Jesus’s fourth statement from the cross (Matt 27:46; Mark 15:34) is often thought to be His only negative statement of His seven sayings. Frequently called Jesus’s “cry of dereliction,” it is often described as God the Father turning His back on His Son—abandoning the sin bearer. The hymn “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us” has the line, “How great the pain of searing loss, the Father turns His face away.” Yet is that what happened? Did the Father literally abandon the Son? This article will examine various interpretations of this middle statement from Jesus on the cross and then show biblical evidence that affirms Jesus used this statement to describe the agony of His crucifixion and to give a positive witness to His messiahship and atonement.
The Importance of this Statement
Mark mentions the spoken Aramaic words of Jesus, along with a Greek translation, in dramatic moments. Jesus said, “Talitha kum” (“Little girl, I say to you, arise!,”1 5:41) when He raised Jairus’s daughter from the dead. He commanded, “Ephphatha” (“Be opened,” 7:34) when healing the deaf and mute man. He addressed God as “Abba” (“Father,” 14:36) in His agonizing prayer at Gethsemane. In the middle saying from the cross, He said, “Elōi, Elōi lema sabachthani,” (“My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?” 15:34).2
This is Jesus’s last statement in Mark and His only statement from the cross that Mark records. Both Matthew and Mark (Matt 27:46; Mark 15:34) note Jesus “cried out with a loud voice” (eboēsen…phōnē megalē) for this statement as well as His last statement from the cross (Matt 27:50; Mark 15:37; see also Luke 23:46).
Scholars debate what Jesus meant in this fourth saying. However, two facts are clear. First, Jesus greatly suffered on the cross. His physical suffering was immense; crucifixion was death by torture. Even worse was the spiritual hardship, as “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf” (2 Cor 5:21a). Second, Jesus cited the first verse of one of the greatest messianic passages in the Old Testament (Ps 22)—one that ends in victory.
Inadequate Interpretations
Some popular views of what this fourth saying means do not adequately fit the contexts of these passages in Matthew and Mark nor the greater context of Scripture. Here are two common claims. First, God cannot look at sin, so this is why He abandoned Jesus on the cross. Second, the Father had to be totally separated from His Son for the atonement to occur; thus, abandonment was required. What does Scripture say about these claims?
Can God the Father Not Look on Sin?
Could God not look at Jesus on the cross? Some Bible verses appear to say God is unable to look at sin, but a closer look is needed. First, the verb “look” when used of God is an anthropomorphism: figuratively assigning human characteristics to better understand God. Yet He is spirit rather than corporeal (John 4:24). Second, “look” is symbolic. Habakkuk 1:13 says, “Thine eyes are too pure to approve evil, And Thou canst look on wickedness with favor.” Since God is omniscient, this verse cannot mean God is unable to see evil. Rather, it means God does not tolerate sin, nor does He deal with it approvingly. Third, God’s judgment on sin appears throughout Scripture (e.g., Gen 3:14-19; Ps 1:5; 7:11; Rev 20:11-15), yet no verse says God cannot literally perceive a sinner or a sinful act. Fourth, God can forgive the sinner and the sin. In David’s penitent psalm, he wrote, “Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity” (Ps 51:9). Fifth, the psalm Jesus quoted from the cross positively states, “Neither has He [God] hidden His face from him [the righteous sufferer], But when he cried to Him for help, He heard (22:24b).” So, Scripture does not affirm the claim that God could not look on Jesus when He was sin bearer.
Did the Father Abandon His Son?
David and Jesus used the Aramaic verb sabachthani, “you have forsaken Me.” Did God the Father abandon David in his time of need and Jesus while on the cross? First, it could be the perception but not the reality. No doubt David felt abandoned in the first part of Psalm 22, and possibly Jesus felt abandoned as He took on the sin of the world. Yet there is no indication God abandoned Jesus. Rather, the rest of the psalm affirms God’s presence and purpose in the suffering of the righteous one. Second, any abandonment by the Father to the Son is problematic for the biblical picture of the Trinity: one God in three persons. How could God abandon Himself? The picture of abandonment is confusing and misleading.
The Wider Biblical Context
One should not interpret any Scripture in isolation. Other biblical passages aid in understanding what Jesus said in the fourth saying from the cross.
The Father’s Involvement in the Atonement
God first mentioned the Gospel in Genesis 3:15, called the protoevangelium, the first mention of the Gospel. He is the initiator and announcer of the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross. When God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, this was an important “type,” or foreshadowing, of the atonement. Abraham was the type and God the antitype who gave the supreme sacrifice. Isaac and the ram were types of Jesus, who was the ultimate sacrificial payment. Isaiah 53, one of the four Suffering Servant poems in Isaiah, clearly says, “But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him (53:6b).” “But the Lord was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief (v. 10a).” So, God the Father was intimately involved in the sacrifice of His Son. This was involvement, not abandonment.
During His ministry, Jesus predicted His atonement (Matt 16:21 = Mark 8:31 = Luke 9:22; Matt 17:22-23 = Mark 9:31-32 = Luke 9:44-45; Matt 20:17-19 = Mark 10:32-34 = Luke 18:31-34). He used the passive voice, where the subject receives the verbal action. These were divine passives, which mean God the Father will do the actions. Jesus will be “delivered [by the Father] into the hands of men … and He will be raised [by the Father] on the third day (Matt 17:22-23).” The Father was involved in this crucifixion/resurrection event from start to finish.
The Son Pointing to His Messiahship and Atonement
Many scholars claim Jesus did not refer to the entire Psalm 22 in His fourth saying from the cross. Although He did not explicitly refer to the entire Psalm, the contexts of Matthew and Mark do. Matthew 27:35, 39, 43 and Mark 15:24, 29-31 make references to Psalm 22 in the crucifixion account. So, it is reasonable to understand Jesus quoted the first verse of the psalm to point His listeners to the entire psalm, which shows God’s plan for crucifixion and ends in victory. Jesus quoted Psalm 22:1 to call attention implicitly to the entire messianic psalm, which employs a technique of the lesser (David) to the greater (the coming Messiah). Although it partially applied to David, especially the first part of the psalm and the feeling (but not reality) of abandonment, it prophesied the crucifixion of the Messiah and His confidence of God’s help.
As noted above, at least three times in the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus prophesied He was going up to Jerusalem to be crucified, buried, and resurrected. So, it makes sense that Jesus’s fourth saying from the cross was His call for the crowd to realize He was fulfilling Psalm 22. In essence, Jesus’s fourth statement said, “If you want to understand what is happening, see Psalm 22.” It has detailed predictions of what will happen at Jesus’s crucifixion: the mocking from the crowd (vv. 7-8), bones out of joint (v. 14), extreme dehydration (v. 15), being surrounded by evildoers (v. 16a), piercing His hands and feet (v. 16b), and dividing His garments and casting lots for them (v. 18). Jesus fulfilled all this. Then the psalm ends by describing God’s help (vv. 19-21), the proclamation to others about God (v. 22), and His people worshipping Him (vv. 23-31).
Conclusion
Jesus’s first four statements from the cross follow an important theme: Jesus’s care. He cared for his enemies (saying #1). He cared for the repentant thief (#2). He cared for His mother (#3). He was concerned for the crowd to understand He was fulfilling the messianic role of Suffering Servant (#4). Jesus’s fifth saying, “I thirst,” was probably to enable Him to shout the final two sayings, which affirmed His relationship and fellowship with the Father was unbroken on the cross: “It is finished” (#6), and “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit” (#7).
Observe in this fourth saying from the cross the Son’s sacrifice in His agonizing suffering unto death on the cross, His obedience to His primary messianic mission, and His victory of fulfilling God’s redemptive plan as evidenced in His resurrection. Contemplate God’s care for His Son on the cross and have confidence in God as He continues to care for His ministering and suffering church today. Commit to sharing the good news of Jesus’s offer of salvation to a lost and dying world.
