Jesus' 'cry of dereliction'

(Written July 26, 2012)

From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”—which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 

- Matthew 27:45-46

This cry of Jesus is famously remembered as the "cry of dereliction". All the scholars agree that Jesus was quoting Psalm 22:1 (a Messianic psalm). Jesus quoted scripture to emphasize that it was fulfilled in Him.

I wonder whether we have thought about this cry of dereliction. We do know Jesus FELT forsaken by God. But was He really forsaken? Was Jesus ASKING A QUESTION "why"? The most correct explanation seems to be that Jesus' cry was in fact a cry of REAL, ACTUAL dereliction - that God forsook Him IN REALITY.

I also wonder whether we think about the weight of sin. To bear the weight of our sin, it took God Himself to become a man, and die the kind of death Jesus died. It's not just about HOW FAR GOD WOULD GO.......it is also about how far He would HAVE TO GO. As human beings we are quick to shuffle off our responsibility and guilt. But the darkness of those three hours, and God not just "being away" from His Only Son but actually FORSAKING Him (depth of abandonment) gives us an idea of what cost was involved. Matthew also says that there were earthquakes during that time as the Son of God bore the sentence of the Father in our place. The horror of sin is not something we should take lightly, if it cost God Himself so much!

If Jesus, the very Son of God, Himself felt the "abandonment" so sharply that He cried out in such unbearable anguish, we ought to consider soberly whether, when the time comes, some of us will be able to bear eternal separation from God.

What we RISK in not believing is not "mere" eternity. It is the absolute horror of an eternity WITHOUT GOD. Forsaken, abandoned to our just desserts, our rewards for sin and rebellion.