This morning those of us who are reading some Christian classics together are going to be looking at the fourth chapter of A.W. Pink’s The Seven Sayings of the Saviour on the Cross. You can read more about this effort here: Reading the Classics Together.
Summary
Jesus’ fourth saying on the cross is the word of anguish. While hanging on the cross and facing the wrath of God, just cried out to His Father. This is what Matthew tells us in chapter 27 and verse 46 of his gospel. “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’”
The chapter follows this outline:
- Here we see the awfulness of sin and the character of its wages.
- Here we see the absolute holiness and inflexible justice of God.
- Here we see the explanation of Gethsemane.
- Here we see the Savior’s unswerving fidelity to God.
- Here we see the basis of our salvation.
- Here we see the supreme evidence of Christ’s love for us.
- Here we see the destruction of the “larger hope.”
Discussion
Before I began reading the chapter, I spent some time just silently meditating on these words of Jesus. They are words I’ve thought about many times in life and ones which deserve much meditation. They are words for which we can never exhaust and never truly understand the depth of their meaning. Quite needless to say, my meditations took me to nowhere near the depth they took A.W. Pink.
The first thing that stood out to me as I read Pink’s reflections on these words of Jesus is the inadequacies of film to portray Jesus’ suffering. Countless millions of people spent a couple of hours watching The Passion of the Christ and there they saw Jesus get beaten to a pulp. In as much as Mel Gibson showed us Jesus’ physical sufferings, the movie was reasonably accurate. But the fact remains that no movie could describe the greater sufferings of Jesus, for they were inward and spiritual. Though His body was beaten and bruised, and though He felt incredible physical anguish, such has been the lot of millions of men through the history of the world. I dare say there have been many who have suffered worse physical torment than Jesus did. But the primary anguish Jesus faced was separation from God and the pouring out of God’s wrath upon Him. And how can we adequately describe this with words or portray it in film? It is impossible; it cannot happen. How can film portray the love and the anguish as they met on the cross? “These words of unequaled gift were both the fullest manifestation of divine love and the most awe-inspiring display of God’s inflexible justice.” What so many miss as they consider the cross is the actions of the Father and the awful toll this took on His Son. There is more to the cross than just the physical and we must make this clear!
The second thing that gripped me was Pink’s description of the various manifestations of man’s sin. “In its first manifestation it took the form of suicide, for Adam destroyed his own spiritual life; next we see it in the form of fratricide—Cain slaying his own brother; but at the Cross the climax is reached in deicide—man crucifying the Son of God.” Does this not show us on a macro scale the nature of sin, that it grows, always demanding more? A small sin quickly becomes a greater sin; soon nothing but the ultimate sins will please us. And such was the case when man reached the penultimate in sin—putting to death his own Creator.
Finally, I was challenged by Pink’s word that we must see the cross from at least four different viewpoints. “The tragedy of Calvary must be viewed from at least four different viewpoints. At the cross man did a work: he displayed his depravity by taking the Perfect One and with “wicked hands” nailing him to the tree. At the cross Satan did a work: he manifested his insatiable enmity against the woman’s seed by bruising his heel. At the cross the Lord Jesus did a work: he died the Just for the unjust that he might bring us to God. At the cross God did a work: he exhibited his holiness and satisfied his justice by pouring out his wrath on the one who was made sin for us.” This is all true, I am sure, but will require a lot more meditation before I would want to comment on it very much. How wondrous is the cross! It could be our meditation from now until the Lord’s return and we would still never exhaust its riches or its significance.
This was another chapter filled with gospel truths. This book is a gold mine.
Next Time
We will continue next Thursday with the fifth chapter of the book and look at Jesus’ word of suffering.
Your Turn
I am eager to know what you gained from this chapter. Feel free to post comments below or to write about this on your own blog (and then post a comment linking us to your thoughts). Do not feel that you can only say anything if you are going to say something that will wow us all. Just add a comment with some of the things you gained from the this week’s reading.
Comments (10) »
1. Ron Reffett
May 22, 2008
10:24 AM
I love this book, so many gems throughout.
Thanks for recomending it.
I posted some thoughts on this chapter on my blog, www.worshipfulreader.blogspot.com
Thanks again Tim.
Ron Reffett
2. Chris Giammona
May 22, 2008
11:48 AM
Tim
I agree that in meditating on these words, we will never exhaust its riches or its significance. There were too many gems in this chapter to comment on them all (you mentioned a few already).
I was struck by one of Pink’s introductory comments, “These are words of deepest mystery.” He is reflecting on the sentences that Jesus uttered before his cry of anguish. We can understand and appreciate his statements - asking the Father to forgive them shows his compassionate heart, telling the thief that he would be with Jesus in paradise reflects His grace towards sinners, and providing comfort for his mother. But then he utters those words of anguish that
I will come back to this chapter often.
3. Jeri
May 22, 2008
2:00 PM
“This book is a gold mine.” It sure is.
Just a couple of highlights for me: “These are words of appalling woe.” Pink brought out the agony Jesus must have felt since “He who hung there on the accursed Tree had been from all eternity the object of the Father’s love” with “never a moment spent out of His conscious presence.” And now…forsaken. “Of old David said, ‘I have never seen the righteous forsaken,’ but here we behold the Righteous One forsaken.
Then the explanation of Gethsemane: “‘He began to be sore amazed’…the original signifies the greatest extremity of amazement, such as makes one’s flesh to creep and his hair to stand on end…His heart was melted like wax at the sight of the terrible cup.” I appreciated how Pink brought out the emphasis on this approaching cup, as compared to the cup of communion He had shared just hours earlier. There would be no communion in His wrath.
I’ve never read a writer who could draw more out of Scripture than Pink.
4. David Porter
May 22, 2008
2:08 PM
I am melted!
I too remember seeing Mel Gibson’s portrayal of the death of Christ a number of years ago. It was graphic and very brutal. I openly weeped in the theater. But the truth of the matter is that Mel indeed only touched on a fraction of the story. The most touching part, the most loving part, the saving part of the whole story is the incredible love displayed. In eternity past God decided to show His love for the Son. He decided to do this by creating millions of people, people created in His image, who would worship the Son for all eternity. Wanting this to be a sincere and real love, God ordained evil and the fall of man. This fall forever separated us from God and the only solution was that the Son would give up His “God-ness” and become sin and withstand the holy fury of Holy God even unto death! And this…this…and inconceivably this he did for me. Individually, personally and even chosen, elected, predestined from eternity past He did this for me. My mind and my heart are melted before the Lord my God!
My post: http://www.boomerinthepew.com/2008/05/the-forth-word.html
5. Richard
May 22, 2008
2:15 PM
How wondrous is the Cross! The Cross where God’s holiness and inflexible justice meet His indescribable grace and mercy.
6. Tim
May 22, 2008
6:12 PM
I was struck by 2 things in this chapter.
First, the historical nature of this moment. It is THE pivotal point, THE consummate moment in redemptive history. This is THE EXACT MOMENT that God judged sin for all time. As Pink wrote, during this “supernatural darkness” …”the Redeemer was left alone with the sinner’s sin”.
The OT points forward to THIS moment, The full satisfaction of the ‘Law’, THIS was the moment pointed to in Genesis 3:15, Satan’s head was crushed! THIS was the moment of all the OT ‘types’ being fulfilled. THIS was Psalm 22, Isaiah 53, Nahum 1:6.
The NT points back to THIS moment. This is Romans 5; Galatians 2:20 and 3:13. So many more.
The second thing that struck me, as Pink points out, is ALL the ‘theology’ that is occurring at THIS moment. Substitution, propitiation, atonement, imputation, reconcilialtion, justification. THE moment of REDEMPTION.
A lifetime’s worth of contemplation.
7. James Lee
May 22, 2008
7:46 PM
I’ve often attempted to contemplate how miserably painful it would be to succumb to an extreme punishment due us, but taken upon Himself. When Pink quoted Spurgeon and referenced to it being “Midnight at Midday”, I couldn’t help but to think the agony of KNOWING fellowship and union with the Father, and at that moment, the Father having no part in it because HE BECAME SIN.
Here’s the Bill and Ted “Woahhh…”
8. Scott D. Andersen
May 23, 2008
9:40 AM
May our Great and Glorious God grant that I have much continued meditation upon the depth of meaning Pink brought to us from Eli Eli Lama Sabachthani.
Most profound when Pink wrote of how Christ died for God.
“Not only was Christ’s blood shed for us, but it was also shed for God: he “hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour” (Ephesians 5:2). Thus it was foreshadowed on the memorable night of the Passover in Egypt: the lamb’s blood must be where God’s eye could see it - “When I see the blood, I will pass over you!”
Also loved how Pink showed so much from the OT pointing to this great event and this particular saying. Not only from Psalm 22, but so many Psalms and even a quote from Lamentations.
Also Pink’s numerating the various OT Types and the crown of thorns meant to illustrate the fulfillment in our Lord who was made a curse for us.
Bullock - taken outside the camp
Leper - also to live outside the camp
Bronze Serpent - made a curse for us
Deep meaning of the crown of thorns - symbol of the curse
I am reminded of what Jesus told his disciples after the Mount of Transfiguration and the deliverance of the man’s son in Luke chapter 9: Let these sayings sink down into your ears, the son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men.
So I am saying to my soul, Let these sayings SINK DOWN into my ears that I may be much in meditating upon the gospel, upon the cross.
Praise the Lord our God. Glory to His Holy Name.
sda
9. Laurie
May 23, 2008
4:30 PM
This may very well be the single richest chapter I’ve read in a book, that’s not the Bible. It’s heavy with doctrine that’s alive and heartwrenching. This is theology and doctrine as it should be - hearts, souls, and lives changed and made new by this amazing gospel of grace. I’ll be reading this one over and over. This does, however, make it difficult to limit one’s comments. I’ll try.
The Old Testament connections heaped one on top of another just about took my breath away. Here’s just one:
“Of old David said, ‘I have never seen the righteous forsaken,’ but here we behold the Righteous One forsaken.”
He was righteous on our behalf and forsaken on our behalf. Because of Him we are counted righteous; because of Him we will never be forsaken. He is the source of that Old Testament truth and God’s faithfulness to His elect throughout the ages.
This part from Psalm 22 made so personal for me what Christ was doing. It wasn’t just some amorphous thing called “sin” out there that He was taking on. It was all the sins of all His people: “‘But thou art holy.’ He complains not of injustice; instead, He acknowledges God’s righteousness - Thou art holy and just in exacting all the debt at my hand that I am surety for; I have all the sins of all My people to answer for, and therefore I justify Thee, O God in giving Me this stroke from Thine awakened sword. Thou art Holy; Thou are clear when Thou judgest.”
I liked the explanation of propitiation being “solely Godward”. “It was a question of meeting the claims of God’s holiness; it was a matter of satisfying the demands of His justice. Not only was Christ’s blood shed for us, but it was also shed for God.”
And this love. What can I say about this love. It was easier for me to think, as I once did, of God’s love in a general way. He loves people. I’m a person, etc…. that there’s a love of God that I can tap into by believing in Jesus. But this love, this determined love, this particular love, is almost too overwhelming to think of. “But Chirst was pure, absolutely pure. He was the Holy One. He had and infinite abhorrence of sin. He loathed it. His holy soul shrank from it. But on the Cross our iniquities were all laid upon Him, and sin - that vile thing - enrapt itself around Him like a horrible serpent’s coils. And yet He willingly suffered for us! Why? Because He loved us: ‘Having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end’ (John 13:1).”
Finally, and horribly beautiful, was his call to Gospel repentence: “If, then, God spared not the Lord Jesus when sin was found on Him, what possible hope is there, unsaved reader, that He will spare thee when thou standest before Him at the great white throne with sin upon thee? If God poured out His wrath on Christ while He hung as surety for His people, be assure that He will most certainly pour out His wrath on You if you die in your sins….God ‘spared not’ His own Son when He took the sinner’s place, nor will He spare him who rejects the Saviour. Christ was separated from God for three hours, and if you finally reject Him as your Saviour, you will be separated from God forever.”
All these things are the Gospel. I am astonished.
10. Carol Blair
May 26, 2008
5:13 PM
As I’ve been reading the chapters, several Cross-centered hymns have become much more real to me. We are, indeed, surveying the wondrous cross, and taking our stand beneath the cross of Jesus.
Yesterday in our morning service, we sang Philip P. Bliss’s great hymn, “Hallelujah, What a Savior” (“Bearing shame and scoffing rude, in my place, condemned, He stood; sealed my pardon with His blood …”), as well as Fanny Crosby’s “Tell Me the Story of Jesus,” where, in the third verse, we sang, “Stay, let me weep, while you whisper, Love paid the ransom for me.” I’m still singing those hymns today.
I do have a question to ask of all the other readers. On page 87, the short poem there seems as though it is part of a hymn, but a Google search turned up nothing. Does anyone recognize this poem?
Thank you, Tim, for introducing me to this book. It’s been a tremendous blessing.
Carol Blair
Longview, TX
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