Where was God during the last hours of Jesus’ life? The story of the passion is about two, not one walking through the crucible of the cross.  Jesus and the Father, side-by-side, speaking non-stop

as He knelt in the garden,

during torture;

as nails pierced His flesh,

as His body lifted from the stones, and bones jarred;

when labored, impossible breathing began.

            All this time the Father whispered into His Son’s ear, “don’t quit, we are so close, don’t quit.”

            Even in that moment of terrible darkness, when God retreated, and Jesus entreated, there was a part incomparably glorious.  They both knew the time had come,

for the cross to take alienation away,

to dissolve slavery,

and put abandonment to rights.

            They both suffered in their separation, but a ray of light remained. Redemption for the human malady was just hours away.  In that decisive moment, all of heaven leaned across eternity waiting to see if Jesus’ Spirit would win over his weakened, broken humanity.  When the veil tore from top to bottom, they had their answer. 

            Where is God in the deepest, loneliest sojourns?

            Where is He when pain grabs us by the scruff and throws us down?

            Where is God when others mistreat and misunderstand us?

            Where is He when the world grows dark around us and nothing seems to matter?

            Thankfully, the same place He was when His only son died.