“My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?”
Reflecting on the Mystery and Justice of the Cross
There are some passages of Scripture that leave us almost speechless. The crucifixion account is one of them. It confronts us with both utter agony and profound shame. Jesus died in shame on the cross, and the weight of that reality presses itself upon our hearts.
In many ways, it feels unnecessary to add anything to such texts. It already speaks with overwhelming force. And yet, there is one verse that continually arrests my attention:
“My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”
Even after more than three decades as a Christian, I still feel the weight of those words every time I read them. They echo not only in the Gospels, but reach back to Psalm 22, written a thousand years before Christ hung on the cross.
As we reflect on this cry from the cross, two realities stand out: the mystery of Christ’s suffering and the justice of God displayed in it.
The Mystery of the Cross
There is something here that we cannot fully explain.
Jesus is both fully God and fully man, united in one person. So what does it mean for Him to cry out in apparent abandonment? Surely, it cannot mean that the Trinity was broken. God cannot be divided. The Father and the Son do not cease to be one.
And yet, Jesus truly speaks these words.
He speaks according to His human nature. This is not pretend anguish—it is real. But even acknowledging that does not remove the mystery. We have never experienced what He experienced in that moment because we have lived our lives with many examples of disfavor and judgment. You see, we do know something about what it is to feel disfavor and judgment.
We know it in small ways in our relationships. Perhaps you can remember a moment from childhood when you knew, instantly, that you were in trouble—not just because of what was said, but because of the look on someone’s face. A look that communicated both displeasure and judgment.
We also know this reality before God. Scripture tells us that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. We have all experienced guilt—not just socially, but spiritually. We know what it is to stand before God as those who have failed Him.
But here is where Jesus is utterly unique. He had never experienced that. From childhood to adulthood, He lived in perfect fellowship with the Father. He always did what was pleasing to God. He never fell short—not once.
And yet, on the cross, He experienced what He did not deserve. He felt the weight of divine displeasure and judgment—not for His own sin, but for ours.
The Justice of God on Display
This leads us to the second reality: the justice of God.
At the cross, something is happening that is both mysterious and glorious. Jesus is not merely suffering physically. He is bearing the judgment of God against sin. What we deserve, He takes upon Himself.
The Gospels give us glimpses of the magnitude of this moment. Creation itself seems to respond to what is taking place:
- Darkness covers the land
- The earth shakes
- Rocks split apart
And those who witnessed it could not help but confess – “Truly this was the Son of God.”
On the cross, Jesus becomes our substitute.
He bears the disfavor we deserve.
He absorbs the judgment we have earned.
He pays the penalty for sin.
As Scripture says, He who knew no sin became sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God.
A Call to Respond
This is not merely something to understand—it is something to respond to.
If you have never personally trusted in Christ, the invitation is clear:
Come to Him.
Trust in what He has done.
Rest in His finished work on the cross.
He has borne the judgment so that you might receive forgiveness.
And if you do know Him—then let this truth stir your heart again.
Let it rekindle your love.
Let it deepen your worship.
Let it draw you nearer to the Savior who was forsaken so that you might be accepted.