Why Have You Forsaken Me?

Last weekend, I went to lunch with some folks from my Saturday softball league. The conversation varied from sports to politics, and eventually to religion. One man, a slightly agitated unbeliever, sought to disprove the divinity of Christ by asking, "If Jesus is really God, then why did he say 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?' as He was about to die?"

This was one of the last seven statements of Jesus Christ as He died on the cross. Sadly, it’s probably one of the most misunderstood things He ever said. Why did Jesus, short of breath and failing in strength, cry out with these words in Matthew 27:46? Was He questioning God? Did doubt finally overtake Him at the very end? Or was He making a statement? And what does it really mean for us?

To see the answer, we must look at the Old Testament, specifically Psalm 22. In the first verse, we see the same words coming from David's mouth. In his anguish, he cries, "My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?" You see, this was not the weakness of Jesus’ humanity expressing itself. Jesus was not complaining or voicing doubts about God. May it never be! In fact, He was turning our attention to this Psalm by quoting its first verse. In those days, people didn't refer to Scripture the same way we do today. Jesus didn't say, "Hey everyone, turn to Psalm 22." Instead, He instructed those nearby (really just John the Apostle, since he was probably the only one still present who could speak Aramaic) to recall this Psalm and understand that the old prophecies were being fulfilled that very day.

A quick review of Psalm 22 proves that these words from David are also the pre-incarnate words of Christ, who experienced David’s anguish on a greater degree. Look at verses 7-8:

"All who see me sneer at me; they separate with the lip, they wag the head saying, 'Commit yourself to the LORD; let Him deliver him; let Him rescue him, because He delights in him.'"

Yet during the crucifixion we see this play out word-for-word. Matthew 27:39, 43 say:

"And those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads...’He trusts in God; let God rescue Him now, if He delights in Him…’"

The fulfilled prophecy continues. Psalm 22:14 says, "I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint…" Verses 16-17 continue, "…a band of evildoers has encompassed me; they pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones…" This describes the crucifixion where Jesus was nailed to the cross, His blood flowed like water from His spear-pierced side, yet He died before any of His bones would have been broken by the Jewish request (John 19:31-33). Psalm 22:18 even goes so far as to predict, "They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots." These words were exactly fulfilled in Mark 15:24 and John 19:24.

So we can firmly state that Jesus was not complaining about the will of God. Jesus, although suffering like no man had ever suffered before, never experienced one single doubt about God's perfect plan. How can we know this? Well the first and most obvious reason is that Jesus is, in fact, God. It's impossible for Him to doubt Himself. But, secondly, in the midst of this suffering, He draws our attention to the fact that this is indeed fulfilled scripture. To place an exclamation point at the end of it, He proclaims, "It is finished!" (John 19:30).

So what does this mean for us? Well, for believers and unbelievers, I believe there’s a common message here. In the history of all life on our planet, only Jesus Christ has truly been forsaken by God. Jesus is the only person who has ever experienced such a full separation from God while on earth. At that moment before His death, Jesus wore the sins of every child of God, that is, every man, woman, and child who would ever be saved—from the beginning of time until the end of the earth. At that moment, in the middle of the day, the sky went dark as God turned His back on His beloved Son and broke fellowship with Him. At that moment, Jesus was truly alone.

You have never been alone like that. You may have lost your parents, your siblings, all your friends, and even your most loyal dog. But you’ve never been alone, because the grace and mercy of God has always and ever been upon you. Even in an unbelieving state, God has not forsaken you. The fact that you live and breathe proves the point, because God is He who sustains your life.

Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” He did it so that you will never have to utter these words. If you already believe this to be true, remember it, praise His name for it, and tell someone else about it. If you have never believed in Jesus Christ, then He has brought these words before your eyes today for a purpose—to let you know that in Him, you don’t ever have to experience the loneliness of being forsaken by God. He offers an eternal relationship with you, free of charge. Won’t you come to Him today?