…to forsake someone means “to renounce or turn away from someone entirely”
(Merriam-Webster).
Jesus quoted these words of David from Psalm 22:1 on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt 27:45-46 NIV), and there are so many questions this passage raises. One of the church traditions has taught that because of the weight of sin Jesus carried on our behalf, God could not look upon Him and needed to turn away or forsake Jesus, to completely turn away and renounce Him. That has never sat well with me as a Bible-believing follower of Christ, and the only way this seems possible is if Jesus’ words are taken literally, out of context, and not connected to the rest of scripture. Did God the Father truly forsake Jesus in His greatest hour of need?
There does not appear to be any indication in scripture that God would ever turn away. In fact, it goes against the very nature of who God is and the relationship between the Father and the Son. Jesus said, “I and the Father are One” (John 10:30) and “whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9-11). If this is true, was the trinity of God split at the most crucial time in human history? For that moment, was the Trinity not in harmony? What happened to God? There is no place in scripture that seems to indicate that Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and God the Father would ever be less than the Trinity in complete harmony.
There is something greater going on. Jesus was a Jewish Rabbi who followed Jewish law and custom. Jewish boys were trained in Torah by memorizing what is known as the Old Testament. Those young men who excelled at this went on to be teachers or rabbis. So ingrained in scripture were these students that when a rabbi began to quote a passage, the students could carry on and quote the entire rest of the passage and understand the full context of the original quote. This is the idea behind a Jewish hermeneutic or training tool called a remez (or a hint). A remez offers a hint or an allusion to a larger passage of scripture.
Being of the 1980’s generation, this would be similar to me quoting a line from a song of a very famous movie… “Highway to the danger zone…” If you are of my generation, you might be immediately drawn to remember the Top Gun movie and maybe even where you saw that movie. You might remember Tom Cruise was the leading man, or that Val Kilmer and Kelly McGillis played key roles. Or this line from another movie… “If there’s somethin’ strange in the neighborhood, who ya gonna call…” you might respond enthusiastically, Ghostbusters! Again, vivid images from parts of that movie might stand out in our imagination. This is how a remez works. One phrase calls to mind a context much greater than the simple initial phrase.
When Jesus spoke Psalm 22:1, the priests and the scribes (and other Jews) who were standing at the foot of the cross mocking Him, would surely be able to understand the broader context of those words Jesus spoke. They were trained and memorized scripture and knew exactly what Jesus was saying by using this quote.
So what is Psalm 22 about? (Click here to see the passage.) It is a Messianic psalm. Although it was written by David, it foreshadowed the suffering and crucifixion that Jesus would endure. By referring to this passage, Jesus took His final moments on the cross and, as the greatest Rabbi to ever live, said once again, “I am He!” In speaking that one verse, it should not surprise us that the greatest Teacher was using a technique to teach the greatest sermon that was never verbally spoken.
He was the one David prophesied about. He was the Messiah. He used one verse to call to mind an entire passage for those in His midst. They would understand the magnitude of what He was doing by simply speaking that one verse.
If we see the words He spoke on the cross in the greater context of the passage and consider that this is what Jesus was doing, it resolves the questions. Jesus still dies on our behalf. Jesus still took on all the sin of the world. He still suffered greatly in the process. We still have the opportunity to come to the Father, through the Son, and by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Trinity was never split nor in disharmony. God the Father did not abandon or turn away from Him in His greatest hour of need, and we can be assured He will be there for us in our greatest hour as well.
As Jesus was taking His last breath on earth, the great Rabbi never stopped teaching. Most importantly, my Savior died in complete victory and not weak and abandoned by the Father. He was declaring that He was the Messiah up to His final breath. It seems appropriate that John 19:30 also records Jesus’ last words being “It is finished!” as if Jesus was giving the bookend to His Psalm 22 sermon. That last verse of Psalm 22 says, “They will come and declare His righteousness to a people yet to be born—because He has done it!” Very appropriate, for indeed… it is finished, and He has done it!