The Last Words of Jesus Week 1-Why Have You Abandoned Me?

Big Idea: Even in tough times, God is always with us.

Primary Scripture: Mark 15:34

Supporting Scripture: Psalm 22:1-2, 23-27; Psalm 18:6; Romans 8:38-39

CAPTURE (Why should students pay attention to and care about your message?)

Our culture places such incredible value on a person’s last words.

Leonardo da Vinci’s last words were:

“I have offended God and mankind because my work did not reach the quality it should have.” 

Groucho Marx, the famous comedian from the 1940s and 1950s, said this before he died:

“This is no way to live!” 

Steve Jobs, the former CEO of Apple and inventor of the Mac, the iPod, the iPhone, and the iPad, said this just before he died:

“Oh wow! Oh wow! Oh wow!” 

We use the phrase “last words” because, deep down, we understand that a person’s last words can be incredibly significant. 

We’re going to spend the next few weeks looking at some of Jesus’ last words.

Jesus's words contain more power, truth, and critical lessons for us to learn than anyone who has ever lived or will live in the future. 

If His words are that important, it makes sense that we should take the time to listen to them and try to understand what they mean.

SCRIPTURE (What does God’s Word say?)

In our passage, Jesus is on the cross. Judas has already betrayed Him. The religious leaders have already arrested Him. Pilate has already agreed to sentence Him to death. 

Not only was Jesus suffering from being ruthlessly beaten and nailed to the cross, but He was also relentlessly mocked by onlookers. 

34 Then at three o’clock Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (Mark 15:34 – NLT)

Jesus is quoting a passage from the Psalms, written by David, who was considered one of the greatest Kings in all of Israel’s history. 

1 My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help? 2 Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer. Every night I lift my voice, but I find no relief. (Psalm 22:1-2 – NLT)

Jesus quoted David’s opening words of Psalm 22 word for word. 

Over time, we can come to use a few words or a short phrase from a movie, story, or song to represent something that’s actually much, much bigger.

“A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…” from the opening of Star Wars is a great way to basically say, “I’m about to tell you the most epic story ever.”

We use the “2-Minute Warning” from a football game as a way to say that time is running short and that now is the time to really put in 100% effort if you want to be successful.

Or, even though Jared Leto never technically said these words in the movie, “It’s Morbin’ Time!” is a great way to indicate that a movie, show, or story is actually terrible, even though it should have been awesome.

Instead of launching into a long, detailed explanation of something, we end up being able to just say a few words to get the same idea across, which is what Jesus seems to be doing here. 

Many of the people who witnessed Jesus’ crucifixion would have heard (and even memorized) the Psalms for their entire lives. 

When Jesus loudly proclaimed the first few words of Psalm 22, their minds would have immediately jumped to the Psalm as a whole, not just the first line.

After describing the agony of feeling abandoned by God, the Psalm builds up to this declaration towards the end:

23 Praise the Lord, all you who fear him! Honor him, all you descendants of Jacob! Show him reverence, all you descendants of Israel! 24 For he has not ignored or belittled the suffering of the needy. He has not turned his back on them, but has listened to their cries for help. (Psalm 22:23-24 – NLT)

David is praising God for never ignoring the people’s suffering, for never turning His back on them, and for always listening to his cries for help. 

Sometimes there can be a big difference between how we feel and what is actually true. 

David obviously felt as though he had been abandoned… but David also knows that God would never actually abandon him. 

25 I will praise you in the great assembly. I will fulfill my vows in the presence of those who worship you. 26 The poor will eat and be satisfied. All who seek the Lord will praise him. Their hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy. 27 The whole earth will acknowledge the Lord and return to him. All the families of the nations will bow down before him. (Psalm 22:25-27 – NLT)

David acknowledged that in the midst of surrounding dangers, he felt alone, abandoned, and unheard, but he was also reassured by the promise that God will always care for those in need. 

We follow a God who isn’t absent when we need Him the most. With the last of His strength, Jesus proclaimed that even in tough times, God is always with us.

INSIGHTS (What might this Scripture mean?)

1. God wants us to cry out to Him.

When Jesus experienced those intense feelings of hopelessness, He used the last bit of His strength to cry out to God.

When He did this, He gave us permission to do the same.

He’s showing us that it’s okay to cry out when we feel alone because the act of crying out is itself a reminder that God is always with us.

Psalm 18:6 shows this in action:

6 But in my distress I cried out to the Lord; yes, I prayed to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry to him reached his ears. (Psalm 18:6 – NLT)

2. God will NEVER abandon you.

When Jesus quoted Psalm 22, He reminded us that our feelings don’t always reflect reality. 

We can feel like we’ve been abandoned, but that isn’t our reality.

38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39 – NLT)

If nothing can separate you from God’s love that includes you.

There is no situation so hopeless that God will leave you. 

There is no enemy that you could face that is so strong that God will leave you.

There is nothing you (or anyone else) could ever do that would make God leave you.

ACTION (How could we live this out?)

1. Build a daily habit of prayer.

In its most basic form, prayer is expressing our feelings to God.

Someone who prays on a daily basis is a lot more likely to cry out to God in the moments when they need Him most than someone who sees prayer as something that they do “only when necessary.”

Commit to praying every day this week, even if it’s only for a few moments each day. 

When you pray, simply tell God how you’re feeling.  

Over time praying will become more than just something you do. It will become part of who you are. 

Set an alarm on your phone for a specific time each morning to remind you to simply let God know how you’re feeling.

2. Build a daily habit of reading the Bible.

Just like prayer needs to be a habit, reading the Bible needs to be a habit as well.

This week, read something from the Bible every day. 

It’s okay to start small. 

Use that same alarm on your phone reminding you to pray to also remind you to read the Bible. 

Whether it’s a verse or two a day, a passage, a chapter—whatever it is, commit to getting into the Bible regularly and building a habit so that when difficult times come, like Jesus, you can draw on scripture to find support and hope.