Preachers have long taken Jesus’ words on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”, to be very literal in meaning. They confidently affirm that as Jesus bore the sins of mankind, he was for the first and only time separated from God the Father (and assumedly the Holy Spirit as well). Since God cannot tolerate sin, he supposedly was forced to turn his back on Jesus in a unique moment of complete separation.
While this makes for a strong emotional appeal, it begs the question, “Is it true?” The answer would have to include another question regarding the nature of God. If there were three gods, separation would be possible, but since there is only one God of three persons, the Trinity, how could God be separated from himself? Admittedly the trinitarian nature of God is far beyond human comprehension, but so should the idea of God being separated from himself. Let’s leave tritheism to paganism and its pantheons.
Just as the Trinity is a mystery, so is the dual nature of Jesus, being God and man at the same time. It was clearly mind-boggling to the apostles who experienced the God/man in a closeup and personal way. They appeared to grasp his nature conceptually at times, while at other times they were completely overwhelmed with the reality of it all. I love Mark’s account of Jesus calming the storm and the disciples’ response. “They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” (Mark 4:41)
It is this dual nature of Jesus that provides the answer to his tortured question of God while on the cross. An examination of all seven of Jesus’ sayings during his crucifixion shows that some of his comments came from his human side, while others came from his divine side.
From Jesus’ Divine Side
Father, forgive them , for they do not know what they are doing (Luke 23)
Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise (Luke 23)
Father, into your hands I commit my spirit (Luke 23)
It is finished (John 19)
From Jesus’ Human Side
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? (Matthew 27, Mark 15 – from Psalm 22)
Woman, here is your son; Here is your mother (John 19)
I am thirsty (John 19)
We must keep in mind that many of the Messianic prophecies in the Old Testament were first expressed by the writers as their own experience or as some contemporary event of their day. Applications made in the New Testament show their intended Messianic application as what might be called typological parallels. For example, Matthew’s comment about Jesus being called out of Egypt in Matthew 2:15 was one such obvious parallel based on Hosea 11:1, where it was first applied to the nation of Israel being delivered from Egyptian slavery.
In the case of Psalm 22, David was expressing his life struggles which had led to his understandable faith struggles. Like all of us when facing serious life challenges, we vacillate between belief and unbelief, and our prayers reflect that spiritual battle. Many of the Psalms begin with desperation ruling the day and as they progress further, faith is reclaimed. This is precisely the pattern in Psalm 22, beginning with that famous cry of desperation in verse 1.
By the time David penned verse 24, his faith struggle had found its answer. “For he has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help.” Read the entire Psalm with this principle in mind. It goes from hopelessness to hope rediscovered. Our prayers centuries later often follow this same pattern, do they not?
The end of the Psalm is one of victory and hope. God is always working on our behalf.
27 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, 28 for dominion belongs to the LORD and he rules over the nations.
29 All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him— those who cannot keep themselves alive. 30 Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord. 31 They will proclaim his righteousness, declaring to a people yet unborn: He has done it!
Lessons Learned
One, let’s be careful about looking at passages with our first focus being on how we can use them in motivational preaching. So many passages have been mistaught by having such a focus. Careful exegesis should always precede practical applications.
Two, the interpretation of a passage in the NT which is quoted from the OT must deal with the OT context first. Doing this is not as simple as many who haven’t studied the different types of prophecy assume. Many prophecies are the single fulfillment type, in which only one specific future event or situation is being viewed. Others are the double fulfillment type, in which one application is found in the near future after being written, with another later application also intended by God. See 2 Samuel 7:12-13 for an example of this type – Solomon is immediately in view, but Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment. Then we have the typical fulfillment type, as already explained in the case of Hosea 11:1 and Matthew 2:15.
Three, it is always wise to tread carefully when delving into the realm of the nature of God. The Trinity has been the subject of discussions, books and church councils for centuries. Widespread agreement has not often been the result. On that note, Calvinism is experiencing a renewed surge of interest and once again, dogmatism and division is rearing its ugly head. Let’s learn to be content with leaving mystery in the realm of mystery where it belongs.
Four, and finally, let’s not let this discussion take on a life of its own and get us off-focused from the marvel of Jesus on the cross and the mystery of God’s love in knowing and showing no bounds. We owed a price we could not pay; he paid a price he did not owe. With that, let us rejoice and praise him for his ultimate sacrifice which drove him to utter that cry of anguish in the form of a question, the cry of One who was there willingly, already knowing its answer. “For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).
