Jesus’s cry in the darkness to His Father in heaven was first prayed in Psalm 22. Until Jesus, no one completely matched the words of the Psalm.
From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And about three o’clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:45-46)
One day during my college years, I used Psalm 22 to reflect on Jesus’s agony on the cross. The impressions of that day have resonated with me to this day. Below are some of the key verses from the Psalm that emphasize Jesus’s experience of the cross.
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning? (Psalm 22:1)
The first verse of a Psalm is pregnant with meaning, and the remainder of the verses flesh out its full meaning. Jesus was familiar with Psalm 22 and quoted the first verse to call attention to the entire Psalm as pertaining to His experience on the cross.
Unrelenting Abuse
Verses 3-5 describe trust, praise, and answered prayer. However, this is not the experience of the One who feels forsaken by His heavenly Father.
But I am a worm and not human, scorned by others and despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they sneer at me; they shake their heads; “Commit your cause to the Lord; let him deliver—let him rescue the one in whom he delights!” (Psalm 22:6-8)
When you have done the worst thing possible to a human being, there is still room for further abuse through taunts and mockery.
There was probably a massive number of demons and the devil himself surrounding the cross. Their influence motivated the religious leaders, soldiers, and rabble to challenge Jesus to do the one thing He was unable or unwilling to do—save Himself by coming down from the cross.
The poetry of the Psalm spoke of powerful bulls and raving lions. The spiritual battle Jesus faced involved demonic forces that were far more powerful than those of the animal kingdom.
Many bulls encircle me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me; they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion. (Psalm 22:12-13)
Jesus was challenged by the devil in the wilderness, following His baptism (Matthew 4:1-11). At this crucial moment, the devil once again attempted to change the course of history. The devil may have thought Jesus’s death on the cross was a defeat for Him, but in fact, it was a victory.
And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. (Colossians 2:15)
Physical Agony
Take a moment and look at each line of verses 14 and 15. What must it have been like for Jesus to experience the physical agony of the cross? Dehydration, bones and ligaments stretched to painful extremities, and unimaginable stress on the heart.
I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; my mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death. (Psalm 22:14-15)
The End Result
Jesus endured the worst death any human has ever experienced. He who lived for all eternity in an unending relationship with the Trinity suffered separation as a substitute for sinful humans.
The way God conquers His enemies is by making them His friends. Throughout the ages, people have seen God’s love poured out through Jesus on the cross and have turned to Him.
All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before him. For dominion belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations. (Psalm 22:27-28)
As we turn to the Lord, we choose to gratefully worship and serve Him as our Lord.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed Matthew 27:45-61 on YouTube today.
Real Voices 