From the cross, Jesus directs his first and last words to his Father—suggesting that he himself does not think that he has been abandoned. Most commentators seem to have overlooked this, and the fact that as Jesus went to the cross, he expected his Father to stay with him through his ordeal. The reason most commentators seem to miss this reference to Jesus communion with his Father from the cross is that they get focused on a particular theological interpretation of his words: ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.’ So was Jesus mistaken when twice earlier he had expressed his confidence that his Father would not abandon him (Jn.16:32; 8:28-29)? Did he cry out these words because his Father had abandoned him after all? Or did Jesus only feel forsaken by him? Or was there another reason?

Some years ago, I went through a time of loss and emotional suffering. My brother-in-law died in a freak accident. I had to let go of a ministry to which I felt called, and I was suffering from the symptoms of burnout. During that dark time I was tempted to feel abandoned by my Father. So I decided to identify myself with Jesus and his suffering by meditating on Psalm 22, which opens with the words, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me!’ According to Matthew and Mark, the three hour darkness began around noon, right after the Judean leaders, the crowd and at least one of ‘the criminals’ began mocking Jesus as he hung on the cross. Luke, however, records how one of the criminals expresses a ‘fear of God’ in response to Jesus' unjust suffering. Perhaps he is responding to the darkness, interpreting it as divine displeasure over what people are doing and saying to Jesus. So maybe Jesus also takes the darkness as a sign of his Father's presence with him, rather than as a sign of abandonment. And he continues to demonstrate his Father's merciful character in his response to this man, even while he is slowly bleeding to death and struggling to breathe.

It is only towards the end of the three hours of darkness that Jesus quotes the first line of Psalm 22. Why do it then? I think he does so for two reasons: to counter his mockers suggestion that God no longer cares about him if he doesn't show up to save him. Though Matthew and Mark only record Jesus quoting the opening verse of the Psalm, Jesus may actually be quoting the whole Psalm—to demonstrate once more to all who are present how the Scriptures testify about him. If so, he is in effect saying, ‘Look, you have pierced my hands and feet, such that some of my bones (ribs) are sticking out while other bones are disjointed as I hang here and my life is slowly draining away (Ps.22:16-17,14). My garments have been divided up, and lots cast for my clothing (22:18). You vilify me, yet even your insults (“He trusted in God, let him deliver him if he loves him so”) were anticipated by the psalmist (22:6-8).’ Because many Judeans standing around would know this Psalm, one of the chief priests or scribes suddenly shouts, ‘He must be calling for Elijah’. This is no misunderstanding of Jesus' words, but rather a deliberate attempt to divert attention and keep people from recognizing the dangerous message of this Psalm. And when Jesus seems to quote two more sections of the Psalm, they then try to keep the ‘Elijah’ idea alive—namely, when Jesus gets to the words, ‘My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth’ (22:15). Perhaps this was a Hebrew euphemism for ‘I'm thirsty’. And the closing line of the Psalm—‘He has done it!' (22:31)—sounds very much like ‘It is accomplished!’.

Further, Jesus may have recited the whole Psalm also to help him overcome the temptation to feel abandoned by his Father. For after first giving voice to intense feelings of abandonment—amid weakening attempts to hold onto trust in God's faithfulness— Psalm 22 finally hits a turning point and ends in confident faith. For it points to all kinds of victorious outcomes, and to God’s faithful character—in neither abandoning ‘the afflicted one’ nor ‘hiding his face’ from him (22:22,24). I was so moved by my meditation on this Psalm that I put it to music. Below are the words, with the part after the turning point printed in bold. Each time I sang it during those dark months, I felt connected to Jesus’ sufferings in a new way. Often I wept as it gave voice to my pain, yet this Psalm also  helped me turn my focus gradually from pain towards faith: in my Father's presence and in his ultimate victory. Pain and evil do not have the last word; our Father does. He never abandons his sons and daughters, and his purposes for us and for this world will be accomplished. Hallelujah!

If you are going through a time of suffering, I encourage you: to join yourself to the sufferings of Jesus, your Eldest Brother, by reciting this Psalm, and so experience the power of God's Word. 

[i] The passage from John 16 is taken from J.K. Mellis, The Good News of the Messiah by the Four Witnesses, p.245. The remaining Scripture texts are found on pp.265-268.