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Matthew 27:46 (New International Version)
46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"Listening to the "Jesus Christ Superstar" soundtrack is a part of my Lenten preparations for Easter, so some of you will not be surprised to learn that I have heard that soundtrack several times this week. Of the famous Seven Last Words of Jesus, the "forsaken" word is included in the script as the second of three things Jesus says during the Crucifixion. (The JCS line is "My God, my God, why have you forgotten me?") As I hear that every year, I am reminded how my understanding and appreciation of this moment in Christ's life has changed and grown over time, and how Bible Study was such an important part of that growth.
When I was a teenager and first saw the film, it might well have been the first time I paid any attention to the Last Words. At that time, I took it as it is performed by Ted Neely - the frustrated lament of someone who truly believed he had been forgotten. Now, I see this "word" much differently, and that's because of studying that I've done, together with help from other knowledgeable people.
Containing the Aramaic version of the words, the verse guides us to uncover some messages which are lost if one simplifies the "Word" to merely the translated "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Those messages are all related to a simple fact: Jesus is quoting the first verse of Psalm 22. Take a quick look at the Psalm, and then think about the man who is saying the words. Why does Jesus say this? Is it because he is actually feeling forsaken? I don't think so, and I don't think the Gospel author thought so, either, because he wrote the original Aramaic words, and then translated them for his readers. So, what do I think Jesus intended?
First, Psalm 22 is a psalm containing messianic prophecy. At our Maundy Thursday services at my former church, we always closed the service by speaking this psalm as the paraments are removed from the altar and the pastor changes from normal vestments to all-black. We have learned, over the years, that this psalm teaches us what will happen to Jesus and what will happen because of him. The psalm tells us that the Messiah will be scorned (v.6) mocked and insulted (v.7). People will say that God should rescue him, since he trusted God so much (v.8 and fulfilled in Matthew 27:43). His hands and feet will be pierced (v.16). People will gamble to see who gets his clothing (v.18). And yet, the second half of the psalm tells of the joy that will come to God's people and the victory that will be won by the Savior He sends.
By speaking the first line of this psalm, Jesus is pointing out to those around him -- and to us today -- that the first part of the prophecy is being fulfilled, and by extension He is promising the second part is soon to come.
Second, and this is the part of the lesson which came to me more recently, Jesus continues to act in his role as "'Rabbi' (which means teacher.)" (John 1:38) In order to instruct the young, a rabbi of Jesus' time would teach his students to memorize the scriptures. To test the memory of his students, he would speak the opening of a passage and expect them to recite the rest. Though memorization is not taught as commonly in schools (even Sunday Schools) these days, many of us remember having this same technique used to teach us the Pledge of Allegiance, Psalm 23 or the Christmas story from Luke. With those facts in mind, it's not hard to imaging that, by speaking these first words, Jesus is acting in his role of teacher to the end.
Third, I think what Jesus wanted to teach is the importance of the entirety of the psalm, not merely the first part. And yet, Jesus did not speak the whole psalm - He started it. Why? Perhaps because, without his physical presence, we are responsible for learning and understanding God's will and actions, and Jesus is telling us we still have work to do. We are to finish it. We are to learn its meaning. Then we are to accept the resulting grace.
Now, could Jesus have actually been feeling forsaken? I guess it depends on whether such a feeling would be sinful or not. As a human, he would certainly be "normal" if he felt alone as he neared his death. Some would interpret feeling forsaken as a loss of faith, and that is sin. This is what I used to believe, and because I believe Jesus was the "spotless Lamb" - without sin - I could not reconcile myself to him feeling forsaken. Later in my life, however, I have thought more about what being "truly human" means when we're describing Jesus' humanity, and I begin to think that our Christ needed to experience the emotions we have as creatures, and then overcome those emotions. With that thought in mind, I think it's entirely possible Jesus felt forsaken, but used the Psalm to reassure himself, as well as us, that salvation and grace would follow.
Whether he truly felt forsaken or not, the crucial lessons for us to learn from this "Last Word" are connected to the meaning of Psalm 22. Without Bible Study, I would have never known this, and so I am truly thankful to have been given that gift.
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New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
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