"My God, My God Why Have You Forsaken Me" Matthew 27:46

Jesus being raised in Nazareth, spoke Aramaic. Hanging on the cross he was in extreme agony as he suffered and died for all mankind. Matthew's account includes the details of these events. After experiencing ridicule, abuse from the Roman soldiers, and trials, Jesus was crucified. No doubt mockers were heckling Jesus when an unnatural darkness fell over Israel. We don’t know what the people's reaction to the darkness was, but Jesus remained silent during three hours of darkness. He patiently bore the suffering with a sense of divine wrath, conflict with the power of darkness and the hiding of his Father's countenance.

About the ninth hour (three o'clock in the afternoon) Jesus breaks out in anguish with his last words on the cross, "Eli Eli Lama Sabachtlani" which means "My God, my God why hast Thou forsaken me." That's a heartbreaking cry coming from the Son of God!

Three o’clock was the traditional time of day for the slaying and offering of daily sacrifices. Jesus is saying "I trust God, let him deliver me now." He calls him his God, not as he was God, but as man. He was praying to him as his God, believing in him, loving him, and obeyed him even though God hid his face from Jesus. Even then Jesus expressed strong faith, confidence and obedience.

When Jesus refers to being "forsaken" he is not referring to the hypostatical union being dissolved. He was still the Godhead dwelt bodily in him. He was not separated from the love of God. He had the same interest in his Father's heart, and as his Son he became a mediator for all people. This scene at the cross is evidence of Christ's human nature, he was like any of us. He had a human soul, endured sorrows and suffering. The heinousness of sin was upon him as he became the sacrifice for all our sins.

Human understanding is necessarily limited when it comes to God's exact nature but at the moment Jesus "yielded up the ghost" "the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom." Think of it, Jesus, the Son of God, died for our sins and opened communication directly with God the Father. We can be free because of Jesus!

Johnna Wheeler