While on the cross, Jesus cries out in a loud voice, saying “‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’” (Matt 27:46). This cry of Jesus has aroused a great debate about whether or not God the Father forsook Jesus on the cross and if he did forsake Jesus, what does that mean, especially in light of the trinity?
God did not forsake Jesus on the cross as evidenced by his quotation of Psalm 22:1: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Psalm 22 holds the key to understanding Jesus’ cry of dereliction on the cross.
The Scene of Jesus on the Cross (Matt 27:32–50)
As we read the account of Jesus’ crucifixion, his death, it looks to the bystanders and to us the reader as if Jesus has been forsaken by God. Here is the man who had a miraculous birth, who taught with the authority of God, who healed the sick and the possessed, and who claimed to be so close to God in terms of relationship that he will literally sit at God’s right hand (Matt 26:64), dying! By all accounts, it looks as if Jesus has been abandoned by God.
Jesus Identifying with King David in Psalm 22
In the midst of the mocking, the jeering, the vitriol, and the unbelief, Jesus cries out in a loud voice for all to hear: “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Then Jesus dies.
Although the Romans and Greeks think Jesus is calling Elijah (Matt 27:47-49), it is at this moment that the ears of all the Jews hearing Jesus and the ears of us the reader perk up. “I’ve heard these words before! These are the exact words of King David from Psalm 22:1, a very well-known psalm.”
Why would Jesus quote King David at the moment of his death? And what light does it shed on Jesus’ death? As we read through Psalm 22, two things should become apparent. First, Jesus identifies with David in his sufferings in more than just his cry of dereliction. Notice how Jesus and David suffered alike:
| Psalm 22 | Gospel of Matthew |
|---|---|
| “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (22:1) | “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt 27:46) |
| “All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads” (22:7) | “And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads” (27:39) |
| “He trusts in the LORD; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!” (22:8) | “He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him” (27:43) |
| “For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet” (22:16) | “And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots” (27:35) |
| “they divide my garments among them, andfor my clothing they cast lots” (22:18) | “And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots” (27:35) |
Second, as we read Psalm 22, we discover that God did not forsake David in his sufferings. Halfway through the Psalm, David’s cry of dereliction turns into praise for God’s deliverance: “Save me from the mouth of the lion! You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen!” (22:21, emphasis added). The remainder of Psalm 22 (verses 22–31) is David praising God for his deliverance and detailing the results of that deliverance. Note, for example, that David envisions a worldwide conversion: “All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. For kingship belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations” (Ps 22:27–28).
Thus, we discover from Psalm 22 that even though David felt forsaken by God, even though it looked like God had forsaken David, the reality was that God had not forsaken David, as evidenced by God rescuing David (Ps 22:21b). Psalm 22 is not about God forsaking anyone, but about God’s deliverance in spite of appearances.
The question that must then be asked is, if David was not forsaken by God in his sufferings, was Jesus who cried out like David and who suffered like David forsaken in his sufferings? Did God rescue Jesus from his enemy and sufferings like God rescued David from his enemy and sufferings?
Jesus, Not Forsaken
Did God forsake Jesus on the cross? No! God did not forsake Jesus on the cross, which is the message Jesus is telling the onlookers and us the reader. Jesus uses the words of David from Psalm 22 to remind the onlookers and us that just as God did not forsake David in his sufferings even though it looked as if He had, so too God has not forsaken Jesus in his sufferings even though it looks as if He has.
And what is the evidence that God did not forsake Jesus to death on the cross? The RESURRECTION! Just as David was rescued by God from his enemies in Psalm 22:21b, so Jesus was rescued by God from death, as evidenced in the resurrection (Matt 28:1–10), proving that God had not forsaken Jesus, proving everything that Jesus had taught and claimed and promised as true. Jesus is the eternal Son of God. Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus is the saviour!
We can now add one more row to our table on the similarities between Jesus and David in Psalm 22.
| Psalm 22 | Gospel of Matthew |
|---|---|
| “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (22:1) | “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt 27:46) |
| “All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads” (22:7) | “And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads” (27:39) |
| “He trusts in the LORD; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!” (22:8) | “He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him” (27:43) |
| “For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet” (22:16) | “And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots” (27:35) |
| “they divide my garments among them, andfor my clothing they cast lots” (22:18) | “And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots” (27:35) |
| “You have rescued me from the horns of wild oxen!” (22:21b) | The RESURRECTION (28:1–10) |
Jesus and Matthew’s Use of the Old Testament
As has been made clear above, Jesus and Matthew (the Gospel author) clearly see a connection between Jesus’ sufferings and deliverance and King David’s sufferings and deliverance in Psalm 22. It is important at this stage to note the two ways that Jesus and Matthew are using the Old Testament, and Psalm 22 in particular. First, Jesus quotes Psalm 22:1 and Matthew identifies Jesus’ sufferings with David’s sufferings in Psalm 22 for the purpose of invoking the entire psalm to explain the events of the cross.
Second, Matthew understands David’s sufferings as typologically predictive of Jesus’ sufferings. What this means is that David’s sufferings are a type that prophetically predicts the greater sufferings of Jesus, the antitype. Jesus clearly suffered more than David because Jesus died, whereas David did not. By fulfilling the sufferings of David in a typological fashion, Jesus’ sufferings at the cross confirm that Jesus is the promised messiah-king who is like David from the Old Testament.
Conclusion
Jesus quoted David in Psalm 22:1 when he cried out on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” He identified with David and his sufferings so that his Jewish onlookers and us reading the account would know that although it looks as if God had forsaken Jesus on the cross, he had not abandoned him in actuality.
Like David who thought he was forsaken but was delivered, so too Jesus looks to be forsaken by God while on the cross, but was delivered. The evidence for God not forsaking Jesus is the same evidence that David cites in Psalm 22—God’s deliverance. God delivered David from his enemies and sufferings (Ps 22:21b) and God delivered Jesus from his enemy (death) and sufferings by raising Jesus from the dead.
God does not forsake or abandon his children. He did not forsake his son, David. He did not forsake his Son, Jesus. And he will not forsake any of his other children, those who believe in Jesus.