Justin Matthew Reid

Bible Teachings - Did God forsake Jesus Christ?

Hello saints,

Forsake (verb) - To renounce or turn away from entirely

Matthew 27:46

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

I'm sure we are all familiar with this verse. Laying aside for a moment the totality of Scripture's defense against this translation of this verse, I'd like to reason from a very small window of logic. Please consider:

If this verse is accurately translated, the following would be true:

1) God the Father forsook God the Son while He was on the cross.
2) God the Son asked God the Father why He had forsaken Him.

Let's run with that question. Why would God forsake Jesus Christ, or anyone else for that matter? God, as a just God, would have to give a just reason why He forsook His own Son.

Isaiah 1:18

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord...

You can't reason (verb) with someone, unless you give them a reason (noun) explaining the *why* of your actions.

2 Chronicles 15:2

...the Lord is with you, while ye be with Him; and if ye seek Him, He will be found of you; but if ye forsake Him, He will forsake you.

Here the Lord says that forsaking Him will cause Him to forsake you. That's a just reason why God could forsake someone.

Isaiah 59:1-2

Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear.

Is there any other way to forsake God than sinning against Him? To forsake God you must be with Him and then leave Him. Since God is not located in a fixed physical location, it's not physical movement we are talking about. God is a Spirit and one moves away from Him by turning his or her *heart* away from God.

Joel 2:12

Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart...

Jeremiah 29:13

And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

The above verses tell us that we turn to God with our *hearts*. Likewise, we turn away from God with our *hearts*. Turning to God is called obedience. Turning from God is called disobedience and sin. Sin separates us from God because it's a turning of our hearts from God. We leave Him and He's forced to forsake us, but it is not He who moved.

The Scripture is silent of any other reasons why God would forsake a person, besides sin against Him.

Did Jesus Christ sin against God the Father by offering Himself a willing sacrifice for the sins of mankind?

Hebrews 4:14-15

Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

Jesus Christ did not sin. Therefore, God the Father had no just reason to forsake His Son.

John 8:28-29

Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am He, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. And He that sent me is *with me*: the Father hath not left me alone, for I do *always* those things that please Him.

Jesus Christ could confidently say that the Father is with Him, because Jesus chose to *always* do those things that please the Father. Always is the opposite of never. Since Jesus always pleased the Father, He also never displeased the Father. The only way to displease the Father is to disobey the Father. Disobedience is sin. Therefore, Jesus' testimony of Himself is that He never sinned. Here He also mentions pleasing the Father in conjunction with being crucified on the cross!

Did Jesus become double minded on the cross? James says a double minded man is unstable in all his ways. Did Jesus confess that God had forsaken Him while all the while He knew that He had not? To knowingly do that would make Jesus a liar and a sinner. Does dying a horrible death force men to lie about God?

Revelation 2:10

Fear thou *none* of those things which thou shalt *suffer* ... be thou faithful *unto death*, and I will give thee a crown of life.

This is what the risen Lord Jesus stated to the church at Smyrna. He exhorts them to be faithful unto death. All Christians are to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. Therefore, Jesus Christ was also faithful unto death.

Based on even this small sample of Scriptural evidence, it's safe to say that:

1) God the Father did not forsake Jesus Christ on the cross.
2) Jesus Christ did not ask His Father why He forsook Him.

How then do we reconcile Matthew 27:46 with the rest of the Bible? I'm sure that many of you know that the Peshitta/Lamsa translation reads:

Matthew 27:46

And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice and said, Eli, Eli, lemana shabakthani! My God, my God, for this I was spared!

I accept this translation as being a true one, because it does not contradict other Scripture. Rather, it fits in perfectly. Many times the Jews tried to kill Jesus Christ before the cross, but the Father protected Him and spared Him.

I now pose a question that the Lord posed to me. If God the Father forsook Jesus Christ (He didn't), then why wasn't it alright for Peter to forsake Jesus Christ?

Matthew 26:56

...Then all the disciples forsook Him (Jesus), and fled.

How could God the Father be justified by the same action towards Jesus that brought Peter and the other disciples to reproach, shame and (no doubt) repentance?

Think on these things.

-Justin

December 7th, 2007