Why did Jesus say, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” when he was on the cross? 

I have always been taught it was because God the Father turned his back on Jesus when Jesus took our sin upon himself. The Father can’t be in the presence of sin and thus was forced to turn away. I accepted this as the truth for many years. However, I now don’t think this was the case at all. 

Let’s take a look at the day Jesus died on the cross. What does the Bible tell us regarding the things Jesus said while hanging on the cross? 

What Does Matthew Say

“Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him. 

As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross. And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. 

And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots. Then they sat down and kept watch over him there. And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” 

The Two Robbers

Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way. 

Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭27:27-50‬ (‭ESV)‬‬

What Did Jesus Cry Out

In verse 50 it says Jesus cried out with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. What did he cry out? To find that out we need to take a look at two verses. 

“When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”‭‭John‬ ‭19:30‬ ‭(ESV)

“Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭23:46‬ ‭(ESV)‬‬

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. 

Can God Be In The Presence Of Sin

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 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! Here are two times in the Old Testament when God is in the presence of sin. 

Adam And Eve

“And they (Adam and Eve) heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” Genesis‬ ‭3:8-10‬ ‭(ESV‬‬)(words in parenthesis mine)

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. So there stands Adam and Eve, covered in sin, yet God himself comes and has conversations with not just them but the serpent too. How could God stand to be there talking to those people if he can’t be in the presence of sin? 

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. 

Job

Now to our second story. We find another example of a time when God is in the presence of sin in the book of Job. 

“Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?”

Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.” ‭‭Job‬ ‭1:6-12‬ (‭ESV)‬‬

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. 

What About The Trinity

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 Holy Spirit? If so, does that mean for a time we didn’t have the Trinity? It just doesn’t add up.

Jesus said time and time again that “I and the Father are one,” and, “if you see me, you have seen the Father.” Jesus made many statements regarding him being not just a man but also God in the flesh. How can anything, including sin, separate Jesus from the Father since they are one?

What Did Jesus Mean 

So what did Jesus mean when he said, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” I believe he is referencing Psalm 22.‬‬ Remember Psalms are songs. It would be like me saying, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound…” You all know exactly what I am referring to. I don’t even have to sing the melody for you to know what song I am referencing. Let’s look at Psalm 22 and see what it says. Does it give us clarity?

Psalm 22

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest. 

I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death. For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet— I can count all my bones— they stare and gloat over me; they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots. 

But you, O Lord, do not be far off! O you my help, come quickly to my aid! Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog! Save me from the mouth of the lion! You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen! I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you: You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him, and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel! 

He Has Not Despised Me

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. From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will perform before those who fear him. The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord! May your hearts live forever! All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you.

For kingship belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations. All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, even the one who could not keep himself alive. Posterity shall serve him; it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation; they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that he has done it.” ‭‭Psalm‬ ‭22:1-2, 14-31‬ ‭(ESV)‬‬

If you were there that day, looking around, you would have seen this exact scene playing out. You would see a man pierced in his hands and feet. There would be guys casting lots for his clothing. Psalm 22 describes exactly what was happening right then and there. 

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.”

God Is Not Far Off

Psalms 22:24 (ESV) says, “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?”  Did Jesus feel forsaken? Yes. I’m sure he did. He was forsaken by his closest friends, who all ran and hid to save their lives. Maybe he, in his flesh, felt alone and far from the Father. I can’t say for sure. What I do know is that Jesus did experience everything you and I have and will experience. I know I’ve felt distant from the Father in the past. 

Is it possible 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? The truth is, he hasn’t. Just as the Father did not forsake Jesus when he was on the cross, the Father has also never forsaken us. He’s closer than you think!

The Father Comes To Us

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. I’ve heard story after story of times when God came to people who were neck deep in sin because it was time for these people to be rescued. I know that God never turns his back on me when I sin. He in fact draws me to him so that I can change my thinking and become even closer to him. 

Sin isn’t more powerful than God. The Father never turns his back on us, even when we are in the deepest, darkest sin possible. I don’t believe it is in God’s character to turn his back on his son for any reason. 

When Jesus said, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” he wanted to tell everyone who he really is, one last time before dying. Jesus wanted everyone there to recall the song they sang in the synagogues (maybe they even sang it the Sabbath before). He wanted everyone there to see what was happening, and know that Jesus is their Messiah. Three days later Jesus proved he is God once again when he rose from the dead!