During our weekend services on April 11 and 12 we hosted Q&A sessions with Greg Boyd and Paul Eddy. We included all three services, so enjoy listening to ALL the answers.
During our weekend services on April 11 and 12 we hosted Q&A sessions with Greg Boyd and Paul Eddy. We included all three services, so enjoy listening to ALL the answers.
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Saturday, 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, 9:00 a.m.
Sunday, 11:00 a.m
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Sermon Series: Mixed Signals
Around 1:25 into the Q&A there is a question along the lines, “ As Christians we are told to see God as a loving Father figure. However, there are many stories in the Bible that make me not see Him as such. How can I love a Father that smites His children?” While I will get to the thread that Paul and Greg took, the answer, at face value is probably an example that Paul gave about letting a child choose whether he plays in a playground or on a free-way. If a parent saw that the child’s behaviour was not in his best interests he may reach the stage of taking ‘stern’ measures, such that the child understands what the parent wants….but this is done out of love for the child’s benefit, not for brutality. Similarly, the Father chastens His children for far more serious transgressions like idolatory etc.
Returning to the answer that Greg was explaining in terms of Jesus on the Cross and being forsaken by the Father, there is an interesting observation. In the crucifixion account in Luke, Jesus says (Lk 23:34) as He was being nailed to the Cross, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” and, at the end of the crucifixion in verse 46, “Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.” However, in Matthew’s gospel (Matt 27) where Jesus’ cry of desolation is recorded, we may have expected to read, ‘My Father! My Father! Why hast thou forsaken me?’ but instead we have in verse 46, “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, la′ma sabach-tha′ni?” that is, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” We see that the cry of anguish from the Cross is that of man, as a son, being forsaken. The separation as man from God is what he experiences in those dark hours. The difficulty is that we must be wary of saying the Son is separated from the Father, but we must insist that as man, as the Son of Man, he was surely separated from God the Holy One.
The forsaken aspect is also interesting where God forsakes the man, Jesus.
In the Garden of Eden we have the situation where man essentially forsook God as a prodigal and left his true Father to live his self-life. Notwithstanding the Fall and the death of the relationship between God and man, God the Father, Creator and Redeemer still provides for mankind. Even today the faithful Creator causes rain to fall on the just and unjust. But this is the situation of man separating from God and not God completely separating from man. In Jesus’ situation we have God separating from man, that led to Jesus’ cry of anguish….one must consider this punishment in relation to the second death where those who are eternally consigned to outer darkness are separated from God.
I get a picture of that moment when Jesus said those words, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”. The picture I imagine is Satan whispering in his ear one last temptation to get off the cross when he is at the epitome of his suffering, “God left you. You’ve done it all for nothing.” And Jesus, in resistance calls, MY God, MY God…insisting on the truth that God is still there, still His, yet feeling the darkness both physically and emotionally surrounding Him. I also think Jesus was determined to do His own will, which was now one with the Father’s–to deliver mankind from death and hell. I think this was the moment He went into that place of desolation and separation from God, Hell, to take the hand of Adam (captives/mankind) and preach the good news, that death is now conquered.
At the same time(and we speak of time but God is an eternal being) the Father God never left or forsook Him.
See Ps. 22, especially verses 1,11, 19-21, 24 and Eph 4:8-10 and I Pet. 3:18-20.
One other thing. When I personally can’t feel God’s presence, I still insist in my being that He is there and cry, “MY God…where are you?” Jesus suffered much worse trial than me, FOR me, so I could cry the same cry as He.
Thanks pastor Greg and Paul. Very refreshing Q&A.