From: wross (wross@farmerstel.com)
Date: Thu Jan 14 1999 - 23:13:42 EST
There is a relatively neutral sense to the word translated "forsaken", which
is more like "Why have you left me down here?"
The word is not intrinsically an "evil" leaving, (if it were it would be
Jesus literally accusing the Father of unfaithfulness). This word is also
used in Romans 9:29:
"Except the Lord of Sabaoth HAD LEFT US a seed..."
Jesus had prayed earnestly thrice in Gethsamane, asking the Father to "cause
His little-clay-vessel to pass" - to die quickly (Matthew 26:29), because
"the times and the seasons are in the Father's own power" (Acts 1:7) Of
these knoweth no man, "no, not the angels of heaven, neither the Son, but
the Father" (Mark 13:32).
The word "why" is actually an idiomatic phrase, more like "into what?" as if
Jesus, not looking to cast blame for a past failure, but inquiring into the
future. It is not "how could you have failed me", but "now what is the
purpose for which you've left me here [prolongedly]"
Note that Zacharias was punished because he questioned the angel Gabriel's
reliability...
Luke 1:18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for
I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.
Luke 1:19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand
in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to show thee
these glad tidings.
Luke 1:20 And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the
day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my
words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.
But Mary's request for clearer instruction was not censured...
Luke 1:34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know
not a man?
Also, "left me here" is in the aorist, not the perfect tense, or the
imperfect tense, perhaps suggesting not that He felt that God had gone for
good, but that He had been left for a season.
Still, though without bitterness, hopelessness or reproach of His Father, it
is an impassioned searching for direction from the Father in a time of great
duress. "He was heard in that He feared." (Heb 5:7) In moments, His prayers
would be answered and His time of testing and suffering shortened. As He had
tasted of the vinegar, so He had "tasted of death for every man," (Heb 2:9)
then was freed to die.
--- B-Greek home page: http://sunsite.unc.edu/bgreek You are currently subscribed to b-greek as: [cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu] To unsubscribe, forward this message to leave-b-greek-329W@franklin.oit.unc.edu To subscribe, send a message to subscribe-b-greek@franklin.oit.unc.edu
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.4 : Sat Apr 20 2002 - 15:40:14 EDT