"Why Have You Forsaken Me?" Jesus' Agonizing Cry from the Cross
Lesson 4 -- Jesus' Words from the Cross
(Bite-Sized Bible Course)

“My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34)

Here we are. Once more, we stand in the shadow of the cross. This time, darkness has settled in. For three long hours, the sky has gone black (Matthew 27:45).

Then, out of the silence, Jesus cries out with a loud voice, startling those around. “My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34).

What is this? A cry of pity? A cry for help? It's a question, a prayer, and a window into the cost of our salvation.

In this lesson on Jesus’ Words from the Cross, we’ll listen closely to this cry. As we do, we’ll accomplish a few goals:

• We'll see how Jesus fulfills Psalm 22.
• We'll learn what it means for Him to bear our sin.
• We'll understand better how this word steadies believers who feel abandoned today.

Before we dive in, remember there’s a quiz at the end of this lesson. Don’t forget to take it. It will help you lock in this content.

And now, let’s hear what Jesus has to say.

A Cry in the Darkness

Let's slow down for the moment. The Gospels certainly allow it at this point.

From noon until three in the afternoon darkness blankets the area (Matthew 27:45). Then, about the ninth hour, Jesus pierces the silence in Aramaic: “My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34).

Jesus isn't simply shouting in despair. Jesus is praying Scripture. He's reciting the opening line of Psalm 22: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Psalm 22:1).

That psalm describes a righteous sufferer surrounded by enemies. They mock the One who has been pierced. They gawk at Him. The language of Psalm 22 fits the crucifixion with striking detail (Psalm 22:7–8, 16–18).

Some of the bystanders misunderstand. In Aramaic, "My God" is “Eli” or “Eloi.” They think Jesus is calling Elijah. So they wait to see if Elijah will come to rescue Him (Matthew 27:47–49).

But Jesus is calling on His God, using words every Scripture-saturated Jew would recognize. In His deepest agony, He quotes God's Word. He reaches for a psalm that begins in anguish but ends in trust and worldwide praise (Psalm 22:22–31).

Why Have You Forsaken Me?

What does it mean for the sinless Son of God to say this? "Why have you forsaken me?"

• First, the Bible is clear that God does not change (Malachi 3:6; James 1:17). The love between the Father and the Son is eternal and unbroken (John 3:35; John 17:24). Just hours before, Jesus had explained the they would see Jesus alone. But He wasn't really alone. He had His Father with Him (John 16:32). The unity of Father, Son, and Spirit is not undone at the cross. Nothing could dissolve that bond.
• Second, this shows the fullness of Jesus' humanity. He cries out in anguish just as any other human would. He experienced all the pain, all the suffering, all the anguish that human experience could give (Hebrews 4:15).
• Finally, Jesus truly bears the judgment our sin deserves. As the God-Man, He's the One who bore our sins as He died on the cross (1 Peter 2:24). He drinks the “cup” of God’s wrath He prayed about in Gethsemane (Isaiah 51:17; Matthew 26:39). Scripture says God laid on Him all our wrongdoing (Isaiah 53:6) and that He was pierced through for the sins we committed (Isaiah 53:5).

So when Jesus cries, “Why have You forsaken Me?” He's experiencing, in His real human soul, the horror of standing in the place of guilty sinners. The Father doesn't stop loving the Son. But the Son willingly steps under the holy anger of the Father against sin. The joyful feeling of fellowship between Father and Son vanishes as He endures that judgment (2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 3:13). He feels the distance that should have been ours.

Psalm 22 helps us here. The psalmist begins feeling forsaken, but later says God has not ultimately hidden His face: “He has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted… He has heard, when he cried to Him” (Psalm 22:24). Suffering gives way to rescue, and rescue leads to praise “to the ends of the earth” (Psalm 22:27–31). Jesus’ cry marks the lowest point in that story, not the final word.

What We Learn from “Why Have You Forsaken Me?”

What does this teach us?

• First, this demonstrates the great length God will go to take care of us. Jesus came to take care of the sin problem. In fact, it was the main reason He came in the first place (John 12:27). "Why have you forsaken me?" means that Christ voluntarily submits to God's will and suffers the agony of the cross so that He can wash our sin away.
• Second, this cry shows that God never loses control. The same God who spoke Psalm 22 centuries earlier now brings its darkest line to life on Golgotha. Jesus is not surprised by this moment. He's stepping open-eyed into God's “definite plan” (Acts 2:23; Isaiah 53:10–12).
• Third, this cry lets us see substitution from the inside. “Why have You forsaken Me?” means Jesus feels in His own human soul what it means to stand where sinners ought to stand. The distance He feels is the distance our sin deserves. He bears our curse so that those who trust Him will never know that God-forsakenness themselves (Galatians 3:13; 2 Corinthians 5:21).
• Fourth, this cry guards us from trying to save ourselves. If the sinless Son must walk through this darkness to deal with sin, then no one else can fix their guilt by effort or religion. The only safe place is under the shelter of His finished work. This is where God declares sinners righteous for Jesus’ sake, not theirs (Romans 3:23–26; Romans 5:8–9; Ephesians 2:8–9).
• Last, this cry gives language to our own “why” without leaving us there. When God feels far away and prayers seem to die on our lips, we are not the first to stand in that place. Our Savior has already prayed this psalm for us. Because He walked through that forsakenness, we can bring our questions to God, knowing He listens. We can hold on to His promise to never leave or forsake us (Psalm 22:1–3; Hebrews 4:15–16; Hebrews 13:5).

Bringing It Home

So as we stand again at the foot of the cross and listen to this fourth saying, let's consider a couple questions together.

First, do you feel like God has walked away from you? Maybe it's a long-standing trial. Perhaps a hidden disappointment. Or maybe a prayer that seems to go unanswered. How does it change you, knowing that Jesus has already borne the judgment your sins deserve? Does it help understand God’s apparent silence?

Second, are you resting your hope on your feelings or on Christ’s finished work? Feelings rise and fall. The cross does not. What would it look like, in the middle of complete loneliness, to say, “My Savior was forsaken in my place. God has promised never to leave me nor forsake me” (Hebrews 13:5; Romans 8:31–39)?

The same Savior who cried, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?” didn't remain in darkness. God raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand (Acts 2:24; Hebrews 1:3). He now lives to intercede for all who come to God through Him (Hebrews 7:25).

Because He entered that forsakenness for you, you can walk through your darkest hours knowing in Christ, you are never truly alone.

God bless.

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