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Why did Jesus say, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"



    
    

Clarify Share Report Asked July 01 2013 Mini Anonymous (via GotQuestions)

Community answers are sorted based on votes. The higher the vote, the further up an answer is.

17
Mini Cindy Jennings Disciple
Jesus quoted directly Psalm 22. He knew that any Jews witnessing this would know exactly where to find those words and then read the entire Psalm, which is a Messanic reference to Himself. They would know then for sure that He was their Messiah as many of the things mentioned in that Psalm came to completion during the crucifixion.

April 07 2014 2 responses Vote Up Share Report


10
Mini Pastor Osagie
Our Lord Jesus would say I am in the father and the father is in me ,
John 14:10-11 , when our sins and the sins of the whole world was laid upon him ,God could not dwell in him and him in God at that time ,because he was headed to be used as a sacrifice for us and the whole world,so God had to leave him for that moment until the sacrifice is completed .This is the real answer .Thank you all

July 25 2013 1 response Vote Up Share Report


8
Mini Billy P Eldred
I am sure you have read the poem footprints in the sand. 

JESUS was (as part of the Trinity) God but he came as a man. As a man, he was subject to all the pain that man can feel. It has been said that crucifixion is as intense a form of suffering as man can receive. He had walked His whole life feeling God the Father's presence, but, I believe at this time, just like the man in the poem, He could not feel God's presence. He felt abandoned.

Did God abandon Him? Of course not, it was just because of his pain that Jesus could not feel God with him at that moment, just like the poem. 

I use this as a comfort to me when I attend a funeral of a loved one. Because of the pain of the moment, we cannot feel them with us, but I know, if they are saved, I will be reunited with them. 

I also, all the more, feel the Love of Christ, knowing what he willingly endured for me. If He came as fully God and did not have to feel the pain due to His power, would the sacrifice mean as much? No, He willingly came as a man having to feel the nails driven through His own human hands. What a God we serve.

October 19 2014 0 responses Vote Up Share Report


5
Mini Debbie Mueller
A Bible teacher I knew in the 70 & 80's said - "if Jesus didn't know why the Father had forsaken him, why do we think we would know?"

July 25 2013 0 responses Vote Up Share Report


5
Belfastfella Casper Mcconnell Casper the Irish
I know you have put the traditional interpretation to us, but I must question it now.  
1. The idea that a loving father has in some way a "mountain of sin" stored to then gather and dump on His Son is not logical.
2. The notion that there is a meek Jesus who can bear our sin, but a Holy Father who cannot bear to touch or smell or look on sin must be wrong. I will point to implications that this view leads to at least 3 common heresies: 

i. Jesus is not more loving and sacrificial than his Father. He is not less God than his Father. Did Jesus become defiled, unHoly on the cross? Did our Father lose one Son and turn instead to His adopted sons, those made holy by the blood of the innocent lamb? how did Jesus feel about that... Jealous, or delighted at our Reconciliation? The bible account clearly shows that the Father remained intimate with Jesus while on the cross. It does not say that He turned away and couldn't look. So its not as if Jesus can handle sin better than Father. And the implication of the heresy of abandonment is that our Father hides from us when we sin, so if we are in trouble and get no rescue from pleading prayer we begin to think our Father has turned from us and only Jesus can talk to us now. This is wrong. Our Father loves us so much He cannot take His eyes off us no matter where or what we do.

ii. In fact the Bible does not say that Jesus died for us out of love for us.... He died out of love for His Father and it was the Fathers love for us that nailed Jesus to the cross, not our sin. This is the USP of the Judeo-christian gospel. The only world faith that has resolved the problem of Justice (consequences of sin) with Mercy (undeserved forgiveness)

iii. When Jesus took our place on the cross, did He have to leave the Kingdom of Heaven to bear our sin? Is there any place in the Universe that the Father's love cannot reach. that the Spirit cannot go. Not sure, but I do know that as christians we are constantly jumping in and out of the Kingdom. Sometimes living by Faith, sometimes living "in the (so called) real world" of Rationality. Overcomers by trusting for victory, despairing by our own efforts. I don't think Jesus was (temporarily) expelled from the Kingdom because of the sins of the world. I don't think Jesus lost his trusting faith for one moment. At that moment of feeling forsaken, He was an overcomer.  
So what was Jesus actually saying? We are just so ignorant. We don't know things so we just make it up, using our own rational wisdom. Most Christians do this, its so arrogant.
Jesus was Jewish, so any good Jew would know exactly, verbatim, what He was feeling and saying.
The answer to this question must be to read the whole Psalm that Jesus was quoting.

July 28 2013 2 responses Vote Up Share Report


5
Mini James Kraft 74 year old retired pipeline worker
First John 2:2 And He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world. 

God can not look upon sin. God had to turn his back on His own Son who bore the sins of the whole world, so that any one who would believe he did it for them would be saved. John 6:40 And this is the will of Him who sent me, that ALL that seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life, and I will raise him up on the last day.

Jesus felt the wrath of God being poured out on Him as being a sin offering for us who are saved by faith.

Firsts Corinthians 15:1-4 That Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures, that He was buried and rose again on the third day, according to the scriptures. 

We all deserve to go to hell because we have all sinned against God. In order for us to be saved, we had to have a perfect sacrifice for our sin. Jesus is that perfect sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. 

Jesus took the wrath of God for us. The sins of the whole world were laid on Him, so that we might be saved through Him who loved us. John 3:16. 

For God so loved the world, that HE gave His only begotten Son, Jesus, that WHOSOEVER, BELIEVETH in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life. 

Jesus is our sacrifice for all sin forever. John 3:18 Believers can no longer be condemned because Jesus took the punishment we deserve. 

Romans 3:26 To declare, I say, at this time His righteousness, that He might be the just and the Justifier of them that believe in Jesus.

So when Jesus was paying the sin debt of every one who ever lived, God had to turn His back on His own Son. But, then Jesus said something that is an accounting term. It is FINSHED. That means that His one blood sacrifice paid our sin debt forever so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 

It is the greatest love story ever told. God loved us so much He was willing to sacrifice His only Son to pay for the sins of the whole world, so that anyone who would believe He did it for them would be saved. 

He satisfied Gods requirement for the sin debt of all who would believe. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the GIFT of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. The GIFT of God is ETERNAL LIFE. 

If Jesus had not gone to the cross to pay our sin debt, no one could be saved. But now, eternal life can be given as a free gift to all who believe. 

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace ye are saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the GIFT of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. 

Romans 11:6 AMAZING GRACE, JESUS PAID IT ALL AND WE PAID 0. IT IS FREE, or not at all. John 6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that BELIEVETH on me, HATH EVERLASTING LIFE. 

Since Jesus paid our sin debt in full, we can no longer go to hell to pay for our sins because He already paid for them all. John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son HATH EVERLASTING LIFE; and he that believeth not the Son, shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.

Jesus took the wrath of God for us. We can no longer be condemned. John 3:18 Believers can no longer be condemned, but unbelievers are condemned already because they have not believed on the name of the Son of God.

The GIFT of God is eternal life, though Jesus Christ our Lord.

September 10 2019 0 responses Vote Up Share Report


3
Mini James Bellamy
God has two distinctive wills. He has His sovereign will and moral will. One of the Ten Commandments is to not commit murder. However, the sin was so great that God demanded retribution. The sovereign will far outweighed the moral will concerning the atonement for sins. God put the sins of man on His son to atone for ours, and to restore our standing with God of which was severed by Adam and Eve. Scripture is clear that when Jesus posed this question, the sins of the world that had been bestowed upon Christ were so great that God turned His back to Jesus-He could not look upon the sin. This is why Jesus felt forsaken.

July 29 2013 7 responses Vote Up Share Report


3
Open uri20120319 30809 hfve4n Pop Simas
Let's keep it simple :-) Jesus said (in his humanity) my God my God, why have you forsaken me? Which means why have you left me? He (Jesus the man part) was sinlessly perfect and was made sin for us (the whole world) :-) Jesus (The God part of Him) couldn't be killed nor sacrificed :-) So He who knew no sin became sin and thus as a man (which in-fact could be killed) was so killed and raised by God the Father (according to the Scriptures) on the third day as the Sabbath had ended :-) The resulting Resurrection along with the death and burial is what completes the process and sacrifice to a righteous God and opened the way to heaven for all that would call on the name of Jesus :-) Hope this helps :-)

June 11 2014 0 responses Vote Up Share Report


2
Mini John Cooper
Note carefully that St Jerome who gave us this translation from aramaic felt this text was inadequate in translation so he also included the original text. There is something here that is not clear in the English translation. It is a cry of anguish which could be expressed as "Why have you run away from me? Or "run back to me!" I understand that "suba"  in "sabachthani" means "run". I would be happy for comments.

July 25 2013 1 response Vote Up Share Report


2
Mini Mike Dumais
It indicates several things: 

First that he is the Messiah as described in Psalm 22. 

Next that events were proceeding as predicted, that the worst part of punishment after death is separation from God.

Third, that the faithful will reign with God in perpetuity.

November 18 2014 0 responses Vote Up Share Report


2
Stringio Austin Noble My full names are Austin Noble, born into a christian home,
I am in support of what pastor Osagie`s answered. I will like to add that Jesus Christ describe himself on earth as the son of man,

This word partly address His human nature, and that he knew God and was sent by God. Examples of His nature was seen asking God to take the cup away from Him, example of his divine power He added 'let thy will be done'.

Therefore Jesus Christ human nature was evidence in this statement ´´My Lord, My Lord, why have thou forsaken me? This explains or unveils the process of death to mankind.

When someone undergone torture like Jesus or point of death, it´s obvious the soul, breath, mortal spirit return earlier to the owner GOD a few seconds before the corpse, the mortal body, finally gives up completely or verse versa.

In these 1-5 second that the spirit departed from Him. He murmured these words. Dead body is described as in the Bible 'THE SPIRIT LEFT HIM'.

After the spiritual rites and with the help of God. God gave Jesus Christ back the breath of resurrection. That was supernatural. YES, BECAUSE HE LIVES!

February 26 2015 0 responses Vote Up Share Report


1
Stringio Cassius Ash
Jesus actually said my father, but in any case he was just preparing Himself for an excruciating pain. The body He occupied was going to feel a pain that no man could endure, but it wasn't just the physical pain that hurt. What hurt the most was being accused of the worst crime there was to commit and being innocent of it. Haven't we also asked ourselves why right before doing something we knew was for a better purpose?

July 25 2013 0 responses Vote Up Share Report


1
Mini Kenneth Heck
Christ's quotation from Psalm 22 confirms his fulfillment of its prophecy concerning the Messiah; also Isaiah 53 gives further details. This cry of Jesus proves he was the true Messiah. 

For Christ to be the true Lamb of God, the Holy Spirit, which he possessed without measure from the beginning of his ministry, had to temporarily withdraw from him. This was probably accomplished in the garden of Gethsemane when he appeared to sweat blood while the disciples were asleep. There was no sacrifice of the Holy Spirit, only the physical body and blood of Christ. And there could be no contact with God the Father by a victim during any sacrifice, or it would not be legitimate. Christ was indeed sacrificed like a lamb slain within the Temple. When Christ was resurrected the Holy Spirit returned in a seemingly greater and more profound way and contact with the Father was restored.

February 28 2015 0 responses Vote Up Share Report


1
Mini ainsley chalmers Medical Research Scientist, devoted family man.
Jesus on the cross took our sins on His body and thereby became personification of sin out of His (God's) complete love for us (2 Cor 5:21). Therefore, at this brief moment in eternity, fellowship with the Father was broken and hence this impassioned cry from the lips of Jesus. This final act of love on the cross, reconciled us to God by Christ giving us His righteousness.

October 14 2019 0 responses Vote Up Share Report


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