Did God Forsake Jesus On The Cross?

My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?

Logically looking at Psalm 22, we will think that God did not forsake Jesus on the Cross when He cried out, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me." How can God forsake God (Jesus)? It sounds illogical.

Besides, Psalm 22:24 says, "For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; Nor has He hidden His face from Him; But when He cried to Him, He heard." 

This is a prophetic writing by King David, inspired by the Holy Spirit, to point to the crucifixion of Christ. It seems apparent that when Jesus cried out to God on the Cross, God did not hide His face from Him. God heard Jesus. Based on this, it is logical to say that God could not have forsaken Jesus.

However, Old Testament is never used to unveil New Testament. The wrong sequence can result in a wrong interpretation. The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed. The New Testament is the Old Testament revealed.

Jesus cried, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"

First, Jesus is God who does not lie. Second, this is the first time Jesus called His Father "God". He never ever called Him that before.

What really happened on the Cross that Jesus cried out the truth which caused many differing views?

We might need to look at how Old Testament concealed the New Testament.

John 3:14 - And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.

Because of the sin of Israel (murmuring and complaining), God sent serpents to judge them.

Numbers 21:6 - So the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died.

Well, there are some people who say that it wasn't God who sent, but Satan, because they deem that the writer did not have a revelation of Jesus yet. So they say that you need to interchange "the Lord" with "Satan" whenever death/judgment is involved. If we don't understand the Law and the covenant Israelites were bound to, we will logically think that it could not be God who sent the fiery serpents. We will even quote New Testament Scripture John 10:10 to justify why God couldn't be the One to send the serpents. Anyway, this takes another explanation.

God sent the fiery serpents. Period.

The Israelites repented and asked Moses to pray to God to take away the serpents (Num 21:7). And Moses did.

Num 21:8 - Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.”

Moses made a bronze serpent. Whoever saw the bronze serpent on the pole was set free from the deadly bite.

When the Israelites saw this bronze serpent on the pole, they understood full well, because they knew the Law.

Deut 21:23 - ...for he who is hanged is accursed of God.

Bronze speaks of judgment. The serpent was judged/cursed on the pole. When the Israelites saw the serpent on the pole, they knew that God heard Moses' prayer and He judged the very thing that killed them.

Let the New interpret the Old.

John 3:14 - And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.

Jesus was hung on the Cross. But God did not judge/curse Jesus. Nowhere in the Bible says that. But the Bible tells us that Jesus became sin (2 Cor 5:21). He became SIN so that we might become the righteousness of God.

Galatians 3:13 tells us "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”)."

Because Jesus became sin (curse), God judged sin. He had to judge sin because He is perfect love. And perfect love means absolute righteousness.

Psalm 89:14 - Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; mercy and truth go before Your face.

God did not judge Jesus. He judged sin in Jesus, because Jesus became sin.

Rom 8:3-4 - God condemned sin in the flesh (Jesus' body), that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us.

God literally judged the very thing that is killing mankind - SIN. This is why Jesus had to die on the Cross to save us. He could have died elsewhere but it wouldn't save us. Under the Law, accursed is the one who is hung on the Cross. Jesus had to be hung there, so that sin could be accursed. Because the Law was given by God Himself.

So now, when we look at the Cross, we know that we are free from sin and free from judgment. Therefore, we cannot suffer any sin's penalty or effect. Sicknesses and diseases (death) only came through sin (Rom 5:12). Now that we are redeemed, we can walk without any sickness and disease.

Coming back to why Jesus cried out, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" Jesus, on the Cross, became SIN. And God had to judge SIN in Jesus' flesh (Rom 8:3-4). It was that period (when God judged sin) where Jesus literally faced separation from the Father, not because of who Jesus is, but because of what SIN is. Sin was imputed (upon) on Him.

The judgment/wrath of God upon sin had to be fully satisfied on the body of His beloved Son. This is why Jesus cried out, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Matt 27:46).

When the judgment was over, Jesus cried out, "It is finished!"

John 19:28-30 - After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished... said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

After the judgment was finished, after that period of separation was over, Jesus addressed God as "Father" again.

Luke 23:46 - And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.’” Having said this, He breathed His last.

After He died, He went down the earth to disarm him who had the power of death. (Heb 2:14).

Make no mistake. Jesus was forsaken (at the point where God judged sin in His flesh), so that you and I can never ever be forsaken by God. He cried out, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me" to reveal to us that sin was so serious that it caused separation between God and mankind.

Note: I used past tense because when Jesus took our sin on the Cross, the veil of the temple was torn apart, heaven was rent opened and is left opened for you and I to have relationship with God. Sin is no longer an issue for God. Now faith is.

Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord, He took that separation so that you and I can never be separated from God in Christ (Romans 8:38-39).

Attached is a video done by New Creation, which I thought explains it well.