Jesus’ cry, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34), is a direct quote from Psalm 22, a prophetic psalm describing suffering followed by victory. By quoting it, Jesus pointed to the fulfillment of prophecy and the deeper meaning of His suffering.
At that moment, He was bearing the sins of the world (2 Corinthians 5:21), experiencing the weight of divine judgment on sin. Though the Father did not truly abandon Him, Jesus felt the separation that sin causes, a necessary part of His atoning sacrifice (Isaiah 53:6). His suffering was real, demonstrating both His true humanity and the depth of His sacrifice.
Despite this moment of anguish, Psalm 22 ultimately speaks of deliverance and triumph, foreshadowing His resurrection. Jesus’ cry was not a denial of His Lordship but a profound declaration of His mission to redeem humanity. His suffering led to victory, securing salvation for all who believe.
Jesus’ cry from the cross, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:34), is one of the most profound statements in the Gospels. From a biblical perspective, this cry can be understood in several key ways:
1. Fulfillment of Prophecy (Psalm 22)
Jesus was quoting the opening verse of Psalm 22, a Messianic psalm written by David. This psalm describes deep suffering but ultimately ends in triumph and vindication. By invoking this psalm, Jesus was pointing to the prophetic nature of His suffering and the ultimate victory of God.
2. Bearing the Sins of the World
The Bible teaches that Jesus bore the sins of humanity on the cross (2 Corinthians 5:21, 1 Peter 2:24). At that moment, He experienced the weight of sin and separation from the Father, something He had never known before. Isaiah 53:6 says, “The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” This separation was not due to any sin of His own but because He took upon Himself the punishment for our sins.
3. The Mystery of Divine Abandonment
While God the Father did not literally abandon Jesus, Christ, in His humanity, felt the forsakenness that sin causes—a forsakenness that every sinner would experience apart from God’s grace. This was part of the atoning sacrifice, fulfilling the righteous wrath of God against sin (Romans 3:25-26).
4. Demonstration of Jesus’ True Humanity
Jesus was fully divine and fully human (John 1:1, 14; Philippians 2:6-8). His cry expresses the real agony of suffering, showing that He fully experienced human pain, grief, and even the emotional weight of separation from God that sin causes.
5. A Call to Trust and Hope
Despite His anguish, Jesus’ quotation of Psalm 22 points not only to suffering but also to ultimate deliverance and victory. The latter half of the psalm declares that God does not forsake the righteous but brings about salvation. This aligns with Jesus’ final words on the cross: “It is finished” (John 19:30), signifying that His mission of redemption was accomplished.
Conclusion:
Jesus’ cry was not a denial of His Lordship, but rather the fulfillment of His role as the suffering Messiah. He bore the wrath of God in our place so that we might be reconciled to God. His apparent forsakenness was the price of our redemption, and through His resurrection, He demonstrated that God’s plan was one of ultimate victory, not defeat.
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