Eloi Eloi Lama Sabactani (6)

Eloi Eloi Lama Sabactani (6)

At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"(15:34)

Think more of the factual dimension of the meaning of Jesus’ death on the cross. In relation to his death, one may ask, “Was Jesus crucified voluntarily?” No. It is impossible. The death on the cross was a curse. It was the culmination of total failure. Jesus knew this fact. Naturally, he did not want to die on the cross. If he would like to voluntarily die in this manner, he must be abnormal. We can confirm this fact through his prayer the night before his crucifixion on the Mount of Gethsemane, in which he prayed to his father that that the cup of suffering and his eventual death may be taken way if it was God’s will.

Many Christians think that through Jesus’ crucifixion on the cross, salvation of human kind has been accomplished. It is not wrong; but it has a clue of misunderstanding in this belief. The fact that Jesus’ crucifixion is the unique way of redemption is the interpretation of the disciples, long time after his death and resurrection. It is not certain as an assured content of belief from the beginning.

The big danger for Christians to misunderstand Christian faith is to follow the kind of chain of salvation that comes mechanically and deterministically. They firmly held the view that Jesus voluntarily died upon the cross for the sake of human salvation and he also knew the assurance of his resurrection. Think of it. If Jesus knowingly did it all, then what value does it have? As it is clear from Jesus’ statement saying, “Only the Father knows the day”, Jesus also lived in its epistemological limitation.

Jesus was crucified on the cross not voluntarily but inevitably. Jesus accepted it as God’s will and he obeyed it.