Jesus’ Words Point to Psalm 22
As Christians, we often wonder about Jesus’ final moments on the cross, especially His cry: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34). But was Jesus feeling utterly abandoned as the world tells us today? By those words, Jesus was denying that He is God? Or was He directing us to something greater?
To grasp this, we look to the Hebrew Scriptures Jesus knew intimately, the Psalms. He was quoting the opening line of Psalm 22: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?” (Psalm 22:1).
In Jesus’ day, Bibles had no chapter or verse numbers (those came centuries later, around the 1200s for chapters and mid-1500s for verses). People referenced psalms by quoting the first line, expecting hearers to recall the whole poem. This was standard in Jewish teaching. When Jesus said those words, He was inviting everyone, then and now, to consider the entire Psalm 22.
Psalm 22, written by David long before crucifixion existed, describes suffering that astonishingly matches Jesus’ experience. It speaks of mockery: “All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; ‘He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!’” (Psalm 22:7-8). This mirrors the crowds at the cross: “He saved others; he cannot save himself… He trusts in God; let God deliver him now” (Matthew 27:42-43).
The psalm continues with vivid physical details: “I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint… my strength is dried up… my tongue sticks to my jaws” (Psalm 22:14-15), echoing Jesus’ thirst (John 19:28). It foretells piercing: “they have pierced my hands and feet” (Psalm 22:16), fulfilled by the nails. And “They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots” (Psalm 22:18), exactly as the soldiers did (John 19:23-24).
If we stopped at the opening cry, the cross might seem like a defeat. But Psalm 22 turns dramatically to hope. After lamentations comes confidence: “But you, O Lord, do not be far off! O you my help, come quickly to my aid!” (Psalm 22:19). It affirms God’s faithfulness: “For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted… but has heard, when he cried to him” (Psalm 22:24). The psalm ends in triumph and worldwide praise: “All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord… Posterity shall serve him… that he has done it” (Psalm 22:27, 30-31).
By quoting the first line, Jesus was teaching from the cross. He declared the Scriptures fulfilled (Matthew 5:17), showing He is the Messiah who bears the separation from sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21), yet is ultimately vindicated in the resurrection.
For us today, this means our own feelings of forsakenness are real. Jesus experienced them deeply. Yet His cry points us to the full story: suffering leads to victory.