Matthew 27:45-46

45 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

Imagine going about your business on a normal day and everything seems as always is, nothing out of the ordinary. Suddenly at about noon, when the sun should be shining bright, there is complete darkness over the land and no one can explain it. That is what happened on the day they crucified Jesus. At this point, I wonder, did those who crucified him not begin to think maybe there was something supernatural about this man?

At about the ninth hour, meaning about 3 pm, Jesus cries out with a loud voice and says; “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” This is a direct quote from Psalms 22 which David penned many hundreds of years before, accurately describing what would happen to the Messiah.

When Jesus hung on the cross, he became the ultimate sacrifice for humanity once and for all. Just like the sins of the people were placed on the sacrificial animal in the Old Testament, all the sins of humanity were placed on Jesus.

Isaiah 53:6 NKJV

6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, everyone, to his own way; And the Lord [a]has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

At this point, because Jesus had taken on the sin of humanity, he took on the full weight of sin and its wages plus the emotional trauma of comprehending how sin distances us from God. Remember, Jesus was sinless up to this point, so he had never experienced what separation and distancing from God was like. This was it and even though Jesus knew it was temporary, yet it was so agonizing that he cried out in a loud voice.

This was the greatest sacrifice Jesus had to make in order that we may be reconciled to God the Father.

We know that we have the promise that God will never leave us nor forsake us. The thought I should leave with you is, has our Father ever asked of us, “My child, My child, why have you forsaken Me?”

Reflections

• When have you ever felt abandoned by loved ones in your life, what happened?
• In what seasons do you feel far away from God, and how do you handle such seasons?
• Jesus felt forsaken so that we could be reconciled back to God. That invitation is still valid, have you taken advantage of it? If not, what are you waiting for? One day soon, the offer will be off the table, and it will be too late. Be wise!