My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me?
Those words rung out from the cross as Jesus was dying. Most people, especially Christians, would recognize this. But why did he say them? Did God really forsake him? Was Jesus about ready to give up? Or was there something more going on here?
Well, as I re-read Psalm 22 this morning, I was reminded that Jesus was quoting from it. Originally, this was a psalm of David, probably written as he was fleeing from Saul or from his son Absolom. But as I read through it, I realized that all it can also be an apt description of Jesus' experience upon the cross.
Let me run through just a few of the similarities:
v1 - Jesus may have felt abandoned by God to some extent. Many people say that on the cross, the sins of the world were laid upon Jesus, and at this point, God broke the constant contact that he kept with his Son, since God cannot look upon Sin. however, others question if this was the case.
v6 - Jesus had been scorned, even by his friends, and was despised by many people, including an angry mob just a few hours before
v7-8 - Jesus was mocked by the soldiers, by the others being crucified with him, and by the crowd. They taunted him, saying: Have angels bring you down from the cross!
v14 - "poured out like water" - the spear that pierced Jesus brought forth blood and water - and blood was pouring from other places as well.
v14 - "bones out of joint" - Jesus would have certainly experienced this
v15 - "mouth is dry" - another common experience for victims of crucifixion
I could go on - but I think these examples will suffice. So obviously, this Psalm could be applied to Jesus in what he was experiencing upon the cross.
So the question then becomes: Did Jesus intend for his hearers to think of the Psalm - or did he really just want to use the first verse? In my opinion, he wanted the whole thing - all the negatives - as well as all the good things. You see - this was just a song of desperation - there was hope: a faith in God, a certainty of salvation, even promises at the end that God will reign forever.
So if that's the case, then Jesus' exclamation wasn't simply a cry of desperation, and it certainly wasn't a hopeless plea. You see, Jesus knew that his death would serve a purpose, just as David knew that his problems would serve a purpose as well.
I my opinion, this Psalm is a study in contrasts - a dialogue in the writer's mind between what he is experiencing, and what he knows to be true. On the one hand, enemies were encroaching, and in Jesus' case, even seemed to win (for 3 days). But despite the evil being done, the Psalmist (and Jesus) knew that God would triumph at the end, that the suffering would not be in vain.
This is the gospel - that Jesus' suffering on the cross was not in vain - but for the purpose of salvation. And our hope is that the suffering in our life will also not be in vain - but somehow used to bring the Kingdom of God upon the earth.
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“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”
What was the exact relationship between Father and Son at that moment? We can never know for certain but, we do know that it was a time for judgment: for one to judge and for one to be judged. He who was sinless was to be found sinful. He who was innocent was to be found guilty. He who deserved no punishment was to be punished for the sake of many. He who was Holy was to pass judgment on He who now bore the indescribable curse of our sins. Certainly such a situation must have affected, if only for a short period of time, the heretofore perfect relationship between Father and Son. Perhaps, because Christ cried out my God, my God - rather than my Father, my Father - it was now simply that of a guilty sinner standing before his God.
I like the comment one commentator has about this event: “In those three hours [between the sixth and the ninth] were compressed the hell which we deserved, the wrath of God against all our transgressions. We see it only dimly; we simply cannot know what it meant for Him to satisfy all God’s righteous claims against sin. We only know that in those three hours He paid the price, settled the debt, and finished the work necessary for man’s redemption.”
On that great and final judgment day, at the Great White Throne Judgment, one has to wonder how many others among the great multitude that will be brought before the Throne will, with gnashing of teeth, cry out similar words. In Matthew 7:21 Jesus said, “Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” It is, therefore, extremely important that we each know and understand our own personal relationship with God. Are we living our lives for self, or for God?
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