My God, My God Why Have You Forsaken Me?
Famous Last Words: A Cry of Anguish and Hope
We all have those movie quotes or song lyrics that stick with us. A few words can trigger an entire scene, a memory, or a deep emotion. “Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi…” and you can probably finish the line. “Life is like a box of chocolates…” and you know exactly what’s coming next.
But what about when Jesus spoke from the cross? His words were not just the last gasps of a dying man; they were carefully chosen, full of meaning, and meant to be remembered. This week, we reflect on perhaps the most gut-wrenching of all His statements: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34).
A Cry of Despair…
As darkness covered the land, Jesus, suffering beyond what we can imagine, cried out in agony. It’s hard to hear those words without feeling a deep ache in our souls. Was this truly a moment of abandonment? Had God turned His back on His Son?
If we’ve walked through seasons of grief, pain, or unanswered prayers, we might resonate with these words more than we’d like to admit. Who among us has not asked, “God, where are You?” in the midst of suffering? If Jesus—God in the flesh—felt this, then surely He understands when we feel it too.
…and a Declaration of Hope
But what if this wasn’t just a cry of despair? What if Jesus was pointing us to something deeper?
His words are a direct quote from Psalm 22, a song of lament written by David. And if we follow the lyrics beyond the opening line, we see a remarkable shift. The psalm begins in anguish—“Why have you forsaken me?”—but it moves toward trust: “Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One” (Psalm 22:3). It speaks of suffering—“They pierce my hands and my feet” (Psalm 22:16)—but it ends in victory: “All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord” (Psalm 22:27).
Jesus wasn’t just lamenting; He was leading us to the rest of the story. Yes, He felt the weight of our sin. Yes, He endured the deepest darkness. But He also trusted in the Father’s ultimate plan—a plan that would not end in death but in resurrection.
What This Means for Us
We will all experience moments when God seems distant. Prayers go unanswered. Pain lingers. Doubt creeps in. But Jesus shows us that feeling abandoned does not mean we are abandoned. Even in the depths of suffering, God is still working.
Psalm 22 doesn’t end in despair, and neither does our story. Jesus endured the cross “for the joy set before Him” (Hebrews 12:2)—the joy of redeeming us, of bringing us into eternal fellowship with Him.
So, if you find yourself in a dark season, take heart. Jesus has been there. He knows the pain. And He also knows the joy that is coming.
A Call to Faith
As we continue through this Lenten season, let’s sit with this tension: the reality of suffering and the promise of redemption. Let’s bring our honest cries to God, knowing that Jesus Himself has cried them too. And let’s hold onto the hope that, just like Jesus, we are not abandoned—we are being carried toward resurrection.
Will you trust Him even in the darkness? Will you believe that the story isn’t over? Let’s lean into Jesus’ words, not just as a cry of anguish, but as an invitation to hope.