Welcome to episode 4 of the Seven Last Sayings of I AM That I AM. In this episode, we will discuss Jesus’ fourth saying as he died on the cross, paired with His fourth I AM statements of Jesus Christ.
I want to begin this session by reading Matthew 27:33 through 46 in the NSAB
And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means Place of a Skull, 34 they gave Him wine to drink mixed with gall; and after tasting it, He was unwilling to drink. 35 And when they had crucified Him, they divided up His garments among themselves by casting lots. 36 And sitting down, they began to keep watch over Him there. 37 And above His head they put up the charge against Him which read, “THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.” 38 At that time two robbers *were crucified with Him, one on the right and one on the left. 39 And those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him and saying, 42 “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him. 43 “He trusts in God; let God rescue Him now, if He delights in Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ” 44 The robbers who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him with the same words. 45 Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour. 46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
For three hours darkness fell upon the land, then Jesus cried out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? Here it is, Jesus, God the Son, calling on God the Father. Jesus knows the plan, and he knows the reward, yet in this moment of pain, of being beaten, rejected by man, and now rejected by God, it is overwhelming! He releases this pain with one statement, “My God, My God! Why have YOU forsaken ME? Why have you turned away from me? As David wrote in Psalm 22:1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?
When you read the 4th saying of Jesus on the Cross with the 4th I AM statement it reads like this: My God, My God, why have you forsaken me, I am the Good Shepherd… the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. Oh the irony…
Jesus goes on to say, “He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 “He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep. 14 “I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, 15 even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 “I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd. 17 “For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. 18 “No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”
Jesus obeyed the Father to the point of death, physical and spiritual death. So that we would not have to experience spiritual death. Jesus laid down his life for us. He did not abandon us before, at the cross, and he does not abandon us now. Jesus knows us; he spends time with us. He cares for us. God, forsake Jesus the Son for our sake so we could be together for eternity! The son took all of our sins into his own body, and the father had to reject Jesus because of that sin. It wasn’t his sin, it was our sin. Imagine that, imagine assuming all of someone else’s debt, and for the sole purpose of freeing that person, not for any profit of your own. God is incredible in that way; He assumed all of our debt, depleting Himself. It was not that he assumed our debt and remained ‘rich’, NO, he was made poor! Cut off from the father. For that reason, for making himself our sin, for assuming our debt, we have been cleared of all sin. God loves us, He loves Jesus even more for being the Good Shepherd, for laying down his life for us. That makes him the Good Shepherd who was forsaken. The forsaken Good Shepherd.
Join me for the next session when we will discuss Jesus’ 5th statement on the cross I am Thirsty from John 19:28, and his 5th I AM statement I am the Resurrection and the Life from John 11:25.
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