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Was Jesus
Separated From The Father? Did Jesus Die
Spiritually?
This topic may be new to some but is understood
by many in the Christian faith to be a Biblical doctrine. Most Christian
preachers teach that when Jesus was on the cross and said "My God, My
God, why have You forsaken Me" (Matthew 27:46 & Mark 15:34), He was
referring to the fact that God, the Father, turned His back on Jesus because
the sin of the world was laid upon Him. They go on to teach that God cannot
look upon sin and for a moment in time the unity of the Father and Jesus was
separated on the cross. Some teach Jesus being separated from the Father
means Jesus died spiritually, but did Jesus die spiritually?
I will admit that on the surface, this seems to be a
Biblical teaching. However, the more I examine this I cannot accept it nor
condone it. My purpose for this article is to present the error of this
illogical and unbiblical teaching. You may ask, does it really matter? I
will let you decide for yourself on that question. All I ask is that you
consider the information pertaining to this topic and examine it for
yourself.
Jesus said "My God, My God, why have You forsaken
Me?" recorded in Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34. The question is why
did Jesus say this? When Jesus said this, what exactly was He saying and
to whom was he directing this statement? What was going on around Jesus when
He said this? These are questions that give much light to what Jesus said.
In order to understand what Jesus meant I believe it is imperative to read
the Scriptures in context to properly grasp the fulfillment of what was
being stated. The Jews, at that time, were waiting for the Messiah to come
and had their own certain beliefs about who this Messiah would be. In short,
at that time the Jewish people, who were waiting for the Messiah to come,
expected Him to be a great leader and King to deliver them from the Romans.
They were not expecting a suffering Messiah and they rejected Jesus as God's
appointed Messiah and in turn had Him crucified.
Jesus taught from the Old Testament and many times
claimed to be the Messiah to come. When Jesus was on the cross, many
Messianic prophecies were being fulfilled before their very eyes and yet
they did not see it. In Matthew 27:35 it records that they took off His
clothes and cast lots for them. This is a fulfillment of Psalm 22:18
"They divide my garments among them, And for my clothing they cast lots."
Also in Matthew 27:39 it records that those around Him mocked Him and
insulted Him. This is a fulfillment of Psalm 22:7 "All who see me sneer
at me; They separate with the lip, they wag the head, {saying,}." In
Matthew 27:43 the people were saying "He trusted in God, let us see if He
will deliver Him." This is in fulfillment in Psalms 22:8 "Commit
{yourself} to the LORD; let Him deliver him; Let Him rescue him, because He
delights in him." Jewish scholars and Jewish people believed Psalm 22
was Messianic in understanding and prophetic in reference to the coming
Messiah. When Jesus said "My God, My God, why have You forsaken
Me?" He was quoting Psalm 22:1 which is a Messianic Psalm.
Jesus knew exactly what He was quoting to them and He
knew why He was on the cross. They cast lots for His clothes, mocked Him
with insults and were questioning if God would deliver Him. These were
all from Psalm 22 in fulfillment right before their eyes. Jewish
tradition says when a Rabbi quotes the first verse from a chapter, it is in
reference to the whole chapter. In other words, when Jesus quoted
Psalm 22:1, He was referencing the whole chapter and claiming to be the
Messiah of whom they were forsaking and showing them that He would be
delivered. In reading Psalm 22, in it's entirety, it speaks of
deliverance, not destruction. Jesus knew why He came to this earth and what
His purpose was in coming. Reading through the four gospels, Jesus taught
that He came to give His life as a ransom for the people, that He would be
betrayed and on the third day rise again. Jesus knew from where He came,
what was going to happen and where He was going. When He quoted Psalm 22:1,
He was telling them that He would be delivered and that He was their
Messiah! He was not stating that the Father turned His back on Him.
The following paragraphs will show that Jesus was not
separated from the Father on the cross. I will provide Scripture references
as proof and will also examine the other view and show reasons why it is
wrong to teach that there was a separation on the cross.
Isaiah 59:2 is used in reference to believe that God
the Father turned His back on Jesus and they were separated. It says "But
your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your
sins have hidden {His} face from you so that He does not hear." This
does not mean that God forsook them completely or that they were rejected!
Those who teach Christ was separated from the Father because of the sin laid
upon Him, use this verse as proof. But what about Adam and Eve? They had
perfect fellowship with God in the beginning but sinned later and caused a
separation but not a rejection. Their sin did a separation but God always
cared for them, loved them and did not forsake them. This portion of
scripture is dealing with man's rebellion to God and in turn God says,
through Isaiah, that their wicked actions have caused a division between
them. Again it is true that sin can not be in the presence of God, in
heaven, not on earth! God, throughout the Bible, says that we are to turn
from our wicked ways and repent and He will forgive us. Sin has always
been present in this world since the fall of Adam and Eve, but God has
always been in the midst of His creation. He was active in many peoples'
lives in the Old Testament, even dwelling among them in clouds and His
presence in the tabernacle. God made Himself known to people, even appearing
in some type of physical form to certain individuals and groups of people.
They all were sinners and God was in their midst and He did not forsake
them. God is Holy and just and He does bring judgment upon sin. Consider
2 Chronicles 7:14 "...and My people who are called by My name humble
themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I
will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land."
This is the very heart of God, even in the midst of sinners.
Therefore, Isaiah 59:2 does not apply to what Jesus
performed on the cross, for even though Jesus never sinned, the sins of the
world were laid upon Him. But that does not mean the Father forsook Him,
rather what Jesus did is give His life as an offering to God for the sins of
the world, like the High Priest would in reference to making atonement for
sins. Isaiah 53:10 says "But the LORD was pleased To crush Him,
putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He
will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of
the LORD will prosper in His hand." Isaiah 53:12 says "...Because He
poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He
Himself bore the sin of the many, And interceded for the transgressors."
2 Corinthians 5:21 "He made Him who knew no sin {to
be} sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in
Him." There are those who say that this means Jesus became literal sin,
wherefore He took our sin and paid the price we deserved and was separated
from the Father. Again, Jesus was never separated from the Father. What
exactly did Jesus' death do for mankind by sacrificing His life on the
cross? The Bible states that Jesus is our Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7)
who shed His blood to make atonement and to bridge the gap from man to God.
John, the Baptist, said "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of
the world." (John 1:29) John, the Apostle, wrote "and He Himself is
our propitiation for our sins and not for ours only, but also for those of
the whole world." (1 John 2:2) Peter writes that we have been redeemed,
"but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the
blood of Christ." (1 Peter 1:19) Throughout he New Testament, Christ is
called the Lamb of God, our sacrifice, and it is He who fulfilled the
Messianic prophecies pertaining to a suffering Messiah. In Isaiah 53, is
shows where Jesus fulfilled the requirements by the Law to satisfy God as an
offering to reconcile man back to God. I suggest for you to read
Leviticus 1-7 and Isaiah 53 and see what Christ fulfilled by His shed blood.
Another point to bring up is that whatever was
sacrificed as an offering for sin, (whether a lamb, goat, hens, etc.) it
never became literal sin but was a substitute sacrifice for sin. In
other words, the animal that was sacrificed never became sin itself, but was
the offering for sin to make atonement. Jesus never became sin or a sinner,
but became an offering for sin to satisfy the requirement of reconciliation
between man and God.
John 4:31-38 "31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging
Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat." 32 But He said to them, "I have food to eat that
you do not know about." 33 So the disciples were saying to one another, "No
one brought Him anything to eat, did he?" 34 Jesus said to them, "My food is
to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work. 35 "Do you not
say, `There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say
to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for
harvest. 36 "Already he who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit
for life eternal; so that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.
37 "For in this case the saying is true, `One sows and another reaps.' 38 "I
sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored
and you have entered into their labor." Jesus taught them that He had
food to eat and work to complete in reference to His sacrificial death on
the cross. Jesus will was to do that which the Father sent Him to do.
John 6:30-40 "30 So they said to Him, "What then do
You do for a sign, so that we may see, and believe You? What work do You
perform? 31 "Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written,
`HE GAVE THEM BREAD OUT OF HEAVEN TO EAT.' " 32 Jesus then said to them,
"Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out
of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven.
33 "For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives
life to the world." 34 Then they said to Him, "Lord, always give us this
bread." 35 Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me
will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. 36 "But I said
to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe. 37 "All that the
Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will
certainly not cast out. 38 "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My
own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 39 "This is the will of Him who
sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on
the last day. 40 "For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who
beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself
will raise him up on the last day." Jesus came to do the will of the
Father and lived a sinless life which would mean He did do the will of the
Father. The main reason why Jesus came was to set us free from our sins by
His broken body and shed blood giving His life as an atonement. The will of
the Father was for the Son to come as the bread of life to which whosoever
would believe on Him would be saved and have eternal life.
John 6:47-58 "47 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who
believes has eternal life. 48 "I am the bread of life. 49 "Your fathers ate
the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 "This is the bread which
comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 "I am
the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread,
he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of
the world is My flesh." 52 Then the Jews began to argue with one another,
saying, "How can this man give us His flesh to eat?" 53 So Jesus said to
them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of
Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. 54 "He who eats My
flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the
last day. 55 "For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. 56 "He
who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. 57 "As the
living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me,
he also will live because of Me. 58 "This is the bread which came down out
of heaven; not as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live
forever." All this represents Christ's death on the cross for which He
came to make atonement for all. To those who would believe and eat the flesh
of Christ and drink His blood will have eternal life. This means taking
Christ into your life as Lord and Savior, and partaking of His sufferings
with communion. Christ knew exactly what He came to do and taught it
continuously throughout His ministry.
John 10:14-18 "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 clearly states that
He is going to lay down His life for the sheep and that He is going to also
rise from the grave. Jesus says no one takes it from Him but lays it down on
His own initiative freely. Jesus says He has the authority to lay it down
and to take it up again which means Jesus knew exactly what He came to do
and what was going to happen both in His death and resurrection. This He
received from the Father which Jesus knew from the beginning.
John 14:1-6 "1 Do not let your heart be troubled;
believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 "In My Father's house are many
dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to
prepare a place for you. 3 "If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come
again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. 4
"And you know the way where I am going." 5 Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do
not know where You are going, how do we know the way?" 6 Jesus said to him,
"I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but
through Me." Jesus told His disciples He is going to prepare a place for
them for which they can be one day. Jesus said the only way to the Father
was through Him which Jesus had to give His life as a ransom for which one
could be saved and go to the very presence of the Father. Jesus was
confident that He was going to the Father and one day would bring them also
which indicates Jesus knew exactly what was going to happen in advance.
John 19:28-30 "28 After this, Jesus, knowing that
all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said, "I
am thirsty." 29 A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a
sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to
His mouth. 30 Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It
is finished!" And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit." Here is the
final part of Jesus ministry in reference to His coming to make atonement.
Jesus knew that all was fulfilled and said "It is finished" which paid our
dept in full. All was fulfilled and Jesus completed that which He came to do
from the Father.
Hebrews 10:5-12 "12 Therefore, when He comes into
the world, He says, "SACRIFICE AND OFFERING YOU HAVE NOT DESIRED, BUT A BODY
YOU HAVE PREPARED FOR ME; 6 IN WHOLE BURNT OFFERINGS AND sacrifices FOR SIN
YOU HAVE TAKEN NO PLEASURE. 7 "THEN I SAID, `BEHOLD, I HAVE COME (IN THE
SCROLL OF THE BOOK IT IS WRITTEN OF ME ) TO DO YOUR WILL, O GOD.' " 8 After
saying above, "SACRIFICES AND OFFERINGS AND WHOLE BURNT OFFERINGS AND
sacrifices FOR SIN YOU HAVE NOT DESIRED, NOR HAVE YOU TAKEN PLEASURE in
them" (which are offered according to the Law), 9 then He said, "BEHOLD, I
HAVE COME TO DO YOUR WILL." He takes away the first in order to establish
the second. 10 By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of
the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11 Every priest stands daily
ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can
never take away sins; 12 but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for
all time, SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD." Jesus knew why He came and
acknowledged that His body was prepared by the Father and came to do the
will of God. The will of God was for Jesus to give His life as an offering
for sin once and for all and Jesus fulfilled the will of God.
I said in the beginning does it really matter what you
believe about this subject, and I believe it does. Stating that Jesus was
separated from Father and became literal sin is dangerous and here is why.
To say Jesus became sin to which the Father separated Himself from Him would
indicate that a moment in time Jesus was alone apart from the Father which
would make Him unholy. If Jesus became literal sin, then Jesus was no longer
holy with the Father to which Jesus is not holy of Himself but One with the
Father. If Jesus somehow lost for a moment the union with the Father then
Jesus would not be a worthy sacrifice for our sins. Did Jesus not have the
presence of the Holy Spirit with Him? The Bible says in Psalm 139:7 "Where
can I flee from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence?" There
is no way Jesus could not be in the very presence of the Holy Spirit, and
there is no way Jesus could loose His union with the Father. To be
literal about this, this teaching contradicts the very Scriptures concerning
what Jesus did and who He is. Jesus was the perfect lamb who shed His
shed and died on a cross to set us from living a sinless life. Jesus is the
lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world as John the Baptist said in
John 1:29.
Another thing to consider. If Jesus really meant 'My
God, My God, Why have You forsaken Me' meaning that Jesus was implying
He was separated. The question is, was Jesus questioning the Father? See
if Jesus was saying 'WHY' then that would imply that He did not understand
why this happened and could even be questioning the Father. That would mean
Jesus had fear and doubt which would mean Jesus sinned right then. The
Bible states "whatever is not from faith is sin." (Romans 14:23) The fact is
Jesus was not talking to the Father but was telling the people He was indeed
the Messiah, the Anointed One to come, and was not forsaken of God, but was
going to be delivered.
There are those who teach that Jesus not only paid our
dept with His body but with His Spirit of which He took our sins upon
Himself which we would be eternally separated from the Father, Jesus died in
our place. That sounds good but did Jesus really suffer our punishment on
the cross? Some say Jesus had to go to hell and suffer there and take our
place (spiritual death) and on the third day rise again from the grave as
the first born again man which opens the door for us to be saved. Is that
Biblical? The Bible clearly states that Jesus was sinless in Hebrews 4:15
which says: "For we do not have a high priest who can not sympathize with
our weaknesses, but One who has been temped in all things as we are, yet
without sin." The Bible clearly states Jesus work on the cross paid our
dept in full as John 19:30 says: "Therefore when Jesus had received the
sour wine, He said, 'It is finished!' And He bowed His head and gave up His
spirit." The Bible clearly states that Christ purchased the Church with
His own blood as Acts 20:28 says: "Be on your guard for yourselves and
for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to
shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood." It
was Jesus' physical death on the cross that satisfied the requirement for
reconciliation from man to God, not the false teaching that Jesus tasted
spiritual death for everyone by being separated from the Father on the
cross.
There is much more that could be quoted and commented
on in this subject. I believe it is clear that Jesus knew exactly what He
came to do and why the Father sent Him. Jesus continuously taught His
disciples and the crowds what He came to do, of which Jesus fulfilled the
will of God by being obedient to the point of death, even on a cross.
You decide Biblically whether or not Jesus was separated from the Father, or
Jesus believed it Himself. Those who teach that Jesus was separated from the
Father have some serious issues that need to be resolved.. First is, that
person does not understand the Gospel in it's simplicity; second is, that
person is not representing what Jesus and the Apostles taught; third is,
that person is not reading things in context from Scripture within the
passage and as a whole; fourth is, that person has some red flags. I ask all
who read this to pray, study, and seek the Lord concerning this issue and
may God bless you
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