Understanding the Saying
Near death on the cross, Jesus cries out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” The words are the opening line of Psalm 22, but knowing their source does not remove their emotional force. Jesus sounds abandoned by the God he has trusted and addressed as Father.
Christians have consequently asked whether the Father actually abandoned Jesus, whether Jesus is expressing the full horror of human suffering, or whether quoting the opening of Psalm 22 points beyond the lament toward the confidence and vindication found later in the psalm.
Interpretations
The first thing to recognize is that Jesus is quoting a genuine biblical lament. Psalm 22 begins with the experience of God's terrifying absence. The sufferer cries, prays, and receives no immediate answer. Jesus' words should therefore not be turned too quickly into a calm theological statement that eliminates the anguish of the scene.
At the same time, the Gospel passion narratives contain several echoes of Psalm 22. Mockers ridicule Jesus in language resembling the psalm, his clothing is divided, and lots are cast for it. The opening cry therefore connects Jesus' suffering with the larger scriptural pattern represented by the psalm.
Psalm 22 eventually moves from lament toward confidence, deliverance, and worldwide praise of God. Some interpreters consequently understand Jesus' quotation as invoking the whole psalm: although he experiences abandonment, the story ultimately ends in vindication rather than defeat.
Other interpreters emphasize the cry itself more strongly. Jesus genuinely enters the experience of God-forsakenness and expresses the horror of suffering and death. Christian atonement theology has sometimes explained this as the Son bearing human sin and judgment, though Matthew and Mark themselves do not explicitly provide that explanation at this point.
Another important observation is easily missed: even in the cry of abandonment Jesus still says “my God.” The lament is addressed to God rather than uttered as a denial of God. Biblical faith can therefore contain protest, bewilderment, and anguish without ceasing to be faith.
Assessment
Recognizing Psalm 22 is essential, but it should not be used to make the cry mean the opposite of what it says. Jesus genuinely voices the psalm's terrible question of abandonment.
Neither should the opening verse be isolated from the larger scriptural context. The Gospel writers surround the crucifixion with echoes of Psalm 22, whose movement ultimately leads from suffering toward vindication. The strongest interpretation allows both realities to stand: Jesus enters the depths of genuine human anguish while his story does not end in abandonment.
Why It Matters
This may be one of Jesus' most important sayings for people who suffer. Scripture does not require faithful people to pretend that God always feels near. Jesus himself gives voice to the biblical language of abandonment. The Christian claim is not that such suffering is unreal, but that even the cry “Why?” can be addressed to God—and that abandonment and death do not have the final word.
Sources & Further Reading
Provides a focused interpretation of Psalm 22 as Christian Scripture and emphasizes that recognition of the psalmic context should not erase the genuine lament and experience of abandonment expressed in Jesus' cry from the cross.
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