These words of
despair are the most enigmatic of all the
words spoken
by Jesus throughout his life. Jesus and his
Father were bound together
in a mysterious bond of love. There are
numerous references to Jesus’ witness
to the Father in his life; who can forget
Christ’s intercessory (high priestly)
prayer in John’s Gospel where their
relationship is spelled out in such
a beautiful way. “I and the father are one,
all mine are yours, and yours
are mine, as you did send me into the
world…” And when Jesus prays
for the unity of his church, we hear the same
intimacy expressed, “that
they may all be one; even as you, father, are
in me, and I in you.”
And how are we to understand these words in
light of such events as the
baptism of Jesus when the voice from heaven
declares that Jesus was indeed
the “beloved son”? Or in Jesus’
transfiguration on Mount Tabor when the
voice from the bright cloud says, “This my
beloved son with whom I am well
pleased; listen to him.”
We are discussing matters that are beyond
our ability to comprehend,
but if we turn to the prophet Isaiah (53:10)
we can see a glimmer of light
thrown on this mysterious saying:
“Yet it was the will of the Lord
to bruise him;
He has put him to grief.”
The answer as to why this was so is given in
the very next line: “when
he made himself as offering for sin.” And in
Paul’s first letter to the
Corinthians (5:21) we are told: “God made him
who had no sin to be sin
for us.”
Jesus had become the darkness of sin, and
this is shown in the painting
by the conflict of light and dark. John’s
Gospel has told us, “God is light
and in him is no darkness at all.” So
God the Father must turn away
from this darkness of sin that Christ bears
for us, and this causes the
deep spiritual anguish felt by Jesus.
If we but turn to Psalm 22, from whence
came these words:
My God, my God, why have you
forsaken me?
This is the very first line of the psalm, so
Jesus is here quoting from
the psalms. He knew that those versed in
scripture would recognize the
quotation and remember what came after it - a
word of hope for him and
for us. For when we continue reading this
psalm we see that it is about
those who cried out to their God in times of
trouble and were saved. In
verse 24 we are given the best answer
possible
For he has not despised or
abhorred
The affliction of the afflicted;
And has not hid his face from him,
But has heard, when he cried to him.
