Article #5 on the 7 Utterances of Jesus Christ on the Cross
“And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” – Matt. 27:46
The 3rd utterance of Jesus Christ on the Cross, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” (Matt. 27:46, Mk. 15:34), serves as a timely word in a climactic moment of the 9th hour, with only minutes before the death. While giving us a positive affirmation that Jesus Christ was indeed being forsaken of God, a question was posed: “Why?”. Psalm 22:1 expands this into two questions, the second one being: “Why art Thou so far from helping Me, and from the words of My roaring?”.
“My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me? Why art Thou so far from helping Me, and from the words of My roaring?” – Psalm. 22:1
It appeared to the Jews that Jesus of Nazareth was being forsaken of God in death as a condemned sinner and a false prophet (Matt. 27:39-44). In reality, the Son of God was being forsaken in a different way, and for different reasons, according to the overall testimony of Psalm 22. The questions asked in Psalm 22:1 are being answered in Psalm 22:2-31. “Understandest thou what thou readest?” (Acts 8:30).
Matthew 27:46 is more than a rhetorical question. In prayer, speaking to God the Father, Jesus Christ asked, “Why?”, and God immediately answered this prayer by causing the crucifixion scene of Psalm 22 to come rushing into the minds of the elect who were gathered on mount Calvary. Furthermore, God has been showing the elect Psalm 22 for thousands of years now as an answer to the same prayer. Literally, as the spectators on mount Calvary heard the outcry of Psalm 22:1, the minds of the elect were directed by the Holy Ghost to remember Psalm 22:2-31.
Matthew 27:46 is more than a rhetorical question. In prayer, speaking to God the Father, Jesus Christ asked, “Why?”, and God immediately answered this prayer by causing the crucifixion scene of Psalm 22 to come rushing into the minds of the elect who were gathered on mount Calvary. Furthermore, God has been showing the elect Psalm 22 for thousands of years now as an answer to the same prayer. Literally, as the spectators on mount Calvary heard the outcry of Psalm 22:1, the minds of the elect were directed by the Holy Ghost to remember Psalm 22:2-31.
It is only natural for the first line of a song to bring to memory the whole song, but something supernatural was happening (Heb. 4:12). Something was being “revealed” with quickening power and divine assurance to the soul (Isa. 53:1, 1 Thess. 1:5)! The elect bystanders suddenly realized what they were looking at – seeing the crucifixion scene in real time (exactly as it was described in Psalm 22:12-18). Consequentially, they were stabbed in their hearts with conviction, and this created in them repentance and faith on the spot (Acts 2:37). The thief on the Cross was one of the unlikely converts.
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