Despised by Deon Crafford

Matthew 27:45-50 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. 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?” And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.

This world has produced its fair share of monsters – some of the vilest, cruelest and inhumane people to walk the face of the earth. People who have committed the most horrendous crimes, the graphic detail of makes you sick to your stomach. We often stand amazed at the depth of inhumanity that people can sink to and we come to a place where these monsters are nothing but despised in our eyes. These are people to whom the life of another has absolutely no meaning other than providing the excitement of killing, raping, disfiguring, exploitation, and ridicule. Despising them is the harshest, yet still unsatisfactory response we can give them. This is where we find Jesus on the cross – despised and rejected, because on Him was laid the sins of the world. A little of what we feel for the worst of human monsters, was what God must have felt about Jesus covered in the sins of the world. And He turns His face away. When that happens the raw anguish of Jesus’ rejection and utter exposed loneliness burst out in the “lema sabachthani” cry. Let that sink in … from completely innocent and Godly, to the sin-drenched monster on the cross – a voluntary position. Despised, rejected and forsaken, so I can be loved forever.

Love to all