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MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY . . . .?

All my life I have heard how Jesus was the Godforsaken One. And again, recently, a leader in a service said, that God the Father "turned His face away from the Son on the cross". This teaching is based on Jesus cry from the cross: 'My God, my God why hast thou forsaken me?' (Matt 27.

 But is that true? Was there some split in the Trinity that resulted in one Member turning away from another because of our sin? Remember, God the Father sent the Son to die for us; the Son came to fulfil the will of the Father (e.g., Jn 5.30), and the Spirit has been upon Jesus from the beginning (Matt 1.18; Lu 3.22; 4.1; etc).

One treatment I have read on this matter is found at http://answers.org/theology/forsaken.html.

 One point made by this author is that these words are the opening words of a Messianic Psalm, Psalm 22. When so quoted, the terms of the whole psalm are being evoked. These words are the cry of the dying Messiah whose agony is fulfilling the Psalm as the true Messiah of Israel. Even His accusers become part of that fulfilment when they wag their heads and mock him, "He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if He desires him" (Ps 22:6-8; Matt 27:43).

 Note too the reaction of the onlookers to his quoting of these verses from Ps 22. "This man is calling Elijah" which mock Jesus as if he is calling on Elijah. ('Eli' and 'Elijah' may sound similar coming from the lips of a crucified man.) Importantly, they don't conclude that Jesus is admitting he is Godforsaken. Jesus dies.

 What happens thereafter is that the Temple's curtain is torn in two from top to bottom, the earth shakes, rocks are split and saints are raised to life!! All these are signs of redemptive judgment on the old order and patently confirm Jesus as the Messianic King of a New Order.
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