A few weeks ago, one of my congregants asked my interpretation regarding Jesus’ cry of forsakenness from the cross as prophesied in Psalm 22, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me” Ps 22:1; Matt 27:46 (ESV). As I gave my Reader’s Digest explanation, I realized this was an opportunity for a more in depth look at this perplexing prayer. The question is posed, “How was Jesus forsaken by the Father?” We contend that God “made him to be sin who knew no sin.” 2 Cor 5:21(ESV).” We affirm, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.” Gal 3:13 (ESV). We recall as Peter explains, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree” 1 Pet 2:24 (ESV). And finally, we remember Isaiah prophesies that in the crucifixion Christ was “stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities” Is 53:4-5 (ESV). These passages affirm our understanding of the penal substitutionary atonement. That is, Christ, who was the spotless righteous lamb of God, died on the cross as a propitiatory sacrifice that appeased the wrath of God against the sin of humanity (1 Cor 5:7, Rom 3:24-25). How then does the weight of Christ’s atoning work on the cross relate to His cry of forsakenness? Martin Luther is said to have gone into seclusion while he considered this matter and came away as confused as when he began.

Many metaphors have attempted to explain Christ’s cry of forsakenness. But did the Father “turn His face away” as Stuart Townend perceives in his magnificent hymn How Deep the Father’s Love for Us? Was there a break in fellowship between the Father and the Son during this pivotal time in salvation history? Some have alluded to Habakkuk 1:13 in which the prophet poses that God is, “of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong.” But “to look at” in this context metaphorically means “to tolerate,” and ultimately God did not tolerate sin, either Israel’s or Babylon’s. In relation to Christ’s atonement, the metaphor does not seem to fit as the very crucifixion of Christ attests to God’s loving yet just or “intolerant” response to humanity’s sin.

Does the Scripture address the issue of the Trinity’s interaction during the atonement? I believe it does. First, Paul states regarding the role of the Trinity in the crucifixion that “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself.” 2 Cor 5:19 (NASB77) Second, Isaiah wrote of the Father helping the Son during this experience, “I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard . . . But the Lord GOD helps me,” Is 50:6-7 (ESV). Third, Jesus attests that even after the disciples would abandon Him “I am not alone, for the Father is with me” John 16:32 (ESV), which implies continuous help even through the crucifixion. Fourth, the Bible affirms that communion or fellowship with God is broken when one continues in unrepentant sin (Is 59:2; Ps 66:18; 1 Pet 3:12). However, even after Christ’s cry of God-forsakenness He continues to exhibit prayerful communion with the Father while bearing our sin (Luke 23:46; 1 Pet 2:24). Fifth, the very Psalm that foretells Jesus’ cry (Ps 22:1), the mocking (6-13), Christ’s thirst (15); His piercing (16), and the casting of lots for Jesus’ garments (18), addresses the interaction of the Father and the Son on the cross. The Psalmist contends, “he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him” Psalm 22:24 (ESV). If we recognize the whole of the twenty-second Psalm as messianic, which we do, then verse twenty-four must also be true of Jesus during His death on the cross. Jesus’ allusion to Psalm 22:1 should have been a sober reminder for anyone witnessing His death of the Scriptures’ testimony to the crucifixion as found within this Psalm.

My understanding of Christ’s cry of forsakenness could be summed up in one word, mystery. Christ was smitten by God and afflicted (Is 53:4), and yet God helps Him (Is 50:7). The answer to the question, “What does it mean to say that Christ was forsaken by God?” is found in the very same verse from which His cry originates. Immediately after the cry of forsakenness, the Psalmist asks, “Why are you so far from saving me.” Being forsaken directly relates to Christ’s not being “saved” from the current circumstances. God gave Christ over to the hypocritical religious leaders, an unjust governor, violent soldiers, and irreverent mockers. Could God have stopped this miscarriage of justice. The answer is yes, and at any time, but God did not stop the crucifixion as it was part of His predetermined plan (Acts 2:23). Christ was forsaken on the cross and He who knew no sin became a sin offering. Christ was forsaken so that I would not have to be, and that same wonderful truth is consistent for all who are found “in Christ.”