"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

 

Out of the darkness comes a loud cry. A prayerful, pleading cry. It is not a cry against God, it is a cry to God. At that moment Jesus was alone, more than anyone could be.

Therefore, we visit the fourth word from the cross, this Good Friday afternoon, "My God, My God why did you forsake me?" These words express a reality, these words present a question, and these words require an answer.

 

Now to this point in the proceedings Jesus has been completely silent. Before the Jewish council he says nothing. Before Pilate only two words. During the incident with Barabbas, when the people are asked to choose between Jesus and Barabbas, silence. When he is mocked by the Roman soldiers, silence. When he is placed on the cross, silence. When he is mocked on the cross by bystanders, chief priests and robbers, silence. Then the agonizing period of silence from 12.00 to 3.00 where darkness and silence are mingled.

Finally, at three in the afternoon, Jesus breaks his silence. Those who are reading the story or hearing it for the first time, must be wondering what Jesus has to say about all these events. Let’s assume you never heard the story before, and were hearing it only now. You would be saying to yourself: why is Jesus silent, why doesn’t he say something? You would be waiting for what he had to say.

 

Jesus’ silence is broken with the piercing cry, this cry to God was a prayer.  It is noteworthy that Jesus prays to God at 3.00. That was one of the hours for prayer in Jewish life. So far we have been waiting to hear the thoughts of Jesus, and now we hear them, but who could have prepared us for the Psalm with which Jesus prays? Jesus begins his prayer with a shocking quotation of Psalm 22:

“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? (Psa 22:1 KJV)

 

All people have at some time felt abandoned by God. But in Jesus’ mouth these words are shocking. Jesus claimed to be God’s Son, but here he claims that God has abandoned him.

 

Johan Sebastian Bach composed the St. Matthew Passion, which musically tells the story of the Passion of the Christ according to Matthew.  Musically, Bach has placed a “halo” of strings around each of the sayings of Jesus.  The “halo” representing the glory which shone around Jesus the Christ.  Bach, however, withholds the musical “halo” from the Cry of Abandonment; the glory of the Father was removed from the abandoned figure on the Cross.[i][ii]  Jesus may have felt abandoned, but hope was not lost.

It is important to understand that Jesus has not lost his faith. It is not that the crucifixion has caused him to doubt God. The words, "My God, My God" show that Jesus regards God as his God. Far from a collapse of faith, or a crisis of faith, this is faith at its most bold and it most courageous. Even in the midst of the most agonizing death, Jesus will not abandon his belief that God exists and not only that he exists but that the God who has allowed this terrible thing to happen to him is HIS God.

 

Jesus knew what it was to experience desertion, his family had done so, he came unto his own, but they chose to not receive him, the disciples fled, now God deserts him. For Jesus who lived in constant relationship and communion with his Father, this was the cruelest blow, a blow beyond description. In all the abandonment that Jesus must have felt, and now hanging on a cross, how could he not feel that God had abandoned him. 

 

I think that it is safe to say that all people have at some time, after feeling abandoned by those around them, or when things aren’t going well, feel like God has abandoned them.

 

 I’d like to share a story with you. 

In the April 14, 2003 edition of the New York Times, a shocking photograph of a wounded Kurdish man in northern Iraq draped the front page.  The photo showed the man laying on a stretcher in front of the doors of a hospital.  The hospital refused to take him in, and the Arab men standing by were spitting on him-spitting on a helpless, wounded man lying in pain,[iii] They did not know who he was; but he was a member of the wrong group, so they were spitting on him.  At this point in this man’s life, he must have wondered why God had forsaken him.  We’ve all been in positions where we have felt abandoned by God.  Although the question of Why God has forsaken Jesus is shocking for some, it can be a sense of relation, commonality, and comfort for us.  The fully divine and yet fully human Christ is showing his human side.  The Christ feels pain, and asks why God has allowed this to happen; This is something that many of us can relate to.  Where is God when we hurt?.

 

This point on the Cross offers much more than this; more than just a feeling of having something in common with the human feelings of Christ. 

 

In the three previous statements, Jesus refers to God as Abba-Father.  Only here does Jesus address God as God.  This is almost like walking up to your father and calling him mister.  Christ senses that God has abandoned and deserted him. 

 

This point illustrates the humanness of Christ is linked with the divineness, opening the door for Christians to be rid of the estrangement from God-uniting us with God, the Father.  The sinless Christ, who felt God’s estrangement died to unite us with him, with his Father.  The Christ’s death, paying the penalty for sin’s wages of death and separation; Christ’s feeling of abandonment and estrangement from the Father- all were given so that all who believe in him will be united with the Father.   God’s ever-present nature rids us of being abandoned and estranged from God. 

 

Our faith fails us, and then we think that God has left us, interestingly, our Lord’s faith did not falter for a moment, for he says twice, "My God, My God." The double expression in the words "My God, My God" reveal his unhesitating faith. This phrase suggests that Jesus is saying, "Even if You have forsaken me, I have not forsaken You". Jesus’ hour that he had been moving towards had come and he faced it knowingly.

Why was Jesus forsaken? The answer clearly must be that we might never be forsaken. That we might always know the presence and help of God. "And I will be with you always" (Matthew 28: 20). Matthew who records the extreme lonliness of Jesus ends his gospel with this promise of eternal companionship. Never, ever are we alone in our most darkest moment. Never are we alone in our suffering. Never are we alone in the midst of our pain.

When we do feel alone, abandoned, deserted, afraid....., let us learn from Jesus’ example, he cried, "My God, My God." Let nothing drive you from your faith in God.

When we feel most betrayed, Jesus understands, for he experienced total abandonment.

When we feel most alone, the truth and reality is that we are not.

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