Mark 15:34 - The Fourth Word from the Cross

On the Friday that Jesus died,

33 At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. 34 Then at three o’clock Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” 35 When some of the bystanders heard it, they began saying, “Behold, He is calling for Elijah.” * 36 ...“Let us see whether Elijah will come to take Him down.”

(Mark 15:33–34 New Living Translation + vv.35-36, New American Standard, 1995)

Jesus was quoting the opening phrase of Psalm 22. To do so under such stress meant that the scriptures were woven into His thinking as an automatic reflex.

Out of all the Old Testament passages that Jesus could have quoted, why this one? Psalm 22 has other verses prophetic of Jesus' suffering, but there are also some strong affirmations of faith, like...

" 9 ... you brought me safely from my mother’s womb and led me to trust you at my mother’s breast. 10 I was thrust into your arms at my birth. You have been my God from the moment I was born." (Psalm 22:9-10, NLT)

Yet Jesus made no effort to quote those positive statements of belief. Instead, he questioned God, just like David did when he wrote the psalm.

Jesus didn't pray this way just so we could better relate to Him. His isolation was intensified by having those who overheard His prayer misinterpret what He needed.

His prayer was a sincere question because God had literally forsaken him. The darkened sky confirmed that God had turned His back on Him.

Why?

Isaiah once gave a reproof:
"It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore." (Isaiah 59:2, NLT)

Jesus was sinless, but God
"...made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Corinthians 5:21, NASB) 

Jesus had warned His disciples that His death was necessary for them to be resurrected. Beforehand in the garden, He struggled with the agony that awaited Him. Yet He had been willing to go through with it. (John 10:15-17; 12:24; Luke 22:42)

Mental knowledge of these facts didn't erase the emotion and pathos of being completely forsaken by God, heightened by the physical pain he was enduring. This didn't negate Jesus' own prayer from the night before, which answered the question "why..."

19... I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth. 20 I am praying not only for [My] disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. 21 I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. Amen. (John 17:19–21, NLT)

 

* PS - How could they confuse the phrase "My God" with the name "Elijah?" Most Hebrew names include the name of God. In this case, Elijah means, "Yahweh is my God," or "The Lord is my God." It could be that between Jesus pain, and the noise of the crowd, His prayer wasn't verbally clear. But then, His detractors often twisted and misunderstood what He said in public.

 

Engraving: The Darkness at the Crucifixion by Gustave Dore
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f5/The_Darkness_at_the_Crucifixion_Gustave_Dore.gif