Trinity as One
For our reflection on “The Eloi,” I want to jump ahead in the Sermons to “Life,” number twenty in series two. But first, I want to provide a little context about the timeline of the Unspoken Sermons. MacDonald was nearing fifty when he published series one. Series two was released some dozen years later, and series three a couple of years after that. Series one was an overview of his thoughts on the big picture of the gospel, with the later series reflecting and unpacking on the earlier subjects. The Trinity as One!
“The Eloi, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabaktanei?’ that is, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?,'” which comes from Psalm 22 is probably the most misunderstood and misinterpreted passage in the Gospels.
Jewish teachers used a classic rabbinic technique, quoting part of a verse and leaving the rest unsaid. The hearer would understand immediately when they remembered the rest of the passage and its context what was meant.
“Now listen to the words of another brilliant Jewish scholar two thousand years earlier. He had been preaching and healing people within the temple grounds. The crowds were cheering for him. Even children were shouting out: ‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’ Indignant, the priests and teachers of the law stormed over to Jesus to confront him: ‘Do you not hear what the Children are saying?’ They asked.
Jesus replied, have you not read, ‘From the lips of Children and infants you have ordained praise?’ (Matthew 21:16)
Instantly, the rest of Psalm 8:2 would have reverberated in their minds:
‘From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.’ (Italics added)
The psalmist is saying that God’s glory is so great that even children instinctively worship him, to the shame of those who hate him.” (Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus – by Ann Spangler and Lois Tverberg)
Psalm 22:27-28 ends with, “All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, And all the families of the nations will worship before You. For the kingdom is the Lord’s, And He rules over the nations. . .” Theologians have done more to hide the gospel of Christ than any of its adversaries. They have introduced one of the greatest heresies in Christianity, the dividing of the Father from the Son!
In the Trinity there is no such division!
Life
In “Life,” he comes back to Eloi and expands upon its meaning.
“We find it difficult to get what we want because we do not want what is best. The Father finds it hard to give His best because we will not receive it from Him. Jesus came to be the expression, the “Word” to reveal the Father’s heart in suffering with us, Their children, from the foundation of the world. This suffering reaches its climax in the life and death of Jesus Christ! The Trinity provides Themselves as the sacrifice as They always have for Their creatures. This visible relationship and union with us is the essence of Their commitment to us!
Next, to separating religion from righteousness. A life of self-giving love; the worst heresy is to divide the Father from the Son, separating Them in thought, feeling, action, or intent. That is to represent the Son as being or doing what the Father Himself would not do! Jesus said and did nothing He did not hear and see His Father saying or doing. When Jesus suffered for us, it was because His Father was suffering for us. Only, it was Jesus in the incarnation that came close to us in a body that we could know through our senses. (1 John 1:1-4 NASB) They drew near to us in the Son so that we might know His Father and ours, giving us Life and losing what He could of His!
The Father, Son, and Spirit acted as One in Jesus! The Father’s heart could never be satisfied with less than the complete and total giving of Themselves for Their children! However, for the most part, religion has offered a poor representation of our Father to the world. The best of human love pales compared to the length, breadth, depth, and height of the Love of God revealed in the Son! The Son who is One in thought, mind, and heart with His Father!” (Life paraphrase)
Fatherhood
Yet, Fatherhood is the last and highest stair from which our understandings can see Him from afar. This is the point where our hearts can know that He is near, even in us! This Fatherhood is but a step towards the Life of the Trinity for those who can receive it. (The Higher Faith paraphrase)
We will never be able to rest in the heart of the Father. Rest until His Fatherhood is fully revealed in love to our brothers and sisters. He cannot be our Father unless He is their Father! If we cannot see Him as their Father, we cannot know Him as ours!
We can never know Him clearly until we rejoice and are glad for all of our race that He is The Father of all! (The Hands of the Father paraphrase)
This heart is the foundation of our childhood and His Kingdom!