elohim
Elohi, Elohi, Lama Sabachthani
By Donte DeLafayette Barr
“Elohi, Elohi, lama sabachthani!” Translated means, “father, father, why hast thou forsaken me?” These as the last fleeting words in Greek from Christ during his crucifixion. This was a tear-jerking moment as I sat in the church audience while the play traversed through the book of Mark, one of the Canonical Books of the Biblical New Testament. This was such a vivid moment in my mind, hearing the breath of the actor fade as he pretended to endure Christ’s final moments. The lights turned out with the cracking of thunder and a flash of lightening, and the narrator in his most heartfelt tone said, “It is done!” I peered over to my wife as she gripped my hand like a transformed Bruce Banner and released a single tear in a fractionized timed manner. This became a moment cascading in emotion, frustration, and pain. Little did I know the magnitude and impact of this 2,000 year old event on my life and my lineage to come.
Now let’s fast forward to approximately a year and a half later. I was cozy at my job as a T-Mobile representative when an older man with a head of grey hair and a beard to match entered my establishment. As I began working with him, we became very well acquainted, almost as if I had known him for a lengthy part of my life. He was very inquisitive about my lifestyle and at one point asked, “What religion are you?” My tempo slowed and my eyebrows rose. I replied, “I’m a Christian,” arrogantly, as if no other religion had any validity. He once more inquired about my denomination. I replied, “I’m a Baptist.” He then asked another question, “Do you believe in one God?” I was officially appalled by his words and my face showed my dismay. I readily responded, “Of course there is only one God!” He smiled with the sweetest of expressions, leaned in gently and asked, “Can you explain the Holy Trinity?” Of course I could, for this is the basis of Christian belief. I said to him, “God the Father,
By Donte DeLafayette Barr
“Elohi, Elohi, lama sabachthani!” Translated means, “father, father, why hast thou forsaken me?” These as the last fleeting words in Greek from Christ during his crucifixion. This was a tear-jerking moment as I sat in the church audience while the play traversed through the book of Mark, one of the Canonical Books of the Biblical New Testament. This was such a vivid moment in my mind, hearing the breath of the actor fade as he pretended to endure Christ’s final moments. The lights turned out with the cracking of thunder and a flash of lightening, and the narrator in his most heartfelt tone said, “It is done!” I peered over to my wife as she gripped my hand like a transformed Bruce Banner and released a single tear in a fractionized timed manner. This became a moment cascading in emotion, frustration, and pain. Little did I know the magnitude and impact of this 2,000 year old event on my life and my lineage to come.
Now let’s fast forward to approximately a year and a half later. I was cozy at my job as a T-Mobile representative when an older man with a head of grey hair and a beard to match entered my establishment. As I began working with him, we became very well acquainted, almost as if I had known him for a lengthy part of my life. He was very inquisitive about my lifestyle and at one point asked, “What religion are you?” My tempo slowed and my eyebrows rose. I replied, “I’m a Christian,” arrogantly, as if no other religion had any validity. He once more inquired about my denomination. I replied, “I’m a Baptist.” He then asked another question, “Do you believe in one God?” I was officially appalled by his words and my face showed my dismay. I readily responded, “Of course there is only one God!” He smiled with the sweetest of expressions, leaned in gently and asked, “Can you explain the Holy Trinity?” Of course I could, for this is the basis of Christian belief. I said to him, “God the Father,