For years I have been wondering about this passage. Why was Jesus abandoned and even shouted it in public to let everyone know how he felt? Wouldn't that be bad publicity? He could've just kept it in secret, suffering quietly, since he had the self-control and self-discipline to do so.
Picture above by Der_ Hördt.
But now the world knows that he felt abandoned, left alone on the cross and at the point of death, shouting defeat blatantly in public. Now we know that God can actually do it, forsake someone, even in the absence of guilt. It's scary to think that it can happen. If it happened to Jesus, the Son of God, how much more to us?
When Jesus hung upon the cross and uttered the anguished words, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (Matthew 27:46), he revealed not just the depth of His suffering but the pain of abandonment, being left to die in shame. This cry was not a loss of faith, but the raw expression of a soul bearing the full weight of sin and separation. At that moment, Jesus entered into the darkest valley of human experience, identifying with every person who has ever felt forsaken, alone, or overwhelmed by despair. You know the feeling of desperately hoping but getting nothing?
The cry echoes Psalm 22:1, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” This psalm, written centuries earlier, prophetically foreshadows the suffering of the Messiah. By invoking it, Jesus was not only expressing his agony but also pointing to the fulfillment of Scripture. The fulfillment of suffering. Psalm 22 continues with vivid descriptions of pierced hands and mocked suffering, reminding us that His pain was foretold and purposeful.
I stand aside and wonder about knowing beforehand what terrible things you will suffer. How were you supposed to live life with that foreknowledge? I think Jesus had played with the idea that suffering could be scratched from the plan of salvation and simply be decided with an edict. Just save and snatch them from hell. "If it's possible, let this cup pass from me." Can we just skip this part?
To me, the whole crucifixion episode shows how it's possible to be left abandoned, in deep despair and disappointment, and with God seemingly nonchalant about it all. And there's no clear explanation why, leaving you in the dark and utter confusion. Probably like how Job must have felt, lost, alone and misunderstood. In Jesus' case, he was left to suffer and die. No rescue happened though he is the Son of God. In Job's case, rescue did happen, but after a long bout with suffering that seemed uncalled for and senseless. The question remains---what for?
Why did Jesus have to suffer? Many would quickly answer---because our salvation and redemption required his blood being shed for our sins. I know. But still, why? Because all things are possible to him, God could have just decided to grant us salvation through Jesus minus the cross. Just say the word. And we'd just repent and believe Jesus. That ought to do it. That wouldn't have been impossible for God to decide and do. Anything he decides and says goes.
Isaiah 46.10: I say, 'My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.'
But he decided that suffering should accompany everything that he sees real value in before he grants it to us, although it's all by grace when we do receive it, not of works or hardships. It's all a gift from God. And Jesus showed that what's given by grace and mercy always comes with suffering, not as payment, but a way of subduing the flesh which is apt to misusing God's gifts.
From the Old Testament, we see several passages that lend us insights into his sufferings:
Psalm 22:1 – “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” This verse is the direct source of Jesus’ cry, showing that His suffering was part of God’s redemptive plan. It reminds us that even in abandonment, Scripture holds the promise of ultimate vindication.
Isaiah 53:4–5 – “Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering… he was pierced for our transgressions.” Isaiah’s prophecy reveals that Jesus’ sense of abandonment was not for His own sins, but for ours. He bore the crushing silence of heaven so that we might never be truly forsaken.
Lamentations 1:12 – “Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Look and see if there is any suffering like my suffering.” This lament captures the uniqueness of Christ’s agony. his suffering was unparalleled, for he carried the burden of the world’s sin.
Deuteronomy 31:6 – “Be strong and courageous… for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” This promise seems to stand in tension with Jesus’ cry. Yet in that tension lies the mystery: Jesus experienced forsakenness so that we could be assured of God’s abiding presence.
In devotional reflection, we see that Jesus’ cry was both deeply human and profoundly divine. As a man, he felt the crushing loneliness of abandonment. As the Son of God, he bore the separation that sin creates between humanity and the Father. His cry was the sound of love stretched to its breaking point, love that would not turn away even when it meant enduring silence from heaven.
Maybe, God wants to see the same results accomplished in us, by his grace and the power of the Holy Spirit in us, for Jesus lives in us 100 percent.
For us, this moment is a source of comfort. When we feel abandoned, we can know that Jesus has walked this path before us. He understands the silence, the unanswered prayers, the seeming and disturbing silence of God, the weight of despair. Yet His cry was not the end of the story. Psalm 22 moves from lament to praise: “You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen. I will declare your name to my people.” (Psalm 22:21–22). The cross leads to resurrection, and abandonment gives way to restoration.
Jesus may have died on the cross without any rescue from heaven, but the promise above assures us of a different ending. After all, we are not the Savior. We're not the only begotten Son destined before the creation of the world to die and save those who will believe.
But still, it's scary and makes me think about it all. But it also makes me seek refuge deep into the shadow of the almighty. To find peace that surpasses understanding in his secret place.
In prayer, we can approach the cross with honesty. We can bring our own cries of “Why, Lord?” knowing that Jesus Himself prayed such words. And we can trust that just as the Father did not ultimately abandon the Son, He will not abandon us. The cry of forsakenness becomes the assurance of eternal presence.
Thus, Jesus’ words on the cross are not only a window into His suffering but also a doorway into our hope. He was abandoned so that we might be embraced. He cried out in despair so that we might sing in joy. His silence from heaven secured for us the eternal promise: “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
