We’re in the middle of a series called If the Truth Be Told, and this week, I had the humbling opportunity to preach on one of the seven last sayings of Jesus from the cross. No pressure, right? After all, this is one of the most pivotal moments in all of Christian history. Every word Jesus speaks on the cross carries the weight of eternity—and what He says in Matthew 27 hit me hard.
“My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?”
Matthew 27:45–46 says:
“Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’”
This moment is dark—literally and spiritually. Darkness covered the land from noon to 3 p.m., a clear sign that something cosmic was happening. Then Jesus cries out—not “Abba,” as He so often did when referring to God as His Father—but “My God.”
Why would Jesus, who spent His ministry referring to God as Father, suddenly use this formal, distant language?
1. A Cry That Sounded Like Defeat
On the surface, it sounds like despair. It sounds like Jesus is giving up. But He’s not just speaking from His pain—He’s doing something else. He’s quoting the first line of Psalm 22:
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
In Jewish tradition, quoting the beginning of a psalm often implied the whole psalm. Much like we hear a lyric and immediately know the rest of the song—"This little light of mine..." or "Blame it all on my roots..."—Jesus was pointing His listeners toward something deeper.
Psalm 22 isn’t just a cry of anguish. It’s a prophetic song—a song that described, in painful detail, what Jesus was enduring on the cross.
- Verse 7–8: They mock Him.
- Verse 14–15: He suffers.
- Verse 16: His hands and feet are pierced.
- Verse 18: They divide and gamble over His clothes.
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This was not the cry of a defeated man—it was the opening line of a song of victory, written centuries before by David, and fulfilled in that very moment by Christ.
2. A Weight That Wasn’t His to Carry
If the truth be told, this was a weight Jesus didn’t deserve. He had no sin of His own. He was the spotless Lamb. So why would the Father “forsake” Him?
Because He was bearing our sin.
“God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)
That weight caused a spiritual fracture Jesus had never experienced before. For the first time in eternity, He felt the distance sin brings. But don’t miss this: He was not abandoned—He was obedient.
He was exactly where the Father wanted Him to be, doing exactly what the Father had sent Him to do. What felt like abandonment was actually atonement—for you and for me.
3. A Noise That Drowned Out the Truth
As Jesus cried out, some bystanders said, “He’s calling for Elijah.” Why? Did they really not understand what He said?
Two reasons come to mind:
- They weren’t listening.
- They were listening to the wrong voices.
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How often does that happen to us?
We drown out the voice of God with distractions—busyness, social media, fear, guilt. Or we fill our lives with voices that are “God-adjacent” but not God. Influencers, friends, even well-meaning family members can sometimes lead us away from truth if we aren’t grounded in what God has actually said.
When we don't make intentional space to hear God's voice, the noise will always win.
4. A Song That Ends in Victory
But here’s the good part.
Jesus didn’t just quote the beginning of Psalm 22—He pointed us to the whole thing. And when you read to the end, the tone shifts dramatically.
“He has not hidden His face from him but has listened to his cry for help.” (v.24)
“All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord.” (v.27)
“Future generations will be told about the Lord. They will proclaim His righteousness… that He has done it.” (v.30–31)
Sound familiar? “It is finished.”
Jesus’ cry wasn’t defeat—it was declaration. The cross wasn’t the silence of God—it was the soundtrack of salvation.
You’re Not at the End of Your Song
Some of you are in the middle of your own Psalm 22. It starts with anguish, confusion, and pain. But if the truth be told, your story’s not over.
I know what it’s like to want to quit. I’ve had voices in my head—inside and out—telling me I wasn’t good enough, that I should walk away. But God wasn’t done with me. He reminded me that my feelings don’t change His calling.
Maybe today, He’s reminding you too: You’re not abandoned. You’re not alone. And you are not defeated.
So keep singing—even if your voice shakes. The final verse is still coming.
And it ends in victory.
