Why does Jesus say, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" in Mark 15:34? The Cry of Dereliction (Mark 15:34) “And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?’—which means, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’” Linguistic and Cultural Setting Jesus quotes Psalm 22:1 in its Aramaic form, the common tongue of first-century Judea. Calling God “Eloi” reflects intimate address while preserving the psalm’s Hebrew flavor. Quoting a psalm’s opening line was a rabbinic way of invoking the whole psalm, alerting every Jewish listener on Golgotha to the psalm’s entire trajectory—from agony to victory. Prophetic Fulfillment of Psalm 22 a. Verbal Identity: “Why have You forsaken Me?” (Psalm 22:1, LXX 21:2) matches Mark 15:34 exactly, anchoring the event in messianic prophecy. b. Descriptive Parallels: • “All who see Me mock Me” (Psalm 22:7) ↔ “Those who passed by heaped abuse” (Mark 15:29). • “They pierce My hands and feet” (Psalm 22:16, 4Q88 from Dead Sea Scrolls shows the reading “pierced”) ↔ Roman crucifixion. • “They divide My garments among them and cast lots for My clothing” (Psalm 22:18) ↔ Mark 15:24. c. Climactic Hope: Psalm 22 ends with universal praise—“They will proclaim His righteousness” (Psalm 22:31)—prefiguring resurrection (Mark 16). Legal-Covenantal Substitution Scripture explains the forsakenness as penal substitution. • “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24). • “God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf” (2 Corinthians 5:21). • “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13). On the cross the Sin-Bearer endures covenantal wrath so believers never will (Isaiah 53:4-6). Experiential Reality, Not Ontological Rift Within the Trinity no essential division occurs; the Father and the Spirit remain one with the Son (John 10:30). Yet the incarnate Son, representing humanity, experiences the judicial withdrawal of divine comfort. The Father’s “eyes are too pure to look upon evil” (Habakkuk 1:13). Jesus endures that removal of fellowship precisely as the Second Adam answering for Adam’s race. Trinitarian Integrity Preserved Historic confessions (Nicene 325; Chalcedon 451) stress one divine essence. Early commentators such as Tertullian (Adv. Prax. 29) insisted that the cry expresses economic, not essential, separation—fully consistent with Mark’s Greek perfect tense “ἐγκατέλιπες,” a completed action with ongoing result felt in His humanity. Archaeological Corroboration of Crucifixion • The 1968 discovery of Yehohanan’s heel bone (Giv‘at Ha-Mivtar, Jerusalem) shows a Roman spike, matching John 20:25. • Pilate’s inscription stone (Caesarea Maritima, 1961) validates the prefect who ordered the execution (Mark 15:15). • Ossuary inscriptions “Jesus” and “James son of Joseph” (Talpiyot, 2002) illustrate common first-century naming, supporting gospel onomastics. Psychological and Behavioral Dimensions Crucified victims typically lapsed into hypovolemic shock; yet Mark records a loud cry, medically consistent with a final surge of adrenaline before death. That audible lament engages witnesses cognitively, imprinting the prophetic link to Psalm 22 and prompting post-crucifixion reflection (cf. Luke 23:48). Resurrection Vindication Forsakenness is not the finale. The same Jesus who cried out is historically risen (1 Colossians 15:3-7). Over 500 eyewitnesses (1 Colossians 15:6), the empty tomb attested by hostile authorities (Matthew 28:11-15), and the transformation of skeptics (James, Paul) confirm Psalm 22’s movement from despair to deliverance. The resurrection retroactively interprets the cry as purposeful, not defeat. Practical and Pastoral Implications a. Assurance: Because Christ was forsaken, believers hear, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). b. Identification: The incarnate Son fully shares human anguish, offering empathetic priesthood (Hebrews 4:15). c. Worship: Grasping the cost of atonement fuels adoration—“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain” (Revelation 5:12). d. Evangelism: The historical cry, prophetic fulfillment, and empty tomb form a cumulative case inviting every skeptic to trust the risen Savior (John 20:31). Summary Jesus’ quotation of Psalm 22:1 in Mark 15:34 integrates prophecy, substitutionary atonement, and experiential suffering without rupturing Trinitarian unity. Authentic manuscripts, archaeological data, and resurrection evidence corroborate the event. The cry reveals both the depth of the Savior’s sacrifice and the certainty of God’s salvific plan, securing forgiveness and eternal fellowship for all who believe. |
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