Why have you forsaken me? (Matthew 27:31–66)

[Stephan Choe]

September 28, 2026

Key Verses

46:       “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?’—that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’”

50:       “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.”

54:       “When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, ‘Truly this was the Son of God!’”    

When a nationally or internationally prominent figure dies, German broadcasters like ZDF or ARD announce the death along with a brief summary of the person’s life’s work. Through such reports, we learn what the deceased achieved during their lifetime.  

What do the death of many people and the death of Jesus Christ have in common, and how do they differ?

Jesus died as a frail human being, just like anyone else. That is why he suffered great agony and cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

Yet he also died as Christ. Thus, his death fundamentally changed the destiny of humanity. Through his death, he grants us redemption from sin and death. That is why his death is Good News for us.

Today, we want to explore the significance of Jesus Christ’s death on the cross for us.

1. Jesus’ Death on the Cross (31–56)

After Pilate pronounces the death sentence, he hands Jesus over to the execution squad. First, the soldiers cruelly mock Jesus. Then, they lead him to the place of execution. However, because he is too weak from the interrogation and torture to continue carrying his cross, the soldiers force a man named Simon of Cyrene to carry it to Golgotha. Upon arriving at Golgotha, they crucify him. Afterward, they cast lots to divide Jesus’ garments among themselves. Then, they sit down and keep watch over him.

Some onlookers taunt Jesus and make fun of him, "You were going to tear down the temple and rebuild it in three days! Come down from the cross now. Then we will believe in you" (40).

The high priests, scribes, and elders mock him: "He helped others, but he cannot help himself. If he really is the King of Israel, let him come down from the cross now. Then we will believe in him" (42).

Even the robbers crucified with him hurl insults at him (44). Around noon, darkness suddenly falls over the whole land. And the darkness lasts until three in the afternoon.

At three o'clock, Jesus cries out in a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lama asabtani?" This means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

He cries out loudly once more and breathes his last (50).

The Tabernacle was located within the Temple in Jerusalem. Its interior was divided by a single curtain into two chambers: the "Holy Place" and the "Most Holy Place." The Holy Place contained the table of the bread of the Presence, the lampstand, and the altar of incense; priests offered incense there every morning and evening.

However, a priest was permitted to enter the Most Holy Place only once a year. Inside this chamber stood a wooden chest known as the Ark of the Covenant, topped with a golden lid. This golden lid was called the "Mercy Seat" and symbolized the presence of God. Originally, the chest held the stone tablets of the Law that Moses had received from God.

At the moment of Jesus’ death, the curtain separating the two sections of the Tabernacle tore from top to bottom (51). This signifies that, through Christ’s sacrificial death, the way to God is wide open for all people. Anyone can personally encounter God in Jesus Christ and experience His grace. Thus, the age of grace began.

The centurion and the soldiers guarding the crucified Jesus witnessed these events and declared, "Truly, this was the Son of God!"

They were deeply moved by Jesus’ words, His conduct, and His prayer. They watched Jesus die and witnessed how heaven itself responded to His death. Consequently, they publicly confessed that Jesus is the Son of God.

Jesus was crucified at nine o'clock in the morning (Mark 15:25). At noon, darkness spread across all of Israel. This darkness was a sign of divine judgment (Amos 8:9). Thereupon, God poured out His wrath and judgment upon Jesus for the sins of all mankind (cf. Isaiah 53:5). That is why Jesus cried out, "Eli, Eli, lama sababtani?" This means, "My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?" (46). Jesus had already announced His resurrection several times—such as when He predicted Peter’s denial (26:32). Why, then, did Jesus cry out in this way?

Three things can be said regarding the significance of His cry.

First, Jesus’ cry reveals that He is suffering on the cross as an ordinary human being.

Jesus is God. Yet, at the same time, He is an ordinary human being. He endures excruciating pain on the cross. That is why He cries out, "My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?"

He had already demonstrated His humanity in prayer at Gethsemane prior to the crucifixion. He felt great dread regarding death on the cross and pleaded with God to spare Him this agonizing death, if at all possible.

Jesus suffered on the cross as an ordinary human being—which means He understands us well when we find ourselves in a painful situation. We often picture Jesus as the Son of God—omnipotent and perfect—yet we frequently forget that He was also an ordinary human being like us and had to endure the agonizing suffering of death.

From time to time, we experience painful situations. Unfortunately, others often fail to understand our plight. Consequently, we lament their indifference and lack of compassion. Yet such complaining does not help us. Instead, we should turn to Jesus; He fully understands our situation, for as someone subject to weakness, He endured exactly what I am going through right now—and even worse (Hebrews 4:15). Since He Himself experienced painful hardships as a human being, He can truly understand both you and me. He suffers with you and shares your pain and your fears. He empathizes with you in all your problems, your sorrow, and your worries. In situations that seem hopeless, Jesus can comfort us.

What should we do when we find ourselves in a desperate, seemingly hopeless situation? We should turn to Jesus, who understands us deeply and can offer us comfort. He comforts all who are in need of His comfort.

Secondly, his cry signifies that Jesus made atonement on the cross for your sins and mine.

Sin has terrible consequences—not merely a guilty conscience, but also death and hell. In other words, the consequence of sin is divine judgment, resulting in the sinner being forsaken by God. To be forsaken by God—that is the essence of hell. Yet Jesus came as the Redeemer and took upon himself God’s punishment for our sin. That is why he had to die as God’s sacrificial lamb and be forsaken by God. This punishment was unbearable even for Jesus. That is why he cried out, "Eli, Eli, lama asabtani?"—"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

Through his prophets—such as Isaiah—God had foretold the sacrificial death of Christ. Thus, Isaiah says (Isaiah 53:5–6): "But he was wounded for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities. The punishment lay upon him so that we might have peace, and by his wounds we are healed."

In this way, Jesus took upon himself God’s punishment for our sins on the cross and died.

How do we view Jesus’ cry: "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?"—"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Do we listen to this cry with indifference, as if it were merely news of a stranger’s death? Does his agonizing death not have to do with your sin and mine? Was he not forsaken by God because of your sin and mine? Should we not acknowledge that we receive forgiveness and eternal life thanks to his sacrificial death? Should we not thank him?

Thirdly, his cry signifies that, in the midst of his death throes, Jesus remembered the Word of God from Psalm 22 and continued to pray based on it. Psalm 22 is known as the "Psalm of Jesus’ Suffering." In this psalm, the righteous one first laments his unbearable suffering but concludes his prayer by praising his triumph (beginning at verse 24).

On the cross, Jesus recalled this psalm and spoke its opening verse. In doing so, He expressed both His immediate distress and His confidence in victory—fully aware that He would rise from the dead. That is why we refer to Jesus’ cry—"My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?"—as "Jesus’ cry of victory."

At times, we find ourselves in difficulties or great distress. We may even face death—whether through an accident, illness, or other causes. Naturally, in such moments, we cry out to God and pour out our suffering to Him and to those around us. Yet, we must realize that despite such situations, we are true victors in Jesus Christ; for we shall rise from the dead and enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Is there any greater victory than this?

Therefore, even when we are cast down, we should reflect on our great victory in Christ and rejoice. God has made us true victors. With Paul, we can say: "Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting? ... Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!" (1 Corinthians 15:55, 57).

Does anyone feel cast down because of a difficult situation? Then think of the victory in Jesus Christ and join in Paul’s words: "Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting? Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!"

2. The Burial of Jesus (57–66)

In the evening, a rich man named Joseph came to Pilate and asked for permission to take Jesus’ body down from the cross and bury it. He, too, was a disciple of Jesus. He laid Jesus’ body in his own new tomb, which had been hewn out of the rock. After the burial, he rolled a large stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, however, remained there and sat opposite the tomb.

On the day after the crucifixion, the high priests and Pharisees asked Pilate to have Roman soldiers guard Jesus’ tomb to prevent Jesus’ disciples from stealing his body and spreading the false rumor that Jesus had risen from the dead. Pilate granted their request. Thereupon, the guard went to the tomb and sealed the tombstone.

“Eli, Eli, lama sabachthan?”

Let us now reflect once more on the meaning of Jesus’ death.

His cry shows that He understands us well and can comfort us, because He suffered on the cross as an ordinary human being. The fact that Jesus suffered on the cross as an ordinary human being means that He understands us well when we find ourselves in painful situations. That is why we should turn to Jesus. Because Jesus Himself experienced painful distress as an ordinary human being, He empathizes with all our problems, our sadness, and our fear. In the hopeless situations that you and I face, Jesus can comfort us; since He Himself suffered helplessly on the cross as a weak human being, He fully understands our own weakness and helplessness. Jesus is our true comfort.

Jesus suffered on the cross to atone for your sins and mine. Because of our sin, we deserved to be forsaken by God. Yet Jesus bore God’s punishment for our sin, even though that punishment was unbearable—even for Him. That is why He cried out: "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" On the cross, He took upon Himself the punishment of God for our sin and died.

Should we not acknowledge that, thanks to His sacrificial death, we have received forgiveness and eternal life? Should we not thank Him?

In the midst of His death throes, Jesus recalled the Word of God from Psalm 22 and prayed its first verse.

With the cry "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Jesus acknowledged His desperate situation while simultaneously affirming His confidence in victory. Thus, it was a cry of victory.

When we find ourselves in difficulties or times of distress, we should not think only of our immediate situation, but also of our victory in Jesus Christ. Despite our affliction, we are true victors in Jesus Christ, for God has made us true victors in Him. Let us therefore rejoice and say: "Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting? ... But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!" (1 Corinthians 15:55, 57).

May God make you such victors. Amen!