We pray that God will make the death and resurrection of Jesus real to you. We pray that you will not stumble at this message of his resurrection from the dead, and that you will understand the importance of this spiritual and historical fact.
WHAT DID JESUS FEEL ON THE CROSS?
Some people believe that when Jesus said, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me” while on the cross, it showed that he did not want to die. They say he was confused about such a death. This is not right. If you know the writings of the prophets very well, you will see that Jesus was using the Psalms (Zabur) of Prophet David. In his cry about being forsaken, Jesus quoted from Psalm 22. That Psalm was where the prophet David foretold many details about Jesus’ death. It showed the great pain Jesus would feel. Yet, after the part about Jesus suffering and crying to God, that Psalm also gives the rest of the story. It foretells how God would deliver Jesus from the hold of death. Here is the happy part that shows the wonderful result of Jesus’ time of suffering: That psalm, which begins, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me,” ends with these words:
I will declare your name to my brothers; in the congregation I will praise you. You, who fear the LORD, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel! For he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help.… The poor will eat and be satisfied; they who seek the LORD will praise him—may your hearts live forever! All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him…. Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord. They will proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn—for he has done it. Psalm 22.22-31
So if we read all of the prophecy, the full message is clear. Jesus was quoting from Psalm 22 to show its fulfillment in his death and resurrection. He knew exactly why he was suffering, and he believed that his death and resurrection were the will of God.
HIS DEATH IS A VICTORY
We must clearly understand that after Jesus’ resurrection the followers of Jesus Christ did not see his death as a defeat in any way. His death was the way for him to defeat the power of sin through his resurrection and endless life. To worldly people, death is a defeat, but to Jesus it was his way to victory over death. Jesus could not show his true power over death without dying, then coming back to life. We do not follow a dead prophet, but a living King. He overcame death and sin in the world to show the power of God and the holiness of his message.