As Jesus hung on the cross, He cried out the agonizing words that tear into the heart of anyone with a tender heart: “My God, My God! Why have you forsaken me?” It is painful to hear God’s only begotten Son, beloved of the Father, to proclaim that He has been forsaken by the Father He adores.

Often this passage is read and the comment is made that because Jesus bore the sins of the world, God had to turn His face from Him and the darkened sky represented the abandoned Son on the cross. But did God really turn His back on His Son and forsake Him as He hung between God and man? If God could not look at His Son on the cross due to the sins of the world, will He turn his face from me in my darkest hour?

Jesus is quoting a passage from Psalm 22:1 that Biblical scholars know as a Psalm of the Messiah providing a view of the suffering from the cross. Beyond the description of the Messiah’s suffering, the Psalm is a lesson in trust. Let’s look at the message of Psalm 22.

  • Verses 1-3 includes the mournful cry of our Savior on the cross. It appears that God is not listening because the Psalmist (and our Lord) is suffering at the hands of enemies. He cried out day and night and though there was no answer, he did not deny the rule of God on His throne.
  • Verses 4-5 contain a key passage to understanding the Psalm: our Fathers trusted and you did not forsake them. God answered their cry.
  • Verses 6-11 notes that the enemies of the Psalmist mock him saying that God has forsaken him. But the Psalmist affirms his trust in God since he was a nursing child. He begs for God to stay close since trouble is near.
  • Verses 12-18 describe the enemies that surrounded him and the cruel treatment he received.
  • Verses19-21a is another call for God to save Him.
  • Verse 21b, in the New King James says “You have answered me.” The ESV says “You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen.” The cry for help was heard.
  • Veres 22-24 are triumphant verses proclaiming that God did not forsake His Son as the enemies charged and appeared was the case from His cry. In fact, Psalm 22 specifically teaches that the Father did not forsake His Son nor did God hide His face from Him! This is the opposite of what many Christians conclude today from this passage.
  • Verses 25-31 proclaim the glories of God and His righteousness and His care for His people.

So why would Jesus say “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” from the cross? Again, the context is the key. In Matthew 27:37-44 the thieves, chief priests, scribes and elders are mocking Jesus and His claim to be the Son of God, daring Him to leave the cross and prove His divinity. But the key verse in this context is verse 43:

He trusts in God; let God deliver him now , if he desires him. For he said, “I am the Son of God.” (ESV)

The apparent logical conclusion of the enemies claim is that either Jesus is not the Son of God or that Jesus is the Son of God but has been abandoned on the cross since He is not being rescued. Jesus does not have the breath or time to give a dissertation of the true situation: He is God’s Son but He must remain on the cross for the salvation of man–God did not abandon nor forsake Jesus but He cannot rescue Jesus without destroying their plan.

Though He does not have the time and breath to argue this, He can yell out “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani” which points to Psalm 22 which the Jewish audience which would have been well acquainted with and likely memorized. Reflecting on the passage the wise would see that the events described in the Psalm were taking place before their eyes. They would also know that Psalm 22 teaches that the suffering servant was not forsaken on the cross, that God heard him and did not turn His face from Him, and ultimately many would rejoice for the act of the Savior. Psalm 22 reveals the real perspective of the events on Golgotha that Jesus was not abandoned and God heard His cry.

When my son was small he had to endure a painful examination to test for a disease. The nature of the test and his young age would not allow the doctors to administer pain relief and his very young age left him confused. I was with him during the examination. Parts of the test were very painful and he is squeezing my hand, crying loudly, and looking at me helplessly. I could have stopped the doctor and taken him from the room but we wouldn’t know his true health condition. I had the power to free him but because of his greater need, I did not. I did hold his hands, look him in the eye, constantly assured him that I was there and the pain would be over soon, and comforted him when the procedure was over. I could not stop his pain and he had to endure the suffering but I never abandoned him while he was going through the pain. Taking Matthew 27 and Psalm 22 together, I see such a relationship between the Father and His Beloved Son: He allowed Him to suffer but did not turn His face from Him.

Though the thought of God turning his back on His Son as He carried the sins of the world sound deeply moving and profound, the clear teaching of Psalm 22 is that it did not happen. God was with His Son in His darkest hour as he bore the sins of the world and died on the cross. God will not forsake you in your darkest hour and will be with you when you transition from this life to eternity.