My God_Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me

							    “My God, My God,




Why Has Thou Forsaken Me?”
My God, my God, why hast thou
forsaken me? why art thou so
far from helping me, and from
the words of my roaring?
                     Psalm
22:1
And at the ninth hour Jesus
cried with a loud voice,
saying,   Eloi,    Eloi,   lama
sabachthani? which is, being
interpreted, My God, my God,
why hast thou forsaken me?
                       Mark
A most profound question, especially as
uttered by Jesus
Sadder than the wail of death, yet more
beautiful than all creation

Deals with the God of Heaven, the
Son of man, and the scheme of
redemption
Examine this solemn cry of our sinless
Savior
It Was a




           Prophetic Cry
The words of Psalm 22:1 are the same
words Jesus cried from the cross
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?
                      Matthew
The words of Psalm 22:1 are the same
words Jesus cried from the cross

Psalm 22 is said to contain some 33
distinct prophecies which were fulfilled at
Calvary; yet, it was written by David
1000 years before Christ was born

The Psalmist gives a more vivid
description of Christ on the cross than
do the gospel writers
At the time David wrote, crucifixion was
not even known; when the gospel writers
penned their words it was widely known


David spoke in hyperbole;         never
suffered such things literally


Only the Lord fulfilled these matters
completely
It Was a




           Personal Cry
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?
                      Matthew
In his flight from Saul, abandonment by
associates and close brushes with death,
David likely felt as if God had deserted
him
No man can realize the agony of
separation within the Godhead as
Christ would experience it
Being Himself God (Deity, the Son-
Jn. 1:1-14), He cried unto God (His
Father)
I and my Father are one.
                      John
10:30
Jesus saith unto her, Touch me
not; for I am not yet ascended
to my Father: but go to my
brethren, and say unto them, I
ascend unto my Father, and your
Father; and to my God, and your
God.
It Was a




           Plaintive Cry
If ever one deserved compassion, it was
Christ


This was no ordinary human being dying
on the cross
The officers answered,      Never
man spake like this man.
                           John
7:46
Therefore doth my Father love
me, because I lay down my life,
that I might take it again. No
man taketh it from me, but I
lay it down of myself. I have
power to lay it down, and I
have power to take it again.
This    commandment    have   I
received of my Father.
Jesus saith unto him, I am the
way, the truth, and the life:
no man cometh unto the Father,
but by me.
                       John
14:6
If ever one deserved compassion, it was
Christ


This was no ordinary human being dying
on the cross


This was the Lamb of God (Jn. 1:29),
the Only Begotten of the Father (Jn.
3:16, 17), the Prince of life (Acts 3:15)
It Was a




           Perplexing Cry
Difficult to comprehend the idea of
Deity being abandoned by Deity; of
One being separated

One Who lived a perfect life was
forsaken by One Who never forsakes
the righteous
The eyes of the LORD are upon
the righteous, and his ears are
open unto their cry.
                       Psalm
34:15
Difficult to comprehend the idea of
Deity being abandoned by Deity; of
One being separated

One Who lived a perfect life was
forsaken by One Who never forsakes
the righteous

How was it that the Son was “forsaken”
by the Father?
Partly, because He did not come to His
rescue

After His temptation, angels ministered
to Him
Then the devil leaveth him,
and, behold, angels came and
ministered unto him.
                  Matthew
4:11
Partly, because He did not come to His
rescue

After His temptation, angels ministered
to Him

At His transfiguration, Moses and
Elijah spoke to Him about His death
And, behold, there talked with
him two men, which were Moses
and Elias: Who appeared in
glory, and spake of his decease
which he should accomplish at
Jerusalem.
                      Luke
Partly, because He did not come to His
rescue

After His temptation, angels ministered
to Him

At His transfiguration, Moses and
Elijah spoke to Him about His death

Even      in   Gethsemane       angels
strengthened Him
And there appeared     an     angel
unto    him     from        heaven,
strengthening him.
                             Luke
22:43
However, at this most pressing hour
there was nothing but silence and
darkness from heaven
He Who knew no sin became sin for us
(not a sinner, but the curse for sin)
For he hath made him to be sin
for us, who knew no sin; that
we    might    be   made     the
righteousness of God in him.
                   II
Corinthians 5:21
Christ hath redeemed us from
the curse of the law, being
made a curse for us: for it is
written, Cursed is every one
that hangeth on a tree:
                   Galatians
3:13
However, at this most pressing hour
there was nothing but silence and
darkness from heaven
He Who knew no sin became sin for us
(not a sinner, but the curse for sin)
He that was all-righteous was tasting
death for us, experiencing what all who
are separated from God will know, what
it was like to be God-abandoned in the
darkness
Christ was suffering the penalty of sin’s
separation for us
But   your    iniquities   have
separated between you and your
God, and your sins have hid his
face from you, that he will not
hear.
                      Isaiah
59:2
For when we were yet without
strength, in due time Christ
died for the ungodly. For
scarcely for a righteous man
will one die: yet peradventure
for a good man some would even
dare to die. But God commendeth
his love toward us, in that,
while we were yet sinners,
Christ was suffering the penalty of sin’s
separation for us

As He became the sin offering for
mankind, He Who is of purer eyes than
to behold iniquity turned His face from
Him
Thou art of purer eyes than to
behold evil, and canst not look
on iniquity: wherefore lookest
thou upon them that deal
treacherously, and holdest thy
tongue    when     the   wicked
devoureth the man that is more
righteous than he?
Christ was suffering the penalty of sin’s
separation for us

As He became the sin offering for
mankind, He Who is of purer eyes than
to behold iniquity turned His face from
Him

For the only time in eternity, Deity was
separated
It Was a




           Penalizing Cry
A cry from sinless lips for sinful man
For even hereunto were ye called:
because Christ also suffered for
us, leaving us an example, that ye
should follow his steps: Who did
no sin, neither was guile found in
his mouth: Who, when he was
reviled, reviled not again; when
he suffered, he threatened not;
but committed himself to him that
judgeth righteously: Who his own
self bare our sins in his own body
A cry from sinless lips for sinful man


Jesus paid the penalty for our sins
Surely he hath borne our griefs,
and carried our sorrows: yet we
did esteem him stricken, smitten
of God, and afflicted. But he was
wounded for our transgressions, he
was bruised for our iniquities:
the chastisement of our peace was
upon him; and with his stripes we
are healed. All we like sheep have
gone astray; we have turned every
one to his own way; and the LORD
A cry from sinless lips for sinful man


Jesus paid the penalty for our sins


He tasted death (separation) for every
man, so that man need not know it
But we see Jesus, who was made
a little lower than the angels
for the suffering of death,
crowned with glory and honour;
that he by the grace of God
should taste death for every
man.
A cry from sinless lips for sinful man


Jesus paid the penalty for our sins


He tasted death (separation) for every
man, so that man need not know it


He gave His life a ransom for all
For even the Son of man came
not to be ministered unto, but
to minister, and to give his
life a ransom for many.
                      Mark
10:45
It Was a




           Painful Cry
Could never fully consider the cross
without considering the pain that
accompanied it
Jesus was taunted, ridiculed, shamefully
treated
He was beaten by both Jews and
Romans
He suffered tremendously even before
the crucifixion itself
He was nailed to a rough cross and
suffered a painful, humiliating death
between two common thieves

All this in addition to His being
forsaken by His Father


He came into the world knowing this was
to be His end
For it is not possible that the
blood of bulls and of goats
should    take    away    sins.
Wherefore when he cometh into
the world, he saith, Sacrifice
and offering thou wouldest not,
but a body hast thou prepared
me:
It Was a




           Priceless Cry
Reveals the priceless debt He paid for
us
For ye are bought with a price:
therefore glorify God in your
body, and in your spirit, which
are God's.
                    I
Corinthians 6:20
Reveals the priceless debt He paid for
us

Reveals the priceless aspect of the
church He purchased
Take   heed    therefore  unto
yourselves, and to all the
flock, over the which the Holy
Ghost hath made you overseers,
to feed the church of God,
which he hath purchased with
his own blood.
Husbands, love your wives, even
as Christ also loved the
church, and gave himself for
it;


Ephesians 5:25
Reveals the priceless debt He paid for
us

Reveals the priceless aspect of the
church He purchased

Reveals the priceless nature of the
human soul
Forasmuch as ye know that ye
were    not   redeemed    with
corruptible things, as silver
and gold, from your vain
conversation    received    by
tradition from your fathers;
But with the precious blood of
Christ, as of a lamb without
blemish and without spot: Who
verily was foreordained before
Reveals the priceless debt He paid for
us

Reveals the priceless aspect of the
church He purchased

Reveals the priceless nature of the
human soul

Reveals the lengths to which God was
willing to go to redeem mankind
For God so loved the world,
that he gave his only begotten
Son, that whosoever believeth
in him should not perish, but
have everlasting life.


John 3:16
Thanks be unto God      for   his
unspeakable gift.
                   II
Corinthians 9:15
Calvary’s cry, “My God, My God,
why has Thou forsaken me,” was:

       A Prophetic Cry
        A Personal Cry
       A Plaintive Cry
       A Perplexing Cry
       A Penalizing Cry
         A Painful Cry
       A Priceless Cry
Sources
-Dan Bailey, “Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me?;” When I Survey the Wondrous Cross (Clifford Newell, ed.), 2005
-Exploring the Psalms, John Phillips