"Why Have You Forsaken Me?" - Jesus to His Father

The Death of Jesus

4 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli,lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). 47 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.” 48 Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. 49 The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.” 50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. 51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split 52 and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and[e] went into the holy city and appeared to many people.  54 When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”

If we ever doubted Jesus was human, we hear his words spoken to his heavenly Father when he was hanging on the cross, "My God, my God why have you forsaken me?" As a parent I can't ever imagine forsaking my children.  So often we hear about the sacrifice that Jesus made for us as we should. But often don't focus on the fact that God the Father had to forsake God the Son on the cross.  Remember at Jesus' baptism the words that came out of heaven, "This is my Son with whom I am well pleased." Now he was forsaken by His Father.  

Jesus was completely obedient to both his earthly parents and His Father in heaven.  Jesus spent copious amounts of time with His Father before he began His ministry.  Jesus never did anything without consulting His Father.  Paul says Jesus was the exact representation of God.  He was the image of the invisible God.  I believe this gives new meaning to some of the last words of God, "My God, my God why have you forsaken me."

So why did God the Father have to forsake His Son?  For Jesus to be the sacrificial lamb of God who took away the sins of the world, he needed to take on the punishment we deserved.  Though he did not deserve he paid a debt he did not owe, for we who had a debt we could not pay.  Jesus paid our debt on the cross so we could be redeemed and set free to know God. But notice that even though Jesus knew he was going to the cross to be the Savior of the world it didn't lessen his sense of being forsaken.  

Jesus agonized in the garden asking God to take the cup of suffering from him.  Jesus agonized on the cross realizing God had forsaken him.  Though Jesus endured almost every kind of suffering from human beings, I believe the most painful suffering for him came from being separated from His Father.  When Jesus finally gave up His spirit we see what happened.  The temple curtain was torn in two.  The earth shook.  Rocks split and tombs broke open.  Saints were resurrected from the dead.  Jesus death changed life on earth forever.  The sin that separated us from God had been paid in full on the cross and the forsaken one was soon back at His Father's right hand side.  And when he returns he will come back in great and promised glory to bring those he purchased with his blood to be with His Father forever.