Matthew 27:46

Matthew 27:46 states:

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

William Branham's interpretation

William Branham stated that on the cross:

• Jesus died as a man (and not as God).
• Jesus died screaming for help
• Jesus died crying for mercy
• Jesus was separated from God

Sadly, while these things are believed by those that follow the message of William Branham, they are not true and are not found in the Bible.

What the Bible teaches

The words "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" are taken directly from the opening of Psalm 22,15 to which we have already seen allusions in vv. 35–36, 39, 43; the psalm expresses the spiritual desolation of a man who continues to trust and to appeal to God in spite of the fact that his ungodly opponents mock and persecute him with impunity. In the end, the psalm turns to joyful thanksgiving for deliverance in vv. 22–31, and some interpreters have suggested that it is the latter part of the psalm that Jesus has in mind as well as its traumatic beginning, so that this is in effect a shout of defiant trust in the God whom he fully expects to rescue him

R. T. France, The Gospel of Matthew, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publication Co., 2007), 1075–1076.

The expression “my God,” while of course it is already provided by the psalm, nonetheless draws attention as a unique utterance by Jesus, who elsewhere in Matthew frequently refers to God as his Father but never as “my God”, and who in prayer has used “Father” to address God (11:25, 26; 26:39, 42; cf. 6:9). It thus marks a change of mood from Gethsemane, where, even though the cross was in view, Jesus could still address and trust God as his “Father.”

R. T. France, The Gospel of Matthew, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publication Co., 2007), 1076.

as the Logos, Jesus was never abandoned by God. Jesus, who was God, suffered no damage to his divine nature on the cross.37 Scholastic theology reduced this to the formula that Christ was abandoned by God neither with regard to the union of the two natures nor with regard to divine grace but only with regard to his own experience of suffering.38 However, the ancient church was at least in agreement that Christ’s cry was not to be understood as an expression of deepest despair but was to be interpreted in terms of the victory to which his death on the cross leads

Ulrich Luz, Matthew 21–28: a Commentary, ed. Helmut Koester, Hermeneia—a Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg, 2005), 545.

“Why was it necessary, I implore you, for Christ to beg for God’s help so much, if he himself was the highest God? Why does he say: ‘My God!’?

Ulrich Luz, Matthew 21–28: a Commentary, ed. Helmut Koester, Hermeneia—a Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg, 2005), 547.

Others take into consideration the entire Psalm, especially verses 24 and 26, and see here the prayer of one who still trusts in God to vindicate him.

Barclay Moon Newman and Philip C. Stine, A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew, UBS Handbook Series (New York: United Bible Societies, 1992), 863.

One way of doing this is to point out that the Psalm that begins in this way goes on to praise God for deliverance as the Psalmist says, “From the horns of the wild oxen you have rescued me … in the midst of the congregation I will praise you” (vv. 21–22). The suggestion is made accordingly that in his hour of need Jesus was reciting a psalm that brings comfort and that we are to understand from the words quoted that he went through the whole psalm.

Leon Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press, 1992), 721.

Psalm 22

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so vfar from saving me, from the words of my wgroaning?

2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest.

3 Yet you are holy, enthroned on athe praises1 of Israel.

4 In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them.

5 To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame.

6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people.

7 All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads;

8 “He trusts in the LORD; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”

...

12 Many bulls encompass me; strong bulls of Bashan surround me;

13 they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion.

14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast;

15 my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death.

16 For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet—

17 I can count all my bones — they stare and gloat over me;

           18       cthey divide my garments among them, 
     and for my clothing they cast lots. 

           19       But you, O LORD, ndo not be far off! 
     O you my help, dcome quickly to my aid! 
           20       Deliver my soul from the sword, 
     my precious life from the power of ethe dog! 
           21       Save me from fthe mouth of the lion! 
                 You have rescued3 me from the horns of gthe wild oxen! 

           22       hI will tell of your name to my ibrothers; 
     in the midst of the congregation I will praise you: 
           23       You who jfear the LORD, praise him! 
     All you offspring of Jacob, kglorify him, 
     and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel! 
           24       For he has not despised or abhorred 
     the affliction of lthe afflicted, 
                 and he has not mhidden his face from him, 
     but has heard, when he ncried to him. 

           25       From you comes my praise in the great ocongregation; 
     my pvows I will qperform before those who fear him. 
           26       rThe afflicted4 shall seat and be satisfied; 
     those who seek him shall praise the LORD! 
     May your hearts tlive forever! 

           27       All uthe ends of the earth shall remember 
     and turn to the LORD, 
                 and all vthe families of the nations 
     shall worship before you. 
           28       For wkingship belongs to the LORD, 
     and he rules over the nations. 

           29       All xthe prosperous of the earth eat and worship; 
     before him shall ybow all who go down to the dust, 
     even the one who could not zkeep himself alive. 
           30       Posterity shall serve him; 
     it shall be told of the Lord to the coming ageneration; 
           31       they shall bcome and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet cunborn, 
     that he has done it. 

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Ps 22:1–31.

Quotes

And when He died up there at Calvary, screaming and crying for help, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" He was a man in His death, but in His resurrection He proved He was the Divine Son of God

He was a man when He cried for mercy, when He said, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken Me?" He died like a man. Yes. But when He rose on Easter morning, He proved He was God.

He was a man when He died on Calvary for a sacrifice, bleeding, the blood running out of Him like a mortal, spit hanging all over His beard. And He was a man disgraced, standing there hanging in shame, taking our place. He was a man when the pains got so great till He cried, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?"

When Jesus died yonder at Calvary for a propitiation for our sins, he died not a just man but a sinner, not of His own, but mine and your sins sent Him to the regions of the lost. And I can see Him when He died yonder on Calvary, hanging between the malefactors, crying, "My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?"

He was a Man on Calvary when He cried for mercy. That's right. He was a Man when He cried, "My God, why has Thou forsaken Me?" But when He rose up on Easter morning, breaking the tomb sealed, and hell and death was destroyed, He proved that He was the Son of God.

He cried for mercy at Calvary, that's true. He cried, "My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?"

When He died nineteen hundred years ago, day before yesterday, hanging on a cross, screaming for mercy, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" He died like a Man.

When He died at Calvary, He did cry for mercy, "My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?"

Sin had separated Him. God placed our sins upon Him, and He was separated from God, and that's why He cried, "Why hast Thou forsaken Me?" And because He was forsaken, and had taken this place, and seen His people, that He was come to be their Saviour and to offer them Life, they had rejected Him. And it grieved Him so, till He was so broken-hearted until the Blood and water, and the chemicals of His body, separated.

When He was--last cry, "Eli, Eli. My God, My God," That was a man. "Why hast Thou forsaken Me?" In the Garden of Gethsemane, the anointing left Him, you know, He had to die as a sinner. He died a sinner, you know that; not His sins, but mine and yours. That's where that love come in, how He took mine. Oh, hallelujah, how He took mine.

It was a man that cried for mercy on the cross. That's right. "My God, why hast thou forsaken Me?" He died crying for mercy. That's right.

When He died at the cross, He cried like a man. "My God, have mercy. My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?"

He was a man when He cried at Calvary, "My God, why has Thou forsaken Me?" He was a man when He was crying for mercy.

It was a man that cried for mercy at the cross, "My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" But on Easter morning when He broke the seals of death, hell, and the grave, and rose up again and said, "I'm He that was dead and alive forevermore, that was more than a man. That was God in His Son. Amen.