0484. The Trust of Christ Upon the Cross

The Trust of Christ Upon the Cross

"But Thou art He that took Me out of the womb:

"Thou didst make Me hope when I was upon My mother’s breast.

"Be not far from Me; for trouble is near;

"For there is none to help.

"Save Me from the lion’s mouth;

"For Thou hast heard Me from the horns of the unicorns" (Psa_22:9,Psa_22:11,Psa_22:21).

Even in the hour of His bitterness, as He went on in His suffering, our Lord rested with implicit confidence and trust upon His God. He thrust Himself and all He was, upon Jehovah. He said, "Trouble is near, there is none to help." There were none, not even the Father, who could pass within the cycle of His suffering and give Him a helping hand. He wrought His wondrous work alone. Yet, in all of His anguish, He never ceased to confide in God. He knew that the Father would once more stand at His side. When He died, He said, "Father, into Thy hand I commend My spirit;" then, He yielded up the ghost, and dropped His weary head upon His Father’s breast.

Even on Calvary’s Cross, Christ knew that He was the Father’s "darling," "only one." Therefore, He cried: "Save Me from the lion’s mouth," from "the power of the dogs." Christ held on to the horns of the unicorn.

The darkness through which He had passed for three hours, at last faded away. Once more Christ saw the Father, and committed His spirit to the Father’s care.

When Christ was dead, the penalty for sin having been paid, the Father seemed to say to the wicked: "Hands off." Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus took the Lord’s body, and so "with the rich man was His tomb."

Autor: R.E. NEIGHBOUR