Easter is a time to reflect on Jesus’ death and resurrection, but it’s also a time to reflect on our beliefs about God and our relationships with him. Through experiences with our parents and people in general we often end up believing lies about who God is and his heart towards us.

While relationships and experience are a major source of these lies, common religious doctrines can also mislead us about God’s nature.

It’s important to take a hard look at the doctrines you take for granted and make sure they actually align with scripture. And as you do so, ask Holy Spirit to reveal any lies you’re believing about God and replace them with the real truth.

There’s one lie specifically that comes up each year at Easter that is just assumed to be sound doctrine and what we do with this lie is foundational to our faith.

The Easter Narrative

The Easter story is one that Christians and non-Christians alike know well. Christ was crucified on a cross and rose again three days later. While we know the story well, we often miss what actually is in scripture and what is verbal tradition.

In songs and liturgy, story times, and common theology most of us have been taught that at the moment of Christ’s death God turned His face away, turned his back, that “all of heaven looked away“.

We build theology and explanations around why a loving God would abandon His Son and look away — all of humanity’s sin was so repulsive God had to turn his back to separate himself from it, or explanations about how Jesus had to endure our sin alone.

The problems with these explanations is that they aren’t grounded in the scriptural text and they teach us lies about God’s nature. If he looked away from Jesus, will he abandon me in my pain too? Is my sin too great for God? He must turn his face from me when I’m in sin.

(I love the song below despite the “all of heaven looked away” lyric)

The Gospel Accounts

None of the gospel accounts of Christ’s death have a verse that says God turned His back or that heaven looked away. What is in the gospel accounts is Christ calling out, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34).

The Roman’s hearing Him mocked saying He was crying for Elijah to save Him. And the modern audience reading His words build theologies around why a loving God would forsake his only son.

But what if the correct response is to recall the passage of Psalms He was referencing? Throughout scripture it is common for Jesus to reference back to an old testament passage by saying “it is written” or “you have heard it said”.

There are also times where a well known passage is referenced by stating the first portion of the passage – much like we still do today.

Jesus does this directly with Isaiah 61 in the temple, declaring Himself as a fulfillment of that prophesy (Luke 4:17-21). And He does it on the cross – referencing Psalm 22, declaring Himself a fulfillment of that prophecy, and in Psalm 22:24 declaring that God has NOT forsaken Him, and by extension God has not forsaken us.

We already look to Psalm 22 as prophecies of Christ’s death that He fulfilled, “…they pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones; people look and stare at me. They divided my garments among themselves, and they cast lots for my clothing” (verses 16-18). But why do we stop there?

When you read all of Psalm 22 with Easter in mind you quickly see the truth about God’s character and heart towards us when we are in pain and even when we are in sin.

Psalm 22

My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from my deliverance and from my words of groaning? My God, I cry by day, but You do not answer, by night, yet I have no rest.
But You are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. Our fathers trusted in You; they trusted, and You rescued them. They cried to You and were set free; they trusted in You and were not disgraced.
But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by people. Everyone who sees me mocks me; they sneer and shake their heads: “He relies on the Lord; let Him rescue him; let the Lord deliver him, since He takes pleasure in him.”
You took me from the womb, making me secure while at my mother’s breast. I was given over to You at birth; You have been my God from my mother’s womb.
Do not be far from me, because distress is near and there is no one to help.Many bulls surround me; strong ones of Bashan encircle me. They open their mouths against me— lions, mauling and roaring.
I am poured out like water, and all my bones are disjointed; my heart is like wax, melting within me. My strength is dried up like baked clay; my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You put me into the dust of death.
For dogs have surrounded me; a gang of evildoers has closed in on me; they pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones; people look and stare at me. They divided my garments among themselves, and they cast lots for my clothing.
But You, Lord, don’t be far away. My strength, come quickly to help me. Deliver my life from the sword, my only life from the power of these dogs. Save me from the mouth of the lion! You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen.
I will proclaim Your name to my brothers; I will praise You in the congregation. You who fear Yahweh, praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor Him! All you descendants of Israel, revere Him! For He has not despised or detested the torment of the afflicted.
He did not hide His face from him but listened when he cried to Him for help. I will give praise in the great congregation because of You; I will fulfill my vows before those who fear You. The humble will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the Lord will praise Him. May your hearts live forever!
All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord. All the families of the nations will bow down before You,for kingship belongs to the Lord; He rules over the nations.
All who prosper on earth will eat and bow down; all those who go down to the dust will kneel before Him— even the one who cannot preserve his life. Their descendants will serve Him; the next generation will be told about the Lord. They will come and tell a people yet to be born about His righteousness— what He has done.” (HCSB, emphasis mine)

Psalm 22 begins with “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” but it ends with praise and the declaration in verse 24 that, “For He has not despised or detested the torment of the afflicted. He did not hide His face from him but listened when he cried to Him for help.”

What could this shift in understanding do for your view of who God is this Easter?

He’s Never Looked Away

When the Easter songs play this Sunday with lyrics like “the Father turned His face away” remember that the Father has never turned His face away. Not from Christ and not from you.

Even on the cross bearing the sins of the world, the Father did not look away from Christ. Even when we sit in our shame and guilt of sin the Father does not look away from us. He’s there, weeping, hearing our cries, and offering salvation and resurrection.

God is always better than we think He is. The Easter narrative is not just that Christ died and rose again, making a way for us to salvation and relationship with God. But that even in our sin, God does not abandon us. Even in our suffering He does not look away.

Easter Inner Healing

Inner healing is often described as sharing the gospel with the still unbelieving parts of our hearts. Easter is the perfect time to bind up the wounds that have kept our hearts stuck and administer healing through the gospel.

Spend some time this Easter praying through your own inner healing. A simple listening prayer like this is a great place to start:

Jesus am I believing any lies about you, your death, and resurrection?