If Christ has not been raised
Cross on a high hill on a broad landscape
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Matthew 27:46
We celebrate Easter this month and I am certain that there is no more important date on the calendar than this celebration. The resurrection is the most foundational belief we have in our faith. As the Apostle Paul says, “if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:14). As foundational as the resurrection is, it could not take place without the death of Jesus. So, along with his resurrection we also celebrate Christ’s death. What an odd thing to celebrate. Why would anyone memorialise someone’s death?
The people of God remember Jesus’ death because without it there would be no redemption for sinners (Hebrews 9:22). Since his death would be so significant, Jesus establishes a meal that would stand as a constant reminder of his sacrifice (Luke 22:19, 20). Each time the church serves the Lord’s Supper, we do so to remember Christ’s death. A few moments before Jesus died, he spoke the words, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” This statement was originally misunderstood by those standing around the cross. Matthew writes, “and some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, ‘This man is calling Elijah’” (Matthew 27:47) and still many today misunderstand what Jesus meant. Some use it as a proof that Jesus was not God saying, “If Jesus is God wouldn’t he know the answer to this question? Didn’t he know why he was there and what was happening?” The answer is that of course Jesus knew everything that was going to happen to him and why they were happening (John 18:4).
So then, Jesus’ final question is not a proof that he was simply a mortal man and there must be another meaning. It is important to understand that the question Jesus asks is a direct quote from Psalm 22. Biblical scholars agree that this psalm of David foretells the crucifixion in great detail. It serves a perfect script detailing the final hours of Jesus’ life, “For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet” (v16). David’s psalm is clearly foretelling the future mistreatment and crucifixion of Jesus, but it is also speaking of psalmist’s own experiences of feeling abandoned by God. “Forsaken” means to be abandoned or deserted. Whether due to our own sin or walking through a deep spiritual valley, Christian’s may often feel alone or far away from God’s presence. God never forsakes his children, but it can feel that way sometimes. Even when David is feeling alone, he never loses faith. He still addresses God as “My God” and so does Jesus.
What does Jesus mean by the question, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
First, there was a real forsakenness. While Jesus was on the cross, he bore all of our sins. God the Father could not look on him and turned his face away. Because of our sin, Jesus was damned for us. He was quite literally sentenced to death on our behalf.
Second, Jesus’ use of the word “why” was not as a question looking for an answer, but an expression of his abandonment and agony. He was truly man after all and not separated from his emotions.
Lastly, Jesus’ use of this quote from Psalm 22 was mean to reveal a connection to us in our own struggles and feelings of abandonment because of our sin. While Jesus never sinned, he certainly recognised and felt an aspect of sin clearly as it pertains to the feelings of abandonment. We are told that Jesus sympathises with our weaknesses because he has been tempted just as we have (Hebrews 4:15) and we take solace in knowing that Jesus understands what we experience.
While Jesus was on the cross, he understood what the prophet says, “but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear” (Isaiah 59:2). Sin creates an uncrossable divide between us and God. Even after our salvation we may sometimes feel forsaken by God because of sin, but be assured that Jesus endured the cross, experienced abandonment, and died in order that we could be adopted and loved by God.
As we celebrate Christ’s resurrection, let us never forget the death that brought us life.
Pastor Joshua