December 8

Christ’s Cry on the Cross

About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” — Matt 27:46 BSB

This was the fourth word spoken by Jesus from the cross. “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” It is a mystery too deep for us to fully understand. It was not the physical pain of the nails or the mockery of the crowds that caused Jesus’ greatest suffering, but the fact that He felt forsaken by His Father. For the first time in His life, He lost the sense of God’s presence.

“Why have You forsaken Me?” What had He done to deserve such abandonment? Jesus was the sinless, perfect Son of God. And yet, in this moment, He was bearing the sins of the world. The weight of human sin caused this separation, this moment of divine forsakenness. He was forsaken so that we might never be.

Though He felt forsaken, notice that Jesus still cried out in faith: “My God.” Even in His darkest moment, His faith held firm. He had lost the sense of God’s presence, but He did not lose His trust in God. This is a lesson for us. No matter how dark our circumstances may be, we must cling to our faith. God is still our God, even when we cannot feel His presence. We may not always understand why we suffer, but we can trust that God is with us, even in the darkest moments.

Jesus was forsaken for a moment so that we might enjoy God’s presence forever. He endured the separation that we deserved, and because of His sacrifice, we will never be forsaken by God.