April 26, 2024 -- Mark 15:33-34 -- The One, Great Shield

And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Mark 15:33-34 ESV

He will cover you with his pinions,
    and under his wings you will find refuge;
    his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
Psalm 91:4 ESV

The picture of Jesus on the cross is so worthy of contemplation. When one’s love for Jesus is not as passionate, not as full as it should be, ponder what Jesus was doing for you at the cross. His arms stretched out, nailed to the cross. Like wings His arms reached out. Pinned there, while the wrath of the Father against your sin and my sin was poured out, unrelentingly emptied on Jesus in fullest measure, His arms stretched out and protected you. In that terrible darkness, Jesus was your shield. The three hours of darkness, when the Father crushed the Son, punishing Him for your sin and mine, Jesus was the shield spoken of in Psalm 91. The full venting of God’s just anger against sin hit Jesus and He shielded us from ever having to experience it. He is the full-body shield, and He is the buckler, the smaller shield worn on the arm so that attacks from any angle or any side can be repelled.

You won’t understand how good the Good News is until you understand how bad you are and how badly you need Good News. It is too easy to be ho-hum in relation to God. Cool in prayer. Slow in doing good. What reignites the fire of faith is the true sense that our sins deserve the punishment of God. If the shield were ever removed, the molten hot justice of God against sin would spew out and your every sin would be punished bodily, mentally, spiritually and for eternity. God is that holy. You are that sinful. Jesus is providing the refuge under His outstretched arms, He wings of protection. Jesus is your everlasting shield.

It is the contemplation of Jesus, reflecting on His work of shielding and covering you, that moves your formerly icy heart to break, warm, and respond. The Spirit Who lives in you, Who directs you to Jesus, will deepen your devotion and broaden your response to Jesus. When your own self-pity, or your awareness of your sinfulness drowns you, look to Jesus. He endured the darkness, the punishment of God, covering You with His wings of love and shielding You until the wrath of God was spent on Him and lighting the other side is the grace, mercy and love of God your Father.

Father in heaven how great is Your grace and mercy towards us, wretched sinners that we are. How marvelous is the shielding love of Jesus covering us completely so that no trace of Your wrath reaches us. Spirit of the Living God, how great and blessed is Your work, carried out deep within the recesses of our souls whereby the work of Jesus is put into effect. Triune God, lead us out, away from our selfish, selfie culture. Bring us to the sheltering refuge of Jesus where we find it our delight to worship Your holy Name. Amen.

https://youtu.be/anE5zlOHaic?si=rXqB4xI7UMAYbprg “10,000 Reasons” Selah

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