For centuries, the poignant words of Psalm 22:1-2 have given voice to the deepest anguish and confusion experienced by God’s people in their darkest hours. This ancient cry encapsulates the profound suffering of the innocent who feel utterly abandoned, not only by humanity but seemingly by God Himself:
“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.”
These verses resonate deeply with anyone who has traversed the valley of suffering. Individuals grappling with chronic illnesses, wrestling with the shadows of depression, or facing overwhelming life challenges often find themselves uttering these very words. The feeling of being God-forsaken is a terrifying descent into spiritual desolation. It’s akin to being plunged into an impenetrable darkness, prompting the agonizing question: Has God turned away? Is my suffering a sign of divine displeasure or judgment?
Such profound suffering can crush the spirit, confound the mind, and ignite overwhelming feelings of abandonment, even by God. These emotions are valid and should never be dismissed. However, the crucial question that arises amidst such trials is: Does God truly abandon those who are in Christ? Is divine abandonment a reality for believers?
The Anguished Cry of Dereliction
We are not alone in voicing the lament of Psalm 22 in our moments of agony. These very words echoed from the lips of Jesus Christ, the ultimate innocent sufferer, as He stood on the precipice of death, offering Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. Comprehending Jesus’ cry of abandonment is paramount to navigating our own feelings of spiritual desolation. Matthew 27:45-47, mirrored in Mark 15:33-34, recounts this pivotal moment:
“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?’”
Matthew’s Gospel describes an unnatural, oppressive darkness engulfing the land for three hours. In Scripture, darkness frequently symbolizes God’s judgment and displeasure, representing separation from the very essence of divine light. This “felt” darkness mirrored the plague upon Egypt in Exodus 10:21-22, a divine judgment separating Egyptians from the Israelites. Therefore, the darkness surrounding Jesus’ crucifixion transcends a mere meteorological event; it signifies God’s judgment and displeasure being poured out.
Jesus himself understood this darkness in this light. He endured its oppressive weight for three agonizing hours. Then, around the ninth hour (approximately 3:00 PM), emerging from the darkness, He shattered the silence with a heart-wrenching cry of desolation: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Psalm 22:1 erupted from the sinless Son of God as He confronted abandonment from all, including His Heavenly Father.
Alt text: A somber depiction of the crucifixion scene under a darkened sky, highlighting the isolation and despair conveyed in Jesus’s cry of dereliction.
Was Jesus Truly Abandoned by God?
Jesus’ cry of dereliction, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”, is profoundly challenging to interpret. Was Jesus genuinely God-forsaken, or was it merely a feeling of abandonment? Some interpretations suggest it was a cry of loneliness, while others perceive it as a paradoxical cry of triumph, noting Psalm 22’s ultimate triumphant conclusion. However, to truly grasp the gravity of the moment, we must accept Jesus’ cry at face value. It was a genuine, unmitigated cry of abandonment. As biblical scholar R.T. France aptly notes, “The words Jesus chose to utter are those of unqualified desolation, and Matthew and Mark give no hint that he did not mean exactly what he said.”[1]
This scripture unveils the unfathomable depth and horror of Jesus’ suffering. In that pivotal moment, Jesus was plunged into outer darkness, separated from the Father’s immediate presence, to bear the weight of the world’s sin. France further elucidates, “In giving his life as a ransom for many for the forgiveness of sins he must, for the moment, be separated from his Father.”[2] Having experienced unbroken communion with the Father from eternity past, Jesus felt the full, crushing weight of separation from God – the very separation our sin demands. For the first and only time in eternity, He was truly alone, utterly God-forsaken.
As we grapple with this profound truth, two crucial points deserve emphasis. First, this was not divine child abuse or some cosmic injustice. The Father and the Son willingly and unitedly chose to enact this redemptive plan. Both experienced unimaginable agony during Jesus’ crucifixion. To secure our salvation, the Father purposefully, albeit temporarily, separated Himself from the Son. Second, the eternal unity of the Trinity remained unbroken. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit exist in perfect, eternal fellowship. While the intricacies of the “psychology of the Son of God” in this moment remain beyond our full comprehension[3], we affirm that Jesus experienced a real and devastating abandonment by the Father, while simultaneously upholding the eternal, inseparable unity of the Triune God. This brings us back to our original question, pertinent to our lives as believers.
Alt text: A poignant image of Jesus Christ on the cross, head bowed in submission and sorrow, representing his sacrifice and the feeling of abandonment.
Will God Ever Abandon Us?
If Jesus, in His cry of dereliction, experienced a genuine, albeit temporary, abandonment by the Father, does this imply that we, as believers, could also be abandoned by God? When we collapse under the weight of our burdens and cry out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”, does this cry reflect a potential reality, or simply our subjective feelings? The glorious good news, the very heart of the Easter message and the enduring truth of the Gospel, is that God will never abandon those who are in Christ.
Jesus’ cry of dereliction, “Why have you forsaken me?”, paradoxically becomes the very foundation of our assurance. He was abandoned momentarily so that we might live with unwavering assurance eternally. The innocent Son was God-forsaken so that we would never be. This truth is both profound and life-altering.
Even when we endure undeserved suffering, we remain inherently sinful beings. It is our sin that fundamentally separates us from a holy God. Even on our best days, we fall short of loving God with our entire being, treasuring Him as our ultimate good, and loving our neighbors as ourselves. We, in our natural state, deserve to be plunged into outer darkness, separated from the life-giving presence of God. God would be perfectly just to desert us and leave us to face the consequences of our sin alone.
Yet, Jesus, even on his darkest day, loved God with every fiber of His being, treasured Him above all else, and loved humanity with selfless devotion. Jesus chose to experience separation from the Father, so that we might be reconciled and reunited to God through Him. Jesus was forsaken by God so that we might be forever forgiven and embraced. Nothing can ever negate this transformative exchange. Not your circumstances, no matter how dire. Not your suffering, however intense. And not even your sin, though it is the very thing that deserved separation.
This is the liberating gospel truth that I continually preach to my own soul amidst pain and depression. Were it not for the illuminating light of the gospel, the darkness of suffering would indeed crush me. But Jesus was crushed on my behalf. He bore the forsakenness I deserved, and in His sacrifice, I find unshakeable hope. I constantly remind myself, and offer to you: “There is always hope in Jesus!”
Suffering saint, I want you to grasp firmly to this truth this Easter season and beyond. Whatever valley you are traversing, remember that because you are in Christ, God will never abandon you. It may feel like abandonment. The darkness may feel overwhelming, as though it will consume you. But the unwavering, bedrock truth upon which you stand firm in the midst of suffering is this: Jesus was temporarily abandoned on your behalf, so you will never be truly forsaken.
[1] France, R.T. The Gospel of Matthew. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2007. Print.
[2] ibid.
[3] ibid.
