"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish?"
"From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?' (which means 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?')."
At high noon on Passover Eve, as Jesus hung on the cross, the sky turned pitch black for three hours. In that supernatural darkness, the most profound spiritual transaction in history took place, culminating in the cry of Psalm 22:1.
1. The Mystery of the Darkness
This was no ordinary solar eclipse; Passover always occurs during a full moon when eclipses are astronomical impossibilities. God Himself drew the curtain of darkness as the holy wrath of divine justice against all human sin was concentrated upon the sinless Lamb of God.
2. The Cry of Substitution
At the ninth hour (3:00 PM), Jesus cried out in Aramaic: 'Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?' He experienced the horror of hell—absolute separation from the warmth of the Father's presence—so that you and I would never have to hear the words: 'Depart from Me'.
⚡ Fast Facts
- Three Hours of Darkness: From noon to 3 PM (the 6th to 9th hour), the sun was supernaturally darkened while the Father placed the sins of the world upon Jesus.
- Psalm 22 Banner: By quoting the opening line of Psalm 22, Jesus directed every onlooker to read the entire Psalm describing His crucifixion and ultimate victory.
- First Time Not Calling Him 'Father': Throughout His life, Jesus addressed God as 'Father'; on the cross, as our Sin-Bearer under divine judgment, He cried 'My God'.
- The Cup of Wrath: Jesus drank the cup of separation so that believers would never be forsaken by God (Hebrews 13:5).
❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Habakkuk 1:13 states that God's eyes are too pure to look upon evil. When Jesus was made sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21), the Father turned His face away in holy judgment against sin, causing Jesus to experience the agonizing reality of spiritual separation in our place.
