Faithful Honesty

“Eloi. Eloi, lema sabachthani which means My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’”
Mark 15:34 (NIV)

Last week, Jesus was arrested and this week He’s on the cross speaking His last words. I knew there must be a deeper meaning to this question spoken amidst the agony of the cross, but sometimes we are too far from a situation to make the needed connection. Yes, Jesus is asking a question of God, but this question is also a quote. In fact, it is a quote that those present, that those who heard it would probably have gotten right away.

To find the deeper meaning we need to go back to the Old Testament, to the Psalms, to Psalm 22 to be exact. Psalm 22 is a psalm of lament from David. David is well known for his raw, emotional pleas to God and this psalm is one of those. It opens with “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.” Not only is Psalm 22 a psalm of lament but Christians also see it as prophetic, speaking about the coming Messiah. See, “My life is poured out like water, all my bones are out of joint… My strength has dried up like sunbaked clay. My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth… They have pierced my hands and feet… They divide my garments among themselves and throw dice for my clothing” (Psalm 22: 14a, 15a, 16b & 18). Here’s the thing about David’s Psalms of Lament – he pours out his emotions and complaints, his needs for relief, he pounds on God’s chest asking why, why, why and then he praises God with the understanding that God will be victorious.

Jesus, in this cry of his heart expresses his humanity. In his life and during his execution he experienced loneliness, agony, abandonment, unanswered prayer and emotional darkness – we’ve all been there in some way, at some point in our lives. Asking a similar question – “Lord, I’ve done what you’ve asked so where are you now when I really need you?”

Jesus in the midst of His suffering quotes from a Psalm that goes from abandonment to trust, from suffering to ultimate vindication. One commentator says in that moment we see the deepest expression of divine solidarity with human pain. Jesus bore the sins of humanity, sin separates us from God, Jesus experienced that separation on our behalf – it is the cost of our redemption. Jesus’ cry of why have you forsaken me is not the end of the story, rather it is the door through which resurrection hope enters and new life begins.

Let me know your thoughts. Know someone who might be encouraged by this – please share. I will be praying for you. Until next week – remember it is ok to be faithfully honest with God – He’s got you whether you feel it or not.