THE CRY OF DERELICTION
“And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”” (Matthew 27:46, ESV)
Part 1
Dereliction,
the state of being abandoned. What is happening on
the Cross, with Jesus, in relation to the Trinity? Much of our contemporary
theology is influenced by our music. In Stuart
Townend’s familiar hymn entitled ‘Oh How Deep the Father’s Love,’ in the first
stanza we read:
“How deep the Father’s love for us,
How vast beyond all measure,
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure.
How great the pain of searing loss –
The Father turns His face away,
As wounds which mar the Chosen One
Bring many sons to glory.”[1]
(Emphasis Mine)
Did the
Father turn His face from Jesus? Did the Father abandon Christ on the Cross?
Many modern worshippers think so. The Father’s eyes are too pure to look on
iniquity (Habakkuk 2:13). The sin of the world placed on the Savior occasioned
the Father to abandon Him. One of my favorite theologians, Dr. R.C. Sproul,
Sr., has said, Jesus became "the most obscene thing in all of
creation" in that moment, prompting the holy Father to turn His back on
the Son. Is this what Matthew meant when he recorded the words of Jesus, “My
God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
We all are
aware that Jesus was quoting Psalm 22:1a, “My God, my God, why have you
forsaken me?” I believe it to by wise to consider this fact as important to
understanding the interpretation of Jesus’ cry. Let me at the outset suggest
that Matthew’s account of the Passion of Christ is
filled with not only this direct reference to the Psalm, but also multitude
of allusions. For example:
A. Dividing the Garments and Casting Lots (Matthew 27:35 // Psalm 22:18)
B. Mocking, Derision, and Wagging Heads (Matthew 27:39 // Psalm 22:7)
C. The Taunt “He Trusts in God; Let God Deliver Him” (Matthew 27:43 // Psalm 22:8)
D. Crucifixion itself as piercing (Matthew 27:35 // Psalm 22:16)
E. Encirclement by enemies (Matthew 27:27-31, 35-44 // Psalm 22:12-13, 16
F. Gloating and staring (Matthew 27:36, 39, 41-44 // Psalm 22:17)
My conclusion is that Psalm 22 becomes the key to interpreting the cry of Jesus from verse 1 of the Psalm. Matthew 27 does not merely record historical events; it presents Jesus as the ultimate fulfillment of Psalm 22. If Matthew is intentionally drawing on Psalm 22 then there’s a couple “so whats”:
1. Psalm 22:31, as does Matthew 27:50 demands a note of optimism noting the Messiah “who has done it,” and the One who with a loud cry announced, “It is finished.”
2. The psalm moves from suffering to triumph (Psalm 22:22-31), which points forward to the resurrection in Matthew 28.
Dr. Thomas
McCall well states an early but important conclusion:
“This is no
cry of utter and total abandonment. There is no hint here of a severed or even
strained relationship. There is no sense here of a Father who has rejected his
Son or who has turned his back on him. In fact, it is hard to see how such a
view could even be compatible with these last words of Jesus. To the contrary,
Jesus prefaces his last words with a sense of deep relational intimacy: Jesus
addresses his “Father.” And they are words of complete trust; what we see here
is an expression of the closest imaginable spiritual communion. “Into your
hands I commit my spirit.”[2]
Of course
that does not solve the problem. What I have tried to do is show that Matthew’s
use of Psalm 22, not just verse 1a, but the entire Psalm sets the tone and
trajectory of the crucifixion narrative, and particularly the meaning of the
cry of dereliction.
Part 2 will
continue the discussion.
[1] Stuart
Townend Copyright © 1995 Thankyou Music (Adm. by CapitolCMGPublishing.com excl.
UK & Europe, adm. by Integrity Music, part of the David C Cook family,
songs@integritymusic.com)
[2] McCall,
Thomas H.. Forsaken: The Trinity and the Cross, and Why It Matters (p. 38).
InterVarsity Press. Kindle Edition.
