Sidney UMC - Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost - 10/10/21 - Sermon - “Why Did Jesus Say This?”

Sunday 10/10/21 - Sidney UMC

Sermon Title:             “Why Did Jesus Say This?”                     

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 22:1-15                                     

New Testament Scripture: Hebrews 4:12-16

Gospel Lesson: Mark 10:17-31

          I remember one day when I pastored in the Finger Lakes region of New York, a young married man came into one of the churches that I was serving at the time. This young man also came to church periodically, as well. On this day, this young man seemed a little distressed and a little downtrodden. I got him a cup of coffee and we conversed about the usual pleasantries. After this I then asked him why he came to see me. He said, “Well Pastor Paul, my wife and I got into a big argument on Friday night.” I said, “Oh no, why do you think that happened?” He then said, “Well I had a long stressful week and work, I was tired and hungry, and I guess something little and stupid just got me really upset. Normally it would not get me upset, but this thing did, and I got mad.” He then said, “When I got mad, my wife got defensive and mad, we didn’t talk to each other until the next morning.” In continuing on in this conversation, he then said, “My wife and I talked on Saturday morning, and she forgave me. I still feel bad that it happened though. Sometimes Pastor Paul, as hard as I try, I just continue to mess up sometimes.”

          How many of us here, can ever say that we ever did something just like this? Anyone here every get mad at your wife or your husband, or someone else, and then realize that you were in the wrong? I know that I have done it, and Melissa has done it. I purposely left names out of the example of this couple for this morning, but this young husband wanted the secret of this never ever happening to him again from me. I reminded him that we are all called to surrender our lives to Christ every day, and the hope is that we continue to become holier and more righteous, as we walk with Christ and live out our faith. I then told him, “If you have found that something like this has happened 50% less a year from now, then you are growing in grace, holiness, and righteousness”. I then told him the scripture that I am preaching on this morning.

          This scripture from Psalm 22:1 was uttered in part by Jesus in Matthew 27:46, and in the gospel of Mark 15:34. As a point of reference Jesus speaks what is in Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34 shortly before he dies. Well, what does Jesus say in Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34? Let me give you Matthew 27:46. It says once again:

⁴⁶ And about three o’clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”                (Mt. 27:46, NRSV).

          I told this young husband who got angry with his wife and had an argument with her that this is what Jesus said shortly before he died on the cross on Good Friday. I then told him that the scripture that I am preaching on this morning from Psalm 22:1-2 says once again:

¹ My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning? ² O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer; and by night, but find no rest (Ps. 22:1-2, NRSV).

          So, Jesus in Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34 looks up when he is on the cross and asks God the Father, why he had forsaken him. In Psalm 22 for this morning, once again, the portion of Psalm 22 that we are given is one of lament. The end of Psalm 22:23-31 is a song of praise, as the Psalmist feels reconnected to God. In the portion of Psalm 22 that we are given this morning though, the Psalmist or King David feels that God has abandoned him.

          I told this young husband, “Isn’t interesting that Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, our Lord, the second person of the Holy Trinity, would say this in the gospel of Matthew and Mark shortly before he died:

“Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”      (Mt. 27:46b, NRSV).

          I then asked this young husband this question, which is also my sermon title for this morning. The question I asked this young husband was, “Why did Jesus say this? The young husband said, “Well maybe Jesus lost faith?” I then said, “But how can this be if Jesus was God on earth? How can God lose faith?” The young husband then said, “Well Pastor Paul, I have no idea then, “Why did Jesus say this?”

          I said to him the easiest answer is this, a righteous man suffered injustice (Africa Bible Commentary, pg. 1194). The young husband said, “Well what does that mean?” I said, “When Jesus was on earth, he was fully God and fully human, and this meant that he felt, he hurt, and he suffered just like we do. Can you imagine how exhausted, how in pain, and how beat down Jesus must have felt just before dying on his cross?” The young husband said, “Well of course, I can only imagine.”

          I then asked the young husband, “And how tired, how hurt, and how over extended did feel when you got home this past Friday night?” He said, “Like I was at the end of my rope!” I then said, “When Jesus was on the cross in the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Mark, he literally had the weight of the sin the world on his shoulders. The human part of him was so overwhelmed that even Jesus our Lord for a moment felt distant from God the Father. So much so in fact, that he cried out to him and as he did not feel his presence. The sacrifice of Christ on the cross was so overwhelming that the human part of the Jesus for a moment, just a moment, felt abandoned.”

          I then said, “Jesus was bleeding, scourged, mocked, most of his friends ran, and he was ready to die for us.” I told the young husband, I do not think any of us can ever say that we went through what Jesus went through, but sometimes we feel like you said, “Like we are at the end of our rope!” Sometimes in those moments we cry out.

          At this point the young husband understood what I meant, and how this connected to him getting mad and picking an argument with his wife. I then told him, “brother every day when we wake up, we must recommit our lives to Christ, we must pray, read scripture, and try our best to take care of ourselves. We are human, and on the day that Jesus died for us, the human part of him was so beat down, that he felt abandoned, just for a moment, by God the Father.”

          This young husband was actually really encouraged by the scriptural comparisons and examples that I gave to him. While he still lost his temper after this sometimes, as we all do, he told me later that God was helping him to control it better. When he felt himself getting mad, he would remember what Jesus said on the cross. Maybe he would realize that he was grumpy because he had a tough day or week, because he was hungry, or because of something else. Instead of getting mad at his wife, he would try to address and care for what he was struggling with. Further, he would allow his wife to love him, and his wife would allow him to love her.

          Again friends, I am 100% confident that what I just described with the young husband, is probably something that we have all done. Has anyone ever done anything like this? Hopefully not on the way to church this morning! Does it mean that mean that we are failures as Christians? No, it means that our bodies can be weak and frail. We as human can be weak and frail, and sometimes we can react negatively to these realities.

          The Apostle Paul pulls no punches in our Book of Hebrews reading for this morning in 4:12-14 when he says:

¹² Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. ¹³ And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account                        (Heb. 4:12-14, NRSV).

          The scriptures can be direct, sharp, and sometimes they pull no punches. You see, it is not that most of want to sin, it is that we are human. As humans we need the grace of God in Jesus Christ. We do not need this grace just once when we come to believe in Jesus Christ either, we need it continually, and every day. The reality then, is that all of us have said in some form or fashion what Jesus said from Psalm 22:1 this morning. Maybe some of us have said this to God, and maybe some of us have said it to others. Imagine if you were to say, “My friend, my friend, why have you forsaken me?” Or “My child my child, why have you forsaken me?” we have all done this in one way or another.

          In looking briefly at our gospel of Mark reading for this morning, we have what is commonly known as “The Parable of the Rich Man.” Once again, this gospel reading says of Jesus starting in 10:17:

¹⁷ As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” ¹⁸ Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. ¹⁹ You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.’” ²⁰ He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” ²¹ Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” ²² When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions (Mk. 10:17-22, NRSV).

          After this the gospel then picks up in 10:23 saying:

²³ Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” ²⁴ And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵ It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” ²⁶ They were greatly astounded and said to one another, “Then who can be saved?” ²⁷ Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible” (Mk. 10:23-27, NRSV). 

          You see, earthly wealth is not against God, but putting earthly wealth before God, and being greedy is against God. If you accumulate some earthly wealth and possessions, there is nothing wrong with this if your generous and if you understand that what you have is Gods. We are essentially managing what God has entrusted us with.

Further, Jesus tells us once again that we as mortals cannot be like God by ourselves, but that with God all things are possible. Through Christ we can be saved, we can do better and be better, for a world that desperately needs it. Jesus then tells us once again that we will be rewarded for serving and following him. We will have earthly rewards of all different kinds, and many heavenly rewards. This being said, Jesus reminds us to be humble, in that whoever is first, will be last, and whoever is last will be first.

In summing all of this up then, why did Jesus in the gospel of Matthew and Mark quote Psalm 22:1 for this morning? Jesus did this, because the human part of him bore the weight of the sins of the world, and this was so much that the human part of Jesus, even Jesus, for a moment, just a moment, felt disconnected from God the Father. This is why Jesus said this. Amen.