On Palm Sunday Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, and thousands of people praised Him screaming, "Hosanna, Blessed is the King of Israel". Thousands more had heard that He raised Lazarus from the dead and came to worship Him screaming, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord". Yet, just a few days later, none of these people were around when thousands of others screamed, "Crucify him! Crucify him!"

During His three year ministry Jesus performed countless miracles in front of thousands of witnesses. He healed thousands of people from lifetimes of illness and disease. He raised three people from the dead, including His friend Lazarus who had been dead for four days. Yet none of these people were anywhere to be seen when Jesus was being beaten, tortured, nailed to a cross and killed.

Although all of these people abandoned the Messiah in His darkest hour, just after he was nailed to the cross Jesus was heard to say, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." (see )

The fact that the Messiah would be abandoned when He was most in need of support was foretold in these prophecies:

Prophecies -

• "Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help." (Psalms 22:11)
• "He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not." (Isaiah 53:3)

Fulfillment - "Then everyone deserted him and fled. A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized him, he fled naked, leaving his garment behind." (Mark 14:50-52)

Prophecy - "Scorn has broken my heart and has left me helpless; I looked for sympathy, but there was none, for comforters, but I found none." (Psalms 69:20)

Fulfillment - "He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. 'My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,' he said to them. 'Stay here and keep watch.'

Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. 'Abba, Father,' he said, 'everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.'

Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. 'Simon,' he said to Peter, 'are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.'

Once more he went away and prayed the same thing. When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. They did not know what to say to him.

Returning the third time, he said to them, 'Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.'" (Mark 14:33-41)

�Jesus had never been distressed like this before. His disciples should have realized that something was very wrong, for in three years they had never seen Jesus this distressed and full of sorrow, but instead of showing Him any concern or comfort, they went to sleep. Three times they saw Him, downcast and dripping with sweat, and three times they ignored these signs and fell asleep. Then when He was actually arrested and carried off, they scattered and deserted Him.

Jesus had no one but His Father to rely on in His most troubling time, a time more troubling than you or I will ever have to face. And then when He took the sins of the world upon Him, at the moment that He needed His Father the most, even God turned away, and for the first time ever Jesus faced separation from God - He faced Hell.