Forsaken…or Not???

Originally posted 4/10/20

Today is Good Friday. It’s a day that is one of the most important days in human history. We call it “good” because it is the day that our Savior, Jesus, died on the cross and took our sins upon himself. It was the day that we could now be reconciled in our relationship with God. Of course, all of that would be unimportant if it weren’t for what I think is the most important day-Resurrection Sunday! If Jesus had not risen from the dead, conquering sin and death once and for all, then his death on the cross and taking our sins wouldn’t have mattered. He would have been no more powerful than we are. It is in his resurrection that we can know for certain that Jesus wasn’t just a man, but in fact God himself, here in the flesh. 

There has been one thing that Jesus said on the cross that has stumped me. I feel like I have some clarity on it, and I want to share it with you! While Jesus was on the cross he said, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” This has always been explained to me as Jesus crying out in agony because God the Father had turned his back on the Son; all of our sin was now on Jesus, and the Father couldn’t be in the presence of sin. I accepted this answer for most of my life. However, a couple of years ago, as I was reading through this part of scripture, it dawned on me that this answer couldn’t be correct at all. Here are my five reasons why I don’t believe that God the Father turned his back on Jesus:

1. In Matthew and Mark, it is recorded that Jesus said, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.” Later in those books it says that he was given some sour wine, cried out in a loud voice, and breathed his last breath. What was it that Jesus cried out? Those answers are found in John and Luke. Luke says that Jesus cried, “Father, into your hands, I commit my spirit,” and then breathed his last breath. John says that Jesus cried, “It is finished!” and gave up his spirit. Why would Jesus say that he is committing his spirit into the Father’s hands if he is covered with sin and God can’t be in the presence of sin? That just doesn’t make any sense to me at all! Did Jesus decide to lie as his last act before he died? Nope! Not at all! That would make him ineligible to be our savior. This was the first thing that popped out to me and got me wondering what he really meant when he said, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.” Let’s look at a few more questions I have and see if we can figure out why he would say that if God wasn’t really forsaking him. 

2. The thought that God can’t be in the presence of sin also doesn’t make any sense. Hang with me here, while I explain my reason for saying such a statement. If God can’t be in the presence of sin, that would mean sin is bigger and more powerful than God. Sin would be more than God could handle, and thus be more powerful than God. We know that can’t be true because we know that God is omnipotent-all powerful. God can’t be all powerful and afraid of sin. Is there any place in the Bible that shows God in the presence of sin? Yep! Are you shocked? Here are two times in the Old Testament when God is in the presence of sin. First, God goes to Adam and Eve after they sin. We don’t know how much time had passed before God went to the Garden, but we do know that it is after Adam and Eve sinned. Don’t you think that if God couldn’t be in the presence of sin he would have hidden himself from Adam and Eve? Instead the exact opposite happened. Adam and Eve separated themselves from God’s presence and God went after them in an effort to show them how much they were still loved by him. He even made them clothes before they left the Garden. Later in the Bible we see God talking to Satan about Job. Satan is the ultimate sinner. There is no bigger sinner than Satan. Yet we see him, the very essence of sin, standing in front of God having a conversation. I would think if God couldn’t be in the presence of sin, he definitely wouldn’t be able to be in the presence of Satan himself. This just blew my mind when my husband pointed this out to me. 

3. Since Jesus is part of the Trinity, and they are 3 in 1, how can any part of the Trinity be separated from himself? It would be like separating ourselves from ourself. It is impossible to do such a thing. If Jesus was forsaken by the Father, was he also forsaken by the Spirit? If so, does that mean for a time we didn’t have the Trinity? It just doesn’t add up. 

4. So what did Jesus mean when he said, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” I believe he is referencing Psalm 22. This happens to be the exact same words in the first line of this Psalm. Remember Psalms were the songs they sang in Bible times. It would be the same as me saying, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound…” You would know immediately what I am referring to. Likewise, I believe that Jesus was wanting everyone around to think of this song. Why? This Psalm is a Messianic Psalm. If you were at the cross and looked around at that moment, you would see this, “For dogs have surrounded me; A band of evildoers has encompassed me; They pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones. They look, they stare at me; They divide my garments among them, And for my clothing they cast lots. But You, O LORD, be not far off; O You my help, hasten to my assistance.” Psalms‬ ‭22:16-19‬ ‭(NASB‬‬) I believe when Jesus said those words, he was making one last attempt to show his people that he truly is the Messiah. After he said those words, there was nothing more to say except, “It is finished.”

5. Psalms 22:24 (ESV)  “For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him.” If verse 1 is used to ‘prove’ that God the Father turned his back on Jesus, then verse 24 could be used to say the exact opposite: God has not despised (held in contempt) or abhorred (detested) Jesus, and He has not hidden his face from Jesus. Why else would Jesus choose to say the words, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  I think in that moment, Jesus was showing how he identifies with us when we feel distant from God, when we feel like God has forsaken us. But the truth is, he hasn’t. He has never forsaken us. He’s closer than you think!

Jesus said time and time again that “I and the Father are one,”  “if you see me, you have seen the Father,” and many other statements regarding him being not just a man but also God in the flesh. I just can’t believe that God would turn his back on his son/himself at this time, a time when Jesus probably needed his Father’s presence more than any other time in his earthly life. We know that God never turns his back on us when we are at our deepest, darkest, most sinful times of our life, even before we ask for forgiveness and surrender our life to Him. To say that God can’t be in the presence of sin would make sin more powerful than God, and I just can’t believe that either. The only explanation that makes sense to me is that he wanted everyone around him to sing that Psalm and think about how it describes exactly what was currently going on in that moment in time. I encourage you to do some praying and research yourself. Find out for yourself why Jesus said those words. Don’t just take my word, or the word of your pastor. The Holy Spirit will show you the truth — he is really good at that! 

I pray you have a blessed Easter. This is definitely an Easter that won’t soon be forgotten. This is a perfect year to spend some extra time talking to God and your family. What else are you going to do?!