
Read: Psalm 22
Watch:https://bibleproject.com/videos/gospel-luke-4/
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” These are the poignant words of Jesus, uttered from the cross (Matthew 27:46), directly quoting Psalm 22. As Pastor David often reminds us, Jesus intimately knew the Psalms, quoting them more than any other book of scripture. This week, we are privileged to delve into this very Psalm, guided by Brother Tim Bermejo. I eagerly anticipate the Father’s message unfolding through Tim’s unique perspective and life experience.
The book of Psalms, while brimming with eloquent praise of God, also plunges us into the depths of despair and the shadow of death. Perhaps this duality is precisely why we are so drawn to them, and at times, so perplexed. The Psalms emerge from both the profound joys and the arduous difficulties of life. When we engage with Psalm 22, we are confronted with the raw emotion of one who feels utterly “forsaken” by God.
I fear we often shy away from words like “forsaken” or “abandoned,” believing their utterance implies a lack of faith. The prevailing narrative suggests that with “enough faith,” we can move mountains. Yet, when faced with unmoved mountains in our own lives, a troubling quandary arises: does this signify insufficient faith?
A healthy disciple of Christ is one who can be authentic with their feelings, even the most challenging ones. Jesus himself exemplified this honesty. In the Garden of Gethsemane, he prayed, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39). And then, from the cross, the heart-wrenching cry, ““Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” These expressions reveal the profound truth that Jesus truly understood what it meant to be “fully human.”
While we cannot fully comprehend the depth of Jesus’s experience, we can at least grasp that in his obedience to the Father, he felt deeply. To the best of my understanding, Jesus knew that in taking on the totality of humanity’s sin, he would, for a time, endure separation from the Father.
For God the Son, this separation must have been his greatest pain. He always was, is, and always will be, in Trinitarian Union with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. He “became sin, who knew no sin,” and for that, he was momentarily separated from the Trinitarian Union. Yet, this is not the end of the story.
On the third day, He rose from the grave, having conquered sin and defeated death! In Christ, we are not truly forsaken; we are not abandoned. No matter our history, our heritage, our wounds, or our sins, in Christ, we can stand with the psalmist and boldly declare, “Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of your people.”
Pray: Thank you, Jesus, for feeling what we feel, for knowing our sorrow, for experiencing our rejection! We stand in praise with you in resurrection and declare that you are holy, you are sovereign, and we are safe in your hands.
Discussion questions:
- There is a tension between the belief that “enough faith” can move mountains and the raw human experience of feeling “forsaken” or “abandoned.” How can a healthy faith reconcile these seemingly contradictory ideas, and what does it mean to be “real with your feelings, even the negative ones” within a spiritual context?
- Jesus’s cries from the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” are presented as evidence of his “fully human” experience. How does understanding this aspect of Jesus’s suffering impact your own understanding of pain, abandonment, and the nature of God’s presence in difficult times?
- “In Christ, we are not forsaken, we are not abandoned,” despite our “history, our heritage, our wounds or ours sins.” How does the concept of resurrection transform the experience of feeling forsaken, and what practical steps can one take to internalize the truth of being “safe in His hands” when past wounds resurface?