Christ’s Cry of Abandonment

Introduction:

“My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” As we consider the fourth, or middle, saying of our Lord during his time on the cross, it is interesting to note that, of all seven, this is the only saying recorded by more than one gospel writer––Matthew and Mark having both made it a significant part of their passion narratives. In their accounts, we see

I. Our Great Substitute’s External Circumstances Exposed (Mk 15:33-34)

A. His ordeal was approaching its climax (Mk 15:25, 33-34)

Explanation: Jesus had already been hanging on the cross for approximately six hours, since according to Mark, “it was nine in the morning when they crucified him.”

Explanation: As Jesus offers the middle of his seven sayings from the cross, there remain less than three full hours for Jesus to complete his atonement and die, Joseph to beg the body, Joseph and Nicodemus to prepare the body, and to seal it in the tomb before the start of the Sabbath. The overall pace of events begins to rapidly accelerate at this point.

B. His ordeal had just been punctuated with a supernatural sign (Mk 15:33)

Explanation: God does not share with us the means used to cause the darkness (it could not have been a natural eclipse, for Passover always happens at full moon), nor does God share with us the full extent of the darkness (the word for land here could refer to everything from just the Holy Land to the whole earth). The details are unimportant. What is significant is that while the supernatural “Light of the World” (cf. Jn 8:12; 9:5) is being crucified, the natural light of the world is forced to hide itself from sight.

II. Our Great Substitute’s Internal Circumstances Exposed (Mk 15:34)

A. Jesus’ words emphasize a different view of his relationship to God (Mk 15:34)

Explanation: Our Lord’s prayer life is given significant attention in the New Testament, and his invariable choice for addressing God is “Father.” Yet, as the eternal narrative of good news plays out on the pages of history, at this one, singular point Jesus’ address is “My God.” Here, although Jesus never ceases to be the eternal Son, the emphasis is on his position as a servant rather than a Son. I believe this style of address is designed to remind us of the prophecy of Isaiah regarding this moment where Isaiah refers to the Messiah as “my servant” as he describes in great detail the crucifixion (Is 52:13–53:12).

B. Jesus’ words indicate a different posture toward him by God (Mk 15:34)

Explanation: God’s posture toward Jesus here is described by a verb meaning to forsake, desert, or abandon. Jesus had been through extraordinary trials before during his time in the wilderness and in the Garden of Gethsemane, but always the loving Father had sent an angel or angels to minister unto him (cf. Mk 1:13; Lk 22:43). Not now, not on this occasion. Here, we are reminded of the well-known saying of Isaiah, “it pleased the Lord to bruise him.” Jesus becomes the recipient of the full fury of God’s wrath on sin and ceases to be the recipient of any of God’s comforting mercies. This phrase of abandonment reveals that Jesus is suffering the very torments of Hell for us, as the Father turns his back on the sinless Son who has now become sin for us (cf. 2 Cor 5:21).

III. Our Great Substitute’s Audience Exposed (Mk 15:35-36)

A. The entire audience remained blinded to the eternal significance of the event (Mk 15:35-36; Lk 24:21)

Explanation: We know that the unbelievers present were blind to what was going on, but even his followers were unable to comprehend what was happening. The disciples on the road to Emmaus made this clear when they said to the unrecognized Jesus, “we were hoping that he was the one who was about to redeem Israel” (Lk 24:21). They had no clue that their redemption was exactly what Jesus was accomplishing on Golgotha’s hill.

B. The numerous detractors in the audience continued mocking him (Mk 15:35-36)

Explanation: Those in the crowd eager to see Jesus suffer either accidentally or deliberately misunderstood the purpose of his utterance. They interpreted it as a reference to a Jewish legend whereby Elijah was thought to save Jews in great danger. Thus, their response as recorded by Mark is “See, he’s calling for Elijah. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down” (Mk 15:35-36).

Conclusion:

Let none of us present here today mistake the true significance of this event in which our Savior fulfilled Old Testament prophecy, becoming the true Passover Lamb and the seed of the woman, who was, in time and space, crushing the evil serpent’s head.