Matthew 27:45–46; Lent 4 Weekday Service — March 18, 2026

The Terrible Exchange

Matthew 27:45–46
Lent 4 Weekday Service — March 18, 2026
Life in Christ Lutheran Church — Grand Marais, Minnesota

“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?’”

Matthew 27:45–46, ESV

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Last week in Isaiah we saw something astonishing:

The Lord laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

Jesus Christ carried our sin.

We know those words well, but we often fail to stop and consider what they truly mean. All our sins were laid upon Jesus, and He suffered our death on the cross.

But that raises an important question:

If Jesus truly bears our sin, what does that mean for Him?

Matthew tells us:

“Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.”

The sun goes dark.

Creation itself reacts to the suffering of its Savior.

This is more than sadness. Throughout Scripture, darkness is a sign of judgment. The hour of judgment has come.

And it is in that darkness that Jesus cries out:

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Jesus is quoting Psalm 22.

But this is not merely a quotation. It is His real experience of abandonment.

From all eternity the Son has lived in perfect communion with the Father. But now, hanging on the cross, Jesus stands in the place of sinners.

He bears the sin of the whole world.

And because He bears sin, He must also bear sin’s consequence.

Jesus experiences separation.

He hangs where we should hang.

He endures the judgment we deserve.

The judgment of all humanity, across all times and places, falls upon Him.

We often call this the Great Exchange.

But in another sense, it is the Terrible Exchange.

Jesus takes our sin.

He takes our guilt.

He takes our punishment.

He takes our abandonment.

And in exchange, we receive forgiveness, peace, and reconciliation with God.

This is the deepest mystery of the cross.

And Christians can never move beyond it.

The cross is not merely one doctrine among many. It is everything.

Without the cross and Jesus suffering there, Christianity is nothing more than moral advice. Jesus becomes merely a teacher of ethics.

But good morals cannot save.

Good behavior cannot reconcile sinners to God.

Only the suffering and death of Jesus Christ can do that.

And notice something remarkable in Jesus’ cry.

Even in abandonment He still says:

“My God…”

This is not a curse.

It is trust.

Complete trust in the Father.

Jesus entrusts Himself fully to the Father’s saving plan, even through darkness, pain, nails, suffering, and death.

He endures rejection so that we never will.

And now this becomes very personal.

Last week I said:

“When you look at the cross, you should see yourself there.”

But the truth is:

You are not there.

Jesus is there for you.

He is forsaken in your place.

This is where the biblical phrase for you reaches its deepest meaning.

Jesus suffers what you should suffer and now never will.

The darkness of the cross is the very place where your salvation was won.

That is the “for you” of God.

Because Christ endured abandonment for you, God will never abandon you.

Amen.

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.