These words of the Lord Jesus from the cross are found in Matthew 27:46, “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”  These words are also found in Mark 15:34. These are, indeed, heartbreaking words for the Lord to cry out. 

It is important for us to realize that the Lord Jesus did not ask that question because He did not know the answer.  It was Peter who said to the Lord in John 21:17, “Lord, thou knowest all things…”  Certainly, the Lord Jesus knew why He had been forsaken.  He asked that question so that we might ponder the truth of what He asked and the purpose of the cross of Calvary.  Why would God forsake the Lord Jesus when He was doing exactly what God wanted Him to do?  We read in Philippians 2:8, “And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became OBEDIENT UNTO DEATH, even the death of the cross.”  We read the words of the Lord Jesus in John 8:29, “And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.”  He continued to ALWAYS do those things which pleased the Father, yet soon, He would be left alone as He hung on Calvary’s tree…forsaken of God.

Psalm 22 is known as a Messianic Psalm, which means it is prophetic of the Messiah…the Lord Jesus.  The psalm starts off with this familiar question, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent.”  (Verses 1-2).  Oh my!  What a pitiful cry for the Lord Jesus to make.  Although He was not silent in lifting His voice…it seems His cry was not listened to or heeded. This is particularly heartbreaking when we consider the close relationship between the Lord Jesus and God.  Proverbs 8:30 tells us about this relationship, where the Lord stated, “I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him.”  Yet, God forsook this One He loved so dearly.  He forsook the One who always pleased Him.  He forsook the One who obeyed Him by going to the cross to die. 

Did God answer His question?  As we read on in Psalm 22, we can see the Lord answered His own question.  Verse 3 says, “But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.”  It was God’s holiness that caused Him to turn away from the Lord Jesus and forsake Him. To forsake means to leave behind or desert.  Again, we get great insight about this act by reading in verse 1 again, “…why art thou so far from helping me.”  This gives the thought of being totally left behind.  The distance was great, and the pain felt by the Lord Jesus is beyond knowing.  In fact, the word ‘excruciate’ was formed with this awful suffering in mind.  We read in the definition of that word, “late 16th century: from Latin excruciat- ‘tormented’, from the verb excruciare (based on crux, cruc- ‘a cross’).” 

Why did the holiness of God cause Him to forsake the Lord Jesus?  It was while hanging on that cross that the Lord Jesus literally took our sins upon Himself as we read in 1 Peter 2:24, “Who his own self BARE OUR SINS IN HIS OWN BODY ON THE TREE, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.”  As the Lord Jesus hung on the cross, with our sins laid upon Him, God, because of His absolute holiness, had to turn away from Him.  We learn in Habakkuk 1:13, “Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity…”  What a price that had to be paid for the remission of our sins.  God is holy and God is righteous.  Sin, in order to be forgiven, MUST be paid for, and the Lord Jesus, taking our sins upon Himself on Calvary, was the ONLY sacrifice acceptable to God to put away our sins.  So, the Lord Jesus hung on that cross forsaken of God and largely rejected by man so that we might be saved.  He deserves our highest praise and worship.

Let me ask you dear reader, do you now know the answer to that awful question, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAST THOU FORSAKEN ME?”  Do you realize the tremendous price that had to be paid in order for you to be saved and have forgiveness of your sins?  I pray that if you have never put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as your savior, you will do that now.  It is too important to delay!  (CC)  (665.4)