God the Father, who could have helped in Gethsemane, did not lift a finger on behalf of His condemned Son? To really consider our disappointment with God we must consider Gethsemane, the place of Jesus arrest, Pilate's palace, the place of Jesus trial and Calvary, the place of Jesus execution.
GETHSEMANE - Jesus is praying in a quiet, cool grove of olive trees. Everything in the garden seemed peaceful but outside Satan was on the prowl. One disciple turned traitor, and a large mob with swords and clubs was heading for Gethsemane. Jesus describes what is taking place when He says, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death." Jesus resolved Himself to come to live in the world of skin and blood and tissue and He would also die by its rules. Was it easy? You fall face down in prayer on the ground and sweat drops of blood. Yet God stayed silent.
PILATE"S PALACE - "Prophesy!" some cried, taunting Him with a challenge toward performing a miracle. The Son of God did not resist as fists fell on His blindfolded face and their spit ran down His beard. In the most literal way, God - in Jesus - had His hands tied.
CALVARY - We've seen it over and over at almost every church on every Easter. Yet do we really get the picture? Think for a moment about a time when you staked everything on what you thought was within God's power. Recovery from cancer. The birth of a healthy baby. A marriage restored. But... everything went wrong. The person did not recover but died from the cancer. The baby was not born healthy but with brain damage or was not born at all. The divorce papers were delivered instead of restoration.
Everyone wants a miracle. Pilate, Herod, the woman who followed Jesus all the way to Galilee, the disciples, a dying thief, the crowd gathered at the cross, Richard, and Ed. But there was no rescue, no miracle and thus is the case today for many. Jesus cried, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?" This seems to be the ultimate cry of disappointment. God seemed to let all that was wrong triumph over all that was right.
BUT THEN - The Resurrection! An opportunity missed? You would have thought that God would be vindicated and the problem of disappointment would be put to rest for eternity. If Jesus would have appeared to Pilate, that would have proven to them who Jesus was and that God was real. But instead, we see that of the dozen or so appearances after the Resurrection all were to people who already believed. Not one single unbeliever saw Jesus after His death.
The cross is the most public event of Jesus life. Large crowds watched every detail, history recorded it through all four men who wrote the Gospels. The scene at the cross reveals the difference between a God who proves Himself through power and One who proves Himself through love. Seem like a contradiction? Roman gods enforced worship. Jews were slaughtered for not bowing down to Caesar, Jesus never forced anyone to believe Him. Jesus preffered to act by appeal, drawing people out of themselves and toward Him.
Paul said, "If God be for us, then who can be against us?" I don't think we come close to understanding the love of a God who did not spare His own Sons life. As a father or mother we would have done something... wouldn't we? Love today is just a weak, lack luster word to be used and abused by a people who would not lay down or give up much of anything when it really comes down to it. Perhaps this is the root of the problem in being disappointed with God. Love in this world apparently looks a whole lot different than love in His kingdom. I would not lay down my life for a stranger who lives on the streets. And the sad part is that I almost feel like that's ok because who else would? My perceptions of love have been shapped by my life history. I have an issue with people who tell me they love me and yet they don't call or visit me other than when a church meeting brings us together. The words "I love you" are reserved for special people in my life? And when I speak them out I accept responsibility for actions that coincide with them. Yet... Jesus poured out His love on all mankind. Reserved..... poured out? Reserved.... poured ot?
Jesus says, "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends." Jesus was referring to us, as His friends. What appears to be God's unwillingness to move on His Sons behalf was in fact moving in the most dramatic way on our behalf. Sacrifice! Sacrifice...... SELAH (pause and think on that)
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