Plan 'A' - Annie Sherwin

Something came to my attention that you may already have seen yourself.

At Jesus's crucification in His last moment's it says in

Matthew 27:46 - About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” ).

I've always thought that this was all about Jesus feeling the separation from the Father, being in extreme agony and carrying the weight of our sins before his death which is extreme and gruelling by itself, but then I realised that at that time he was surrounded by the religious leaders and many others who had rejected Him and they all would've known the scriptures well.

As soon as they heard this cry, their thoughts would have gone to a psalm of David

Psalm 22:1 - My God my God why have you forsaken me?

In verse 3 it says: Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the one Israel praises. In you our ancestors put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. To you they cried out and were saved; in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

I highly recommend you read the whole psalm, but in verse 27 onwards is says:

The whole earth will acknowledge the Lord and return to him. All the families of the nations will bow down before him. For royal power belongs to the Lord. He rules all the nations. Let the rich of the earth feast and worship. Bow before him, all who are mortal, all whose lives will end as dust. Our children will also serve him. Future generations will hear about the wonders of the Lord. His righteous acts will be told to those not yet born.They will hear about everything he has done.

In those last moments when Jesus took His last breath He was still quoting scripture, declaring who He was and why He had come, directing people to the Father.

Matthew 27:54 - The Roman officer and the other soldiers at the crucifixion were terrified by the earthquake and all that had happened. They said, “This man truly was the Son of God!”

I have no doubt that they weren't the only ones thinking this at that time and they wouldn't have even known the scriptures.

The challenge I have felt is do my word's, my action's, my life, point and direct people to the Father, all the time.

John 14:6 - Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

This is the truth!

I pray a boldness and a confidence over us all that we can stand up and be a people who believe and declare this truth.

Amen

Church in Caerphilly