But bodily pain was but a small part of the agony of God’s dear Son. The sins of the world were upon Him, also the sense of His Father’s wrath as He suffered the penalty of the law transgressed. It was these that crushed His divine soul. It was the hiding of His Father’s face—a sense that His own dear Father had forsaken Him—which brought despair. The separation that sin makes between God and man was fully realized and keenly felt by the innocent, suffering Man of Calvary. He was oppressed by the powers of darkness. He had not one ray of light to brighten the future. And He was struggling with the power of Satan, who was declaring that he had Christ in his power, that he was superior in strength to the Son of God, that the Father had disowned His Son, and that He was no longer in the favor of God any more than himself. If He was indeed still in favor with God, why need He die? God could save Him from death. {2T 214.2}

Men legemlig smerte udgjorde kun en ringe del af Guds kære søns kvaler. Verdens synder hvilede på ham tillige med følelsen af Faderens vrede, da han led straffen for lovens overtrædelse. Det var dette, som knuste hans guddommelige sjæl. At Faderen skjulte sit åsyn - en følelse af, at hans egen kære fader havde forladt ham - var det, der påførte ham fortvivlelse. Denne adskillelse, synden afstedkommer mellem Gud og mennesket, blev i fuldt mål erkendt og dybt følt af det uskyldige, lidende Gud-menneske på Golgata. Han blev trængt af mørkets magter. Han havde ikke en eneste stråle til at lyse over fremtiden. Og han kæmpede med Satans magt, mod ham, som erklærede, at han havde Kristus i sin vold, at han var Guds søn overlegen i styrke, at Faderen havde fornægtet sin søn og at denne lige så lidt som han selv længere stod i yndest hos Gud. Dersom han virkelig fremdeles stod i yndest hos Gud, hvorfor skulle han så behøve at dø? Gud kunne jo frelse ham fra døden!