Aspects of Loneliness
"DESERTED!" Matthew& Chapter 27 Verses 45 - 46
We have been looking at men and women in the Bible who knew what it was to be lonely and seeing just how they dealt with the problem. Now we are going to see the most lonely man this world has ever known. One who chose this loneliness for the sake of ordinary men and women like us.
The Bible makes it clear that the Lord Jesus Christ is both God and man. He is the Creator of the Universe, yet One who was prepared to face desertion for us. We will think of the way in which He was Deserted by His Family, His Friends and His Father.
Deserted by His Family
It is a wonderful experience to be part of a caring, loving family, where each of the members is loyal to the others and gives support when it is most needed. We are probably all familiar with the playground scene where the little boy under threat, with pride in his voice, informs the school bully, "I'll tell my big brother about you" and the bullying stops immediately! How different is the picture when families are torn in two by disloyalty and misunderstanding. When one member, desperately lonely, and needing all the backing he can get, finds himself or herself deserted by brothers and sisters, and even parents.
You may recall the scene in John chapter 7, when Jesus was in Galilee at the time of the Feast of Tabernacles. His brothers turned on Him with carping criticism, "You ought to go to Judea so that your disciples can see the miracles that you're doing." They were telling Jesus that He'd got it all wrong. They knew far better than He what His proper course of action should be! And then, in case we should think that they were telling Him this so that He could be sure of their love and support, the text goes on to say, "For even His brothers did not believe in Him."
Here is an amazing thing! They had doubtless seen His miracles, as He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, strength to the paralytics, and even raised the dead, yet their attitude was one of cynical unbelief. How this must have hurt the heart of the Lord. Perhaps at this very moment you, too, have been deserted by your family, just when you need them the most; or you look back to a time when they failed to give you the support you needed. I trust that it will be a comfort for you to know that if you are a Christian you have a Saviour and Friend who fully understands. You have One who has been there Himself, and can enter into your circumstances, and assure you of His love and care.
But Jesus was not only deserted by His family, He was also ...
Deserted by His Friends
Most of us have been let down by those who claimed to be our friends, and it has brought a sense of real loneliness with it. When those friends were special, people upon whom we thought we could depend, it made the feeling of loneliness even more intense.
Try to picture the scene in Matthew 26, when Jesus knew that the time of His death upon a cross was drawing near and He warned His disciples that they would desert Him. Peter immediately answered, "Even if all the others fall away, I never will." Two verses later we read, "All the other disciples said the same!" How Jesus must have longed for their friendship and support.
These disciples had been with Him for three years, listening to His teaching, watching His miracles, observing the tender way in which He cared for people, young and old. They had wondered as He handled crises with a wisdom and authority that only confirmed what they knew to be true, that He was the Son of God. Now, having assured Him of their intention to stand up for Him, whatever the cost, we read those remarkable words, "Then all the disciples deserted Him and fled." How desperately lonely He must have been! With what longing He must have looked around for just one person to stand with Him. Yet the words are clear, "All the disciples deserted Him."
May I pause for a moment and ask if you are prepared to stand with Jesus today, when everyone around you is mocking Him? Are you prepared to stand up and be counted for Him today? If we're not, then we certainly have no right to be called His followers. Paul has a very strong word on this subject when writing to Timothy in his second letter and chapter 2. He says, "If we endure we will also reign with Him. If we disown Him, He also will disown us." May we be amongst those who are ready and willing to take our stand for Christ, whatever the cost!
Finally, we see Christ ...
Deserted by His Father
This was an experience which was unique to the Lord Jesus Christ. He was God's Son, Who was able to say, "I do only those things which please my Father." He was the One who had heard God's voice from an open heaven declaring, "This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased."
Now, in Matthew 27.46, while He hangs upon a Roman cross, nailed by His hands and feet, Jesus cries from the depths of His loneliness: "My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?" He was quoting words used by the writer of Psalm 22 who, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, was able to foresee the events of Calvary, and knew that the Messiah would be deserted by God.
It should touch our hearts when we realise that the only reason He was deserted was because, as Peter writes in his first letter, "He was bearing our sins in His body on the tree." This was the fulfilment of the prophecy of Isaiah in his 53rd chapter, "He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed."
God, as a righteous judge, could not look with pleasure upon His Son, because He was the Sin-bearer, taking the punishment that was due to us. This is an amazing truth! The Lord Jesus suffered separation from God for us! He knew the heartache of a loneliness which was indescribable, so that we need never be separated from God. That is why you can know total forgiveness and cleansing. There is nothing more that Christ can do to bring you peace of heart and mind.
In 1 John 1.9 we are clearly told "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." That forgiveness can be yours today; then you can enter into the joy of His promise, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." This will dispel your loneliness!