A Word of Abandonment
“‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me’” (Matt. 27:46)?
I have heard many eloquent sermons on the “seven sayings.” However, the speakers rarely look into the OT texts that Jesus used in His last seven sayings. Yet how the gospel writer used the OT texts is a key to understanding Jesus’ last words.
The sixth hour is 12 Noon; and the ninth hour, 3 PM. This means that Jesus was crucified at nine in the morning. From 12 Noon to 3 PM, there was darkness over the land. The darkness is a supernatural event so timed by God to occur before Jesus’ fourth saying on the cross. At about 3 PM, Jesus said, “‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me’ (Matt. 27:46)?” Matthew is not saying that a disillusioned Jesus uttered these words out of frustration over His failed plans for humankind. He is not stating that Jesus said these words because of the excruciating pain of the cross. He is not saying that Jesus has lost faith in God, for Jesus cried, “My God, my God!” His cry was a cry of despair, “but not of distrust.”8 Rather, Matthew points out how Jesus, as the messiah, applies an OT prophecy to Himself.
Ps. 22:1 says, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?” Ps. 22 is a psalm of lament. David asks God to be near him, for trouble is near (v. 11). His enemies, like a ravening lion, are going to eat him. Like hungry dogs, they encircle and threaten his life (v. 16). Thus, he calls on the God of Israel, whom his fathers trusted, and who always rescued Israel from trouble (vv. 4-5).
Yet David felt that his God has forsaken him. God seems so far away from saving him (v. 1). He cries to God day and night, but there is no answer (v. 2). While his enemies are present, God is absent. God has abandoned him.
Now Jesus identified with the sense of abandonment of the psalmist. At the cross, the Father abandoned the Son. Jesus Himself acknowledged this abandonment. It is no use denying or allegorizing it. God deserted Christ on the cross.
Matthew builds upon his theme of abandonment in his gospel. Jesus’ own country abandons Him (Matt. 13:53-58). His disciples abandon Him (26:56, 69-75), and then, the people (27:15-26). Finally, God abandons Him. Divine desertion is hence the climax of the Matthean theme of abandonment.2
This is not to say that their eternal union was severed. At no time in eternity was the Son separated from the Father. Nevertheless, at the cross, the Son was separated from the Father, not in their eternal union, but in their communion. There was a breach indeed, not in eternal relationship, but in fellowship.
The man, Jesus, felt an agony of soul. It was an agony over divine desertion. Jesus’ approach towards such abandonment seems paradoxical. This dreadful thing is the cup that Jesus prayed to pass from Him. Yet He was still willing to take this cup, to do the Father’s will (26:39). He felt a sense of loneliness, though He was never lonely, having the Father with Him.10 He asked why God has forsaken Him while bearing our sins on the cross. To be sure, He sensed a lack of close communion with the Father.11 This foreordained abandonment fulfilled messianic Scripture. It is a mystery that is impenetrable by our finite minds.
Matthew also interpreted Jesus’ crucifixion in light of Ps. 22:7-8.12 (In that the gospel writers also draw heavily from Ps. 22 in their passion narratives, scholars have called Ps. 22 as the “fifth gospel.”13 ) Ps. 22:7-8, “All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!” Compare it with Matt. 27:39, 43, “And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads . . . He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him.” Clearly, Matthew uses the same word pictures concerning David’s enemies and applied it to Jesus’ enemies.
Thus, David felt God’s absence in the presence of his enemies. On the cross, Jesus also felt God’s abandonment in the presence of His enemies.
Why then did God abandon Jesus on the cross? The theological reason is that Jesus carried our sins on the cross (Isa. 53:6; 1 Pet. 2:24). At the cross, Jesus, who knew no sin, was made sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21). He was made a sin offering for our sins. At the cross, God judged sin. At the cross, Jesus received the judgment of God, enduring His wrath. However, the holy God cannot look at sin (Hab. 1:13). At the cross, therefore, God abandoned Jesus.
Because Jesus experienced pain and sorrow as David, He can therefore comfort you if you go through the same trials.14 Are you hurting because of people who hurt you? Do you feel lonely because nobody seems to help? Do you feel that God seems far away? Jesus knows exactly the pain that you are bearing.
Because of Christ’s work on the cross, God shall not abandon His people. Hebrews 13:15 says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” All sinners are alienated from God because of sin. But through Christ, God is reconciling sinners to Himself. Paul wrote, “In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them” (2 Cor. 5:19). At the cross, Jesus endured divine abandonment for a moment, so that He will spare believers the same abandonment forever.
A Word of Suffering
“I thirst” (Jn. 19:28).
It has been said that Jesus’ words, “I thirst,” express the depth of His physical suffering. Yet this interpretation dulls the full impact of the expression. It also overlooks the authorial design of John. John himself interprets its significance with the words, “in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled” (Jn. 19:28, NASB), which is the literal translation. He thus invests a deeper meaning to the words, “I thirst.”
John writes that when Jesus knew that “all was now finished,” He said, “I am thirsty” (v. 28). What was now finished? Jesus knew that the work of redemption is finished. Jesus then gives a sign that it is now finished. That sign is the fulfillment of an OT prophecy.15 That OT prophecy is found in Ps. 69:21, “And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink” (NKJV).
Let me explain the context of Psalm 69. It is a psalm of desolation. David is expressing his despair. Many powerful people hate him and want to kill him (v. 4). Even his own family despised him (v. 8). The reason is his zeal for the glory of God (v. 9). He insisted that if people claim devotion to God, they should prove it by their behavior. He felt bad whenever people dishonored God (v. 9).16 He practiced personal spiritual discipline for God (v. 10). This zeal for God earned him hostility from many people. People ridiculed and scorned him (vv. 11-12).
When Jesus went to Jerusalem, He found a thriving business in the outer courts of the Temple. Vendors sold oxen, sheep, and doves at higher prices. Moneychangers charged higher fees for the exchange. Jesus got so mad that He drove them all out of the Temple, including the animals. He poured out the changers’ cash and overturned the tables. Like David, Jesus felt bad when people dishonored God. Quoting Psalm 69:9, John wrote that zeal for the Lord’s house consumed Jesus (Jn. 2:16-17).
Have you experienced that? People dislike you for your zeal for God. You do not go around drinking, dancing, and doing worldly things like them. So they laugh at you behind your back. You do not live in “sensuality” as they do, in “drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry.” Surprised that you do not join them in these things, “they malign you” (1 Pet. 4:3-4). Even some Christians dislike you. Your zeal challenges them to stop wavering between God and the world.
Whenever I hear of believers doing sinful things, it grieves my heart. I see pastor’s kids throwing away their holy heritage. I see believers falling into worldliness and materialism. I feel bad because God is dishonored. We pursue our selfish happiness while disobeying God.
I am zealous for the glory of God. I preach the Word. I correct, rebuke, and encourage with all my mind and heart, as every biblical pastor should do (2 Tim. 4:2). I would like to see believers living for God. That is why it is sad to see believers grieving the Spirit.
God knows those who are zealous for Him. God knows those who are lukewarm to Him. Jesus told the church at Laodicea that He will spit her out of His mouth because of half-heartedness (Rev. 3:16). God blesses zealous saints but dislikes apathetic believers.
Because of David’s zeal for God, people hated him. For his hunger, friends fed him poison to eat. For his thirst, they gave him sour vinegar to drink. Hence, David experienced the pain of betrayal of friends. He experienced shame with the scorn of his enemies.
In saying, “I am thirsty,” therefore, Jesus applies the pain of despair, dejection, and rejection of David to Himself. Yes, Jesus was indeed extremely thirsty while experiencing the agony of the cross. Yet in saying, “I am thirsty,” Jesus was expressing more than mere physical thirst. It was a cry of despair, echoing the same painful cry of anguish, rejection, and isolation that David cried in Ps. 69. In saying, “I am thirsty,” Jesus is saying that He, too, is experiencing the same feeling of dejection as David did.
Thus, Jesus did not say, “I am thirsty,” to fulfill the prophecy in dramatic fashion. Rather, John exposes the pained humanity of Jesus. He then interprets the expression as the fulfillment of Scripture (Jn. 19:28).
I see here a connection between the fourth and fifth saying. God abandoned Jesus because of the sins He bore. Abandoned by God, Jesus now cries out, “I am thirsty.” In saying, “I am thirsty,” therefore, Jesus experiences the pain of abandonment by God and the pain of shame, desolation, and isolation by people.
But why, you might ask, did Jesus have to endure the cross? Jesus hung there on the cross out of obedience to the will of the Father. He hung there on the cross for the salvation of His people from their sins. He endured the cross, despising its shame, “for the joy that was set before Him” (Heb. 12:2).
Do people dislike you because of your zeal for God? Do your friends betray you because of your faith in Christ? Do you feel pain, shame, and loneliness because of it? Jesus understands your pain, for He Himself has felt it! As God, Jesus knows the best for you. As a man, He knows exactly how you feel today.
God is glorified by your zeal for Him. He will give you strength as you suffer the pain of rejection.
A Word of Completion
“It is finished” (Jn. 19:30).
How many of you have not finished what you have started? Maybe some of you have not finished your education, your house, or your loan. Back in High School, every time a classmate would finish answering the exam, he would say, “Finished!” That would put a lot of pressure on the rest of us who have not finished the exam yet!
Jesus finished what He started. At about 3 PM, Jesus said, “It is finished.” The word (Gk. tetelestai) means, “carry out, accomplish, keep.”17 In the context of the cross, it means to carry out somebody’s will.
What did Jesus carry out? Jesus said, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work” (Jn. 4:34). God’s work is the work of salvation. The OT records the work of God in salvation history. Jesus finished that work of God. He carried out the Father’s will to offer Himself as a sin offering for the sin of the world.
When John the Baptist saw Jesus, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (1:29). John refers back to the sacrificial lambs offered during Passover, sin offerings, and morning and evening sacrifices (Ex. 12:5; Lev. 4:32; 23:12). He also probably looks back to the Suffering Servant in Isaiah, who acts as a sacrificial lamb to the slaughter for the sin of the people (Isa. 53:7).18 Thus, Jesus came as the Lamb of God for the sin of sinners.
In the OT, people came to God with animal offerings such as sheep, doves, and goats, to atone (make amends with God) for their sins. As often as they sin, as often also do they bring their sin offerings. Yet in the fullness of time, Jesus came as the ultimate Lamb of God. Heb. 9:26 says, “He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” Heb. 10:12 tells us, “Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins.” In that Jesus finished His sacrifice on the cross, His sacrifice then is the final sacrifice for all sin. That is why in our church, we no longer offer Christ as a sacrifice for sin every Sunday.
Yet this Lamb of God is special. Unlike the lamb offerings in the OT, only Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. The words, “takes away” (Gk. airon), carries the idea of removal of something.19 This unique Lamb of God removes the sin of the world. This is not to say that the all the people of the world shall be forgiven their sins (Jn. 8:21, 34, 42-47). Forgiveness of sin is conditioned upon repentance and faith in Christ (Jn. 3:16; 5:24; Acts 2:38). As the Lamb of God, the sacrifice of Christ on the cross effectively removes the sin of all those who repent and believe in Him.
Thus, in the framework of John, the finished work of Christ is both temporal and theological.20 It is temporal, for at the appointed hour after Jesus received the sour wine, He declared, “It is finished,” and then gave up His spirit (Jn. 19:30).
It is also theological. At the cross, Jesus finished the work of shedding His blood as an atoning sacrifice for the removal and forgiveness of sin. 1 John 2:2 says, “He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” The word, “propitiation” (Gk. hilasmos) means, “instrument for appeasing, sacrifice to atone, sin-offering;21 or “atoning sacrifice for sin means of forgiveness, way of reconciling (1 Jn. 2.2; 4.10).”22 The death of Christ was an atoning sacrifice, a sin offering to appease the wrath of God. It is the divine means of removing our sin, of forgiving our sin, and of reconciling us back to God.
“It is finished.” Jesus finished His work on the cross once. But His finished work saves believers once for all. Jesus’ sacrifice in the past continues to bring results in the present and the future. His blood still washes your sins today (Heb. 9:26; 10:10). His death still ensures God’s forgiveness of your sins today (Eph. 1:7). His sacrifice still secures your salvation today (Heb. 9:12). His finished work ensures the final redemption of your body in time (Rom. 8:23-25).
A Word of Committal
“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Lk. 23:46)!
Jesus’ first saying on the cross begins with a prayer to the Father. His last saying likewise begins with a prayer to the Father.
Before Jesus’ last words on the cross, the temple curtain was torn in two (Lk. 23:45). Why did Luke find it important to include this incident? What was its significance?
I have long thought that the tearing of the temple veil signified the new access to the presence of God. Only the High Priest can enter the Holy of Holies and only once a year. With the tearing of the temple curtain and through the sacrifice of Christ, believers can now come to God directly. Hebrews 10:19-20 tells us that we can now enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by a new way that He opened for us, “through the curtain, that is, through his flesh.” The new way is through His flesh. Canonically, this interpretation may apply.
Still, there are problems with this view. There are two curtains in the temple—the inner curtain separating the Holy of Holies and the outer curtain separating the Holy Place—the area reserved for priests. It is most likely that the torn curtain is the one marking off the Holy of Holies. That leaves the outer curtain left intact, which still bars access from the outside.23 There is also the question of whether it is a Lukan concept.
We should begin then with Luke in Luke-Acts. Luke presents a parallel meaning in his account of Stephen. Stephen saw the heavens opened and Jesus standing at the right hand of God (Acts 7:55-56). Just before he died, Stephen cried out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” (v. 59). The Lukan message is that God revealed Himself to Stephen before he died, with the opening of the heavens.
There are strong similarities between the temple curtain account and the Stephen account. The temple curtain was torn before Jesus died. The heavens were opened before Stephen died. The opened heavens revealed the glory of God. The torn curtain also revealed the glory of God. With the torn curtain, Jesus cried out to God to receive His spirit. With the heavens opened, Stephen cried out for Jesus to receive his spirit. Jesus died before His enemies. Stephen also died before His enemies.
Thus, the Lukan idea is now apparent. The tearing of the temple curtain before Jesus died signifies God’s revelation of Himself to Jesus from the temple.24 It indicates the end of divine abandonment, which Jesus experienced on the cross. It also signified to the Jews that the divine action from the temple gave Jesus’ death divine significance.
Let us now focus on the very last words of Jesus. Jesus’ last words are not the words of a dying man. Crucifixion is indeed death in slow motion. But at His chosen moment, Jesus repeats the prophetic words of Psalm 31:5, “Into your hand I commit my spirit.”
In Psalm 31:4-5, David said, “For you are my rock and my fortress . . . you take me out of the net they have hidden for me, for you are my refuge. Into your hand I commit my spirit.” Jesus’ prayer differs from David’s prayer in two ways. First, David prayed for divine protection from his enemies in life. But Jesus prayed for divine reception of his spirit in death.
Second, David commits his spirit to God through life. But Jesus commits his spirit to the Father through death.25
Jesus said, “Father.” The Son is related to the Father from all eternity. Is God your Father today? Not everyone is a child of God. Jesus told the religious unbelievers, “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires” (Jn. 8:44). But if you will receive Christ by faith, believing in His name, you will become a child of God (1:12). Have you received Christ as your personal Savior? Have you surrendered your life to the Father?
Jesus said, “Father, into your hands.” For many hours, Jesus was in the hands of evil men. He was slapped in their hands. He was whipped in their hands. He was crowned with thorns in their hands. He was falsely accused in their hands. Yet now, Jesus shall soon be in the hands of His Father.
Are you tired of being handled by the world? Have you given your life into the Father’s hands?
Jesus said, “I commit my spirit.” In the face of death, Jesus entrusts Himself to God. Note that Jesus’ life was not taken from Him. He committed it by an act of the will. Jesus did not lose his life. He gave up His life freely. Crucified men usually die slowly. But at His elected moment, Jesus voluntarily gave up His life (Matt. 27:50).
Conclusion
This is how we should all die. We should die praying. We should die forgiving those who hurt us. We should die ensuring the care of our parents. We should die telling others about the Gospel. We should die entrusting our life to Him.
Yet why wait until the last minute? This then is how we should all live. Forgive those who hurt you today. Take care of your parents today. Share the Gospel of Christ today. Be zealous for the glory of God today. Entrust your life to the
Father today.
Prayer of Commitment
Father, help me forgive those who hurt me.
Enable me to honor my parents—not just to respect and obey them—but to give priority to them.
As Jesus brought the criminal to Himself at the cross, may the Spirit use me to bring others to Jesus with the Gospel.
Create in me a heart that is zealous for Your glory.
Though people may dislike me for my zeal for You, please give me the courage of the Spirit to handle it.
In view of Your mercy, I now consecrate my life to you as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to You, as my spiritual act of worship.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Notes
8 Pink, The Seven Sayings, 93.
9 W. D. Davies and Dale C. Allison, Jr., A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel According to St. Matthew (vol. 3; London: T & T Clark, 1997), 625.
10 A. Lukyn Williams and W. J. Deane, The Gospel According to St. Matthew (vol. 2; TPC; ed. H. D. M. Spence and Joseph S. Exell; London: Funk and Wagnalls, 1913), 593.
11Craig L. Blomberg, Matthew (NAC 22; ed. David S. Dockery; Nashville: Broadman, 1992), 419.
12 Peter C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 (WBC 19; ed. John D. W. Watts; Dallas: Word, 1983), 202.
13 S. B. Frost, “Psalm 22: An Exposition,” CJT 8 (1962):102–15, in Craigie, Psalms 1-50, 202.
14 Craigie, Psalms 1-50, 202.
15 Beasley-Murray, John, 351.
16 John MacArthur, ed., The MacArthur Study Bible (Nashville: Word, 1997), 802 n69:9.
17 Gingrich, Shorter, s. v. t??e?.
18 R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer, Jr., and Bruce K. Waltke, eds., Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (Chicago: Moody, 1980), 429, s. v. ? ? ?? ? ???.
19 Gingrich, Shorter, s. v. a???.
20 Beasley-Murray, John, 352.
21 Bauer, Walter, William F. Arndt, F. Wilbur Gingrich, and Frederick William Danker, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (3rd ed; ed. Frederick William Danker; Chicago: University of Chicago, 2000), 474, s. v. ??asµ??.
22 Friberg and Friberg, Analytical, s. v. ??asµ??.
23 Nolland, Luke 18:35-25:53, 1157.
24 D. Sylva, “The Temple Curtain and Jesus’ Death in the Gospel of Luke,” JBL 105 (1986): 239-250, in Nolland, Luke 18:35-25:53, 1157.
25 Nolland, Luke 18:35-25:53, 1158.
