This verse is found in Mark 15:34, and also in Matthew 27:46. In both gospels, these are the last words uttered by Jesus immediately before his death. (In the traditional 7 Last Words during Good Friday, the seventh and last Word is “Into your hands, I commend my spirit.” This is found in Luke, and is the last words of Jesus, according to Luke. The 7 Last Words are a compilation of the various statements of Jesus as compiled from all the four gospels).
The verse uttered by Jesus, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” is the first verse of Psalm 22, which is often referred to as a psalm of mourning. It was a popular psalm at the time, which would have been readily recognized by the crowd around Jesus. However, reading beyond the first verse reveals that it is also a psalm of hope and trust in God. It assures us that God is acquainted with our suffering, no matter how horrible. He is with us even when we feel most forsaken. Why? Because He is the God who has known us from the womb (Ps. 22:9–10). Thus, it is more appropriately referred to as the “psalm of a righteous sufferer.
1 My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?
Why are You so far from helping Me,
And from the words of My groaning?
2 O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear;
And in the night season, and am not silent.
3 But You are holy,
Enthroned in the praises of Israel.
4 Our fathers trusted in You;
They trusted, and You delivered them.
5 They cried to You, and were delivered;
They trusted in You, and were not ashamed.
Mark, in his gospel, has always emphasized the humanity and suffering of Jesus. The gospel writer made extra effort to ensure that his readers did not associate Jesus only with his miracles and glorious actions, but also with his suffering.
Again, in this verse, we hear Jesus cry out in despair. Prior to this, during the scene in Gethsemane, Jesus is afraid of the fate that awaits him. The gospel writer could have chosen to end Jesus’ life on a triumphal note, but instead suggests that even though Jesus chooses to die in obedience to God, he experiences abandonment in death.[1] Jesus also does not die as a martyr, but as someone in anguish, just as anyone who goes through a crucifixion which is the most shameful and tortuous way to die. The only triumph Mark depicts in Jesus’ death is his human faithfulness to God – with his own fear and torment and sadness, and despite the pain and humiliation and abandonment brought on by others.[2]
What about Matthew’s version? One of Matthew’s main objectives in his gospel is to establish the connection between Jesus and the Messiah that everyone was waiting for, and as predicted in the Hebrew bible (what we now know as the Old Testament). Thus, here he finds another opportunity to establish this connection. Matthew presents the scriptural fulfilment of the divine plan of salvation and the obedient submission of the Son to the Father’s will.[3]
Thus, the meaning of the verse varies whether one uses the context of the Marcan or Matthean gospel. I personally like the Marcan version. It highlights the humanity of Jesus. You see, God became human so that God can communicate to us face to face. That is Mark’s main point. Sometimes, though, we keep on pushing Jesus back to heaven that we forget his humanity. Because Jesus is man, all of humanity is transformed.
Footnotes:
[1] David Rhoads, Joanna Dewey, Donald Michie, Mark as Story: An Introduction to the Narrative of a Gospel. (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1999), 112.
[2] Ibid, 112.
[3] Augustine Stock, OSB, The Method and Message of Matthew. (Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1994), 428.
