Christ will die. Yung balita ay
kumalat na sa bawat sulok ng city.
a. The Jews were desperate to crucify Him
There were several trials na pinagdaanan ng
Panginoon – trial with the religious court, and before the
Roman court. He was tried before Caiaphas – charged
with blasphemy, claiming to be the Son of God, the
Messiah. The trials before the Jewish authorities (religious
trials) showed the degree to which the Jewish leaders
hated Him because they disregarded many of their own
laws.
(1) No trial was to be held during feast time. (Feast of
the Passover)
(2) Each member of the court was to vote individually
to convict or acquit, but Jesus was convicted by
acclamation.
(3) If the death penalty was given, a night must pass
before the sentence was carried out; however, only
a few hours passed before Jesus was placed on the
Cross.
(4) The Jews had no authority to execute anyone.
(5) No trial was to be held at night, but this trial was
held before dawn.
(6) The accused was to be given counsel or
representation, but Jesus had none.
(7) The accused was not to be asked self-incriminating
questions, but Jesus was asked if He was the
Christ.
We can see how badly the Jews wanted Jesus to
be crucified. The trials before the Roman authorities
started with Pilate (John 18:23) after Jesus was beaten.
Yung mga charges na prinesent sa Kaniya were very
different from the charges in His religious trials. He was
charged with inciting people to riot, forbidding the people
to pay their taxes, and claiming to be King. Walang
nahanap na kamalian sa Kaniya si Pilate kaya pinadala
 Niya kay Herod (Luke 23:7). Si Herod pinahiya,
pinagtawanan ang Panginoon, pero sa kagustuhang
umiwas sa politika, pinabalik niya kay Pilate. (Luke 23:11–
12Ito yung huling trial na pinagdaanan ni Jesus, sa last
attempt ni Pilate na i-appease yung Jewish leaders sa
pamamagitan ng pag-scourge kay Jesus. The Roman
scourge was a terrible whipping designed to remove the
flesh from the back of the one being punished. Sa
kaniyang last effort na palayain si Jesus, Pilate made them
choose between Barrabas and Jesus, but to no avail. The
crowds called for Barabbas to be released and Jesus to
be crucified. Pilate granted their demand and surrendered
Jesus to their will (Luke 23:25). The trials of Jesus
represent the ultimate mockery of justice. Jesus, ang
pinakainosenteng tao, was found guilty of crimes and
sentenced to death by crucifixion.
b. Some people were desperate to be with Him
Yung malefactor sa kanan ni Jesus ay gustong
maalala siya ng Panginoon sa Kaniyang kingdom, and we
know what Jesus said, hindi lang basta remembrance ang
gagawin sa Kaniya, kundi, kakasamahin siya ni Hesus sa
Paraiso. That’s why it’s the most perfect example na hindi
natin kailangan ng gawa, gaya ng sinasabi ng iba, para
maligtas. What we call the Lordship Salvation. Hindi ito
totoo.
The Daughters of Jerusalem (Luke 23:28) were
also desperate to be with Him even on His last moments.
Sinundan nila ang Panginoon habang dala-dala Niya yung
Krus, hindi sila natakot sa consequences na maaaring
harapin nila dahil ina-identify nila yung kanilang sarili kay
Hesus. Although kung iisipin, siguro sila yung nandun, at
yung mga disciples nagpulasan, dahil bilang mga babae,
hindi nila makukuha yung same persecution na ibibigay
dun sa mga lalaki. But still, they were there, crying for
 Jesus. But Jesus said: “Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not
for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children”.
This is in relation sa mga mangyayaring kahindik-hindik sa
Israel dahil sa kagagawan ng Jewish religious leaders.
This is a prophecy.
c. Jesus was desperately crying to His Father
The cry and pain of Jesus on the cross were real.
Ang Panginoon ay ipinako ng alas-9 ng umaga ng
Miyerkules. The Romans were punctual about things like
that. Yung mga tao nagkukumpulan, maingay, magulo, as
if there was some kind of athletic event. Yung iba nagc-
heer, yung iba tumatawa, yung iba sumisigaw, yung iba
siguro nagpupustahan kung gaano tatagal yung mga
nakapako bago sila mamatay
But this man at the middle looks like He won’t last
long. Binugbog na siya nang Malala, andun din yung
scourging from soldiers – not just soldiers, but huge
soldiers. Yung balat Niya, gutay-gutay na kita na yung
laman, yung mukha Niya, di na makilala, yung mata Niya
maga, buong katawan Niya puro dugo.
This man was saying something like “Father,
forgive them”, then He spoke something about a paradise,
then He said something about a mother and a Son, and
finally, tanghaling tapat, there was “darkness over the
whole land” (v.33). It was sudden, kani-kanina lang
sobrang titik ng araw, biglang dilim. It was not an eclipse
nor a dark cloud. It was darkness itself. It lasted for three
long hours. 1PM – madilim, 2PM – still dark, and at 3PM,
it disappeared.
All eyes were focused on the center cross as Jesus
said “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” What
do these words mean? Was it because of his physical
suffering? Dahil ba ito sa emotional pain na nararanasan
 Niya? I believe, hindi natin ito fully maiintindihan until we
see that Jesus was truly forsaken by God, in that black
moment on the cross, God the Father turned His back on
God the Son. It was, as a writer said, God forsaking God.
Totoo, hindi natin completely maiintinidihan ang mga salit
ni Hesus nay un, but anything less than that explanation
does not do justice to Jesus’ words.
The word ‘forsaken’ is very strong. It means to abandon,
to desert, to disown, to turn away from, to utterly forsake.
Please understand, na nung sinabi ni Jesus Christ “Why
hast thou forsaken me?”, hindi ito dahil feeling niya lang
na He was forsaken, hindi! He said it because He was
forsaken. Literally, truly and actually, God the Father
abandoned His own Son.
In English phrase, “God-forsaken” usually refers to some
deserted, barren land. Kumbaga, nagdedescribe ito ng
lugar na mukhang unfit para tirhan ng tao. Pero hindi natin
talaga ibig-sabihin na ito ay “God-forsaken” even though
yun yung term natin. But it was true to Jesus. He was the
first and only God-forsaken person in all history. Now why
did this happen? Not just because it was a time of
desperation, it was also

II. A Time of Duty

As we can notice, this is the only time Jesus addressed God
as “My God”. Everywhere else, He called Him “Father”. Pero
ditto, sinabi NIya, “My God”, because the Father-Son
relationship was broken at that moment.
a. It was the Father’s duty
Kung tatanungin natin yung mga tatay ditto sa atin ngayon,
what is the chief duty of a Father? Isn’t it to take care of
his children? SIguraduhin na yung mga anak natin ay hindi
nagsu-suffer? Hindi ba’t gagawin natin ang makakaya
natin in our own power to spare them from pain that this
world has to offer? Hindi ba kaya maituturing na heinous
crime ang child abuse?
Kung tatanungin ko kayo, ano ang magiging dahilan para
ang isang ama ay i-forsake niya ang kaniyang anak? Can
any of us give one reason? Hindi ba, wala? Kahit gaano
kasuwail, kahit gaano kasama, kawalang-hiya, we will
never forsake our sons! Kahit ako na wala pang anak, I
can’t find any reason why I would forsake my son.
But that is what God did when Jesus died on the cross. He
abandoned Hid own Son. Tinalikuran Niya, dinisown Niya,
He rejected the One who was called His “only begotten
Son”. We may not understand that, and it is certain na
hindi natin maiintindihan yun, pero yun ang ibig sabihin ng
mga salitang yun.
That brings us to this great question: Bakit gagawin ng
Ama yun? Something must have happened that day na
nag-cause sa pag-iba ng relasyon ng Ama sa Kaniyang
Anak. Something must have happened noon si Hesus ay
nakapako doon sa Krus na hindi pa nangyayari before.
At that very moment, dala-dala ni Hesus lahat ng
kasalanan ng mundo. During those three hours of
darkness and even after that, dala ni Hesus ang buong
bigat ng kasalanan. Lahat ng yun ay nagging Kaniya. That
caused the Father to look away from His Son. He can
never look at Sin. Sabi sa Habakkuk 1:13 “Thou art of
purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on
iniquity:” Yung holiness ng Diyos, kailanman ay hindi
lilingon sa kasalanan. Therefore, when God looked down
and saw His Son dala-dala ang lahat ng kasalanan ng
mundo, hindi yung Kaniyang anak ang Kaniyang nakita.
Instead, He saw you. He saw me. He saw the sin that
Jesus Christ was bearing, and in that very moment, He
turned away. Hindi dahil galit Siya sa Kaniyang Anak. He
 loved His Son as much at that moment as he ever had.
Pero in that moment, tinalikuran Niya ang Kaniyang anak
in anger sa lahat ng kasalanan na pasan-pasan ng
Kaniyang Anak doon sa krus.
When He did that, Jesus was alone. Completely forsaken.
God-forsaken. Abandoned. Deserted. Disowned.
Meron tayong inaawit na “Ten Thousand Angels”. Itong
awit na to speaks of how Jesus, by virtue of being the Son
of God, kaya Niyang tumawag ng 10,000 angels to rescue
Him from the cross. He didn’t do that, sa end ng chorus ng
awit na ito, sabi “But He died alone for you and me”
Totoo. Nung dala-dala ng Panginoong Hesus ang
kasalanan ng mundo, He bore them all alone. Not only did
the Father fulfill His duty, but also Jesus, His Only begotten
b. It was the Son’s duty
He became sin for us.
2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us,
who knew no sin; that we might be made the
righteousness of God in him. – The sinless One was made
sin for us. When God looked down that day, He saw – not
His sinless Son – but sin itself.
Galatians 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of
the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed
is every one that hangeth on a tree: - Think of it. Nung si
Jesus Christ ay na-baptize, the voice from heaven said
“This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased”, pero
sa pagkakataong yun, the beloved Son became a curse
for us.
Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have
turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on
him the iniquity of us all. – Lahat ng ating kasalanan,
karumihan, hatred – all of it was laid on Him.
 In that moment, the Son of God made complete
identification with sinners. Jesus became a curse for us.
He died in our place. All of our sins were laid on Him. And
it was for that reason-and only for that reason- that the
Father had forsaken His beloved Son. It was for you and
me.
Imagine the deepest and widest ocean in the world. Isipin
natin na bawat drop ng tubig nun ay kasalanan natin. Now
imagine that while Jesus was on the cross. That vast
ocean ay binuhos sa Kaniya. Unending, Yung flow ay hindi
tumitigil. Kasula-sulasok. Kahindik-hindik. Katakot-takot
na daming kasalanan. When God looked down on His
Son, He saw that vast ocean emptied on His head. Sinong
kayang tumingin doon?
Lahat ng kalaswaan ng mundo. Lahat ng broken promises.
Lahat ng murder. Lahat ng hatred, pagnanakaw, adultery,
pornography, kalasingan, bitternedd, greed, gluttony, drug
abuse, crime, lahat ng pagmumura. Lahat ng kasakiman,
masamang kaisipan, imagination – lahat ng yun was laid
upon Jesus when He hung on that cross. It was…

III. A Time of Deliverance

There are two things na aking na-realize sa mensaheng ito
ng Panginoon.
1. We must never minimize the horror of human sin.
Sometimes, tinatawanan natin ang kasalanan.
Sasabihin pa natin “Yung kaaway kasi eh, si Satanas
kasi eh” as if it was something to joke about. Pero yung
kasalanan natin na minsang tinatawanan natin, it was
that sin na dala-dala ni Hesus sa Krus noong araw nay
un. It was that sin that caused the Fathe to turn away
from His Son. He became a curse at tayo ang dahilan.
Let us never joke about sin.
 2. We must never minimize the awful cost of our
salvation.
Posibleng may mga Kristiyanong sumasakit na ang
tenga sa pakikinig ptungkol sa Cross. Yung iba, ang
gusto na lang mapakinggan ay yung mga blessing,
mga encouragement, mga bagay na masasaya. But
without the awful pain Jesus suffered on the cross,
wala tayong pag-uusapang masaya. Without the cross,
there would be no forgiveness. Without the cross, there
would be no salvation. Without the cross, we would be
lost forever. Without the cross, our sins would still be
upon us. It costs Christ to redeem us. Huwag nating
maliitin kung ano ang ginawa ng Panginoon.
There is a story about a father na namatayan g anak sa isang
tragic na aksidente. Sa kanyang galit at paghihinagpis,
pumunta siya sa Pastor niya, at itinanong niya “Nasan ang
Diyos nung namatay yung anak ko?” Di agad nakasagot yung
pastor, pero maya-maya sabi niya, “Nandun, sa parehong
lugar nung namatay ang anak Niya”
The cry of Jesus on the cross is for all the lonely people in the
world. It is for the abandoned child… para sa mga
nabyuda/byudo… para sa mga iniwan ng asawa… para dun
sa nanay kanina na may anak na may malubhang sakit… dun
sa tatay na nawalan ng trabaho… sa mga iniwan ng
kaibigan… The word from the cross is for you. No one has
ever been alone as Jesus was. Hinding-hindi ka kailanman
mafo-forsake gaya ng nangyari kay Jesus. Walang iyak at
hinagpis ang mas hihigit sa sakit na naranasan ng Panginoon
noong tinalikuran SIya ng Ama sa Krus. Salamat sa
Panginoon at dinanas Niya yun para sa akin, para sayo.
He was forsaken that you might never be forsaken
He was abandoned that you might never be abandoned
He was forgotten that you might never be forgotten
And most importantly…
He died so you wouldn’t have to.
Kung ikaw ay mapupunta pa sa impiyerno, wala ka nang
ibang dapat sisihin kundi sarili mo. He already did the
punishment you deserve. Siya na yung gumawa nun para
sayo. Siyan a yung dumanas ng hirap para sayo. SIya na
yung nagbayad ng kasalanan para sayo. Kaya kung sa
impiyerno ka pa rin mapunta, wag mong isisi kay Jesus Christ.
Hindi niya kasalanan.
What’s the worst thing about hell? Hindi yung apoy. Hindi
yung memory of your past, hindi yung darkness. The worst
thing about hell is that – It is the one place where people are
utterly and forever forsaken by God. Ito yung totoong God-
forsaken place. That is the hell of hell – to be in a place where
God has abandoned you for all eternity. That’s the bad news.
The good news is this – Hindi mo na kailangang pumunta
doon. Jesus has already paid for your sins. He died 2,000
years ago so you wouldn’t have to go. He died a sinner’s
death and took a sinner’s punishment so that guilty sinners
like you and me could be eternally forgiven.
Naw ay hindi po natin makalimutan ang paghihirap ng
Panginoon sa Krus para sa bawat isa sa atin.