Did God Really Turn His Face Away While Jesus Was on the Cross?
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?”). Mt 27:45–46 (NIV).
When reading these verses, many of us were taught that as Jesus hung on the cross, bearing the sin of the world, His holy and pure Father looked away because He couldn’t stand the sight of all that sin. Even the sky turned dark, because God hid His face from the sin-bearer. Jesus Himself declared that God had forsaken Him, so it must be true.
I’d like to suggest that this is a complete misrepresentation of these verses. Let me explain.
In the book of Job (1:6-12), Satan, the epitome of evil, walks into the very throne room of God. The Lord isn’t nervous or bothered by this, He simply asks Satan what he has been up to. The scene is remarkably casual. God doesn’t look away from evil. His holiness and purity isn’t affected by the great deceiver. This is our first clue that something is off with our interpretation of the scene at the cross.
Have you ever been in a conversation and someone mentions the first line of a famous song, and suddenly, without warning, your mind starts singing the tune? That’s very similar to what is going on here. You see, the Jews are called by some, the People of the Book, because they spent so much time reading, studying, meditating on and memorizing the Bible (Old Testament). From a young age, Jewish boys were taught different methods for memorizing large portions of the Scriptures.
'“Even with His final dying breath, Jesus was reaching out to people, attempting to convince them that He was who He said He was, the Messiah, the Savior.”
What’s fascinating is that Jesus’ statement, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” is actually the first line of one of the Psalms. Jews who witnessed the crucifixion of Jesus would have recognized that He was quoting the beginning of Psalm 22. If you look through that Psalm, you will find some bizarre similarities to the scene at the cross.
V. 7-8 “All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads. ‘He trusts in the Lord,’ they say, ‘let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.’” (Mt. 27:39-43)
V. 14 “I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint.”
V. 15 “My mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death.”
V. 16-18 “They pierce my hands and my feet. All my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over me. They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garments.” (Mt. 27:35)
Psalm 22 is all about the crucifixion! Line after line depicts what transpired with Jesus on that fateful, glorious day. In fact, the last line of the Psalm, “He has done it,” is almost the same as Jesus’ final words, “It is finished.”
As Jesus hung on the cross, He wasn’t moaning that God had turned away from Him. He was still prophesying to any who had the ears to hear. Those Jews who recited the words of the 22nd Psalm in their heads, could literally see it all happening right in front of their eyes! Even with His final dying breath, Jesus was reaching out to people, attempting to convince them that He was who He said He was, the Messiah, the Savior.
Oh, there is one more part. Verse 24 says, “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.” God the Father did not turn His face away from Jesus. In fact, He was intimately engaged with everything that took place that day.
Too many of us view God as afraid of our sin, repulsed by our shortcomings, but that is so far from the truth. As soon as Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden, God came looking for them and made a sacrifice for their sin. Jesus walked this earth for 33 years. He ate and drank with sinners every day. He wasn’t repulsed or offended. He even touched the sick, the lepers and the demon possessed, the most unclean people of His day, and none of that diminished His holiness. Quite the opposite. His purity drove away the sin, the sickness, and the demons. Over and over Jesus demonstrated His overwhelming love for all people.
The most profound truth of the Bible is found in the most famous verse of the Bible, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
God didn’t forsake Jesus and He won’t forsake you. No matter what! That’s what I believe in!
