MY GOD, MY GOD,
WHY HAST THOU FORSAKEN ME
Matt. 27: 46 Mark 15:34
As we continue on this journey with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we find
that Jesus has asked the Father to forgive them for they know not what they do; He
speaks to the thief, and says “This day you will be with me in Paradise; He speaks to His
mother, and says, Woman, behold thy Son, and now He cries to His Father, and says
My, God, My God, Why --- Hast Thou Forsaken Me? This is one of the most controversial
phrases among many theologians, in that some have concluded, that Jesus spoke these words
because God had abandoned Him, God had deserted Him, and now God has turned His face
from Him because when God looked down from heaven, all He could see was sin.
But on this evening, my brothers and my sisters, I am reminded of supported scriptures that
remind us that “My thoughts are not Your thoughts, neither are Your ways My ways saith the
Lord; for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways and My thoughts higher than
Yours. In other words, because the mind of God is far greater than ours, it challenges us to
think much deeper into the text, and seek answers as to what Jesus must have felt that prompted
Him to wonder why, His Father had forsaken Him. I stand before you, not having all the
answers, for I too sought the Lord for a possible reason.
I have not had a face to face encounter with the Lord in preparing this, although I conclude that
for too long, the church has been so captivated with the Divinity of Christ, that we have failed
to connect with Humanity of Christ. On that note, how can we hold fast to the conclusion that
God left Him by Himself, if God is Omnipotent - All Powerful - Omnipresent – All Present
and God is – Ominscient – All Knowing . In other words, How would God the Father, not
know what His Son was going through. How would God the Father not have the power to get
Him out of such a situation, How would God the Father not be right there with Him. If all
these things were so, How could God the Father, abandon Himself. I say that He was never
abandoned.
I believe that Jesus cried these words, My God, My God, Why Has Thou Forsaken Me,
because out of all that He had been through, His humanity Gave Voice To what His emotions
Gave Way To while under pressure. So much like us, have you ever cried out to God, “ My
God” and you felt like He didn’t hear you, so you come back around, and the second time you
put a little more emphasis on it “ MY GOD” , then you think His heard you, and you say.
WHERE YOU AT, DON’T YOU SEE WHAT I’M GOING THROUGH? If we would only be
honest, most of us have been there, and if not live a little while longer, you will know for
yourself. I believe that in His humanity, perhaps He felt this way, but God did not respond.
But what do you do when the voice of God is silent? What do you do when you feel like
you are in this thing all by yourself? That’s a good time to stretch forth your faith and trust in
God. It’s not a time to give up, but it’s a good time to look up, for I will look to the hills from
whence cometh my help, my help comes from the Lord. This was a time before He uttered His
last three phrases, to muster up enough strength to not give in but to perservere. But during this
Holy Week, He compels us to draw near to God and perservere like never before. He challenges
us to continue to seek God, and even though we may not hear His voice, we have still His
presence, right there with us and He’s waiting for us to take a stand.. So I encourage you, as I
encourage myself to cry out to God, for as we cry out to Him , without reservation, without
shame without concern of the multitude, He, who gives us the strength to cry some more. Not
a cry of defeat but rather a cry of victory, for He held on until His mission was finished.
Our test, trials, and testimonies are be designed to bring glory to His name, for in our
crying out to God, as we endure our own personal crucifixtions we recognize that God has not
forsaken us, and God has not forgotten us. Therefore, how dare we forget about the Lord, when
Lord did not forsake, nor forget us.
