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Matthew 27:46 (BSB)
About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
THE HOLY BIBLE
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Scripture quotations (main text) are from the Berean Study Bible (BSB), © 2016, 2018 by Bible Hub. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), ©2001 by Crossway, is used for comparison and word study only.
Bible Copyright & Permissions“About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”” — Matthew 27:46
In this moment, you're witnessing raw, unfiltered emotion. Jesus, hanging on the cross, is crying out in anguish. He's feeling utterly abandoned, crying out to God with a deep sense of desperation. You can almost hear the echo of His words, filled with both pain and longing. It's a powerful plea that resonates with anyone who’s ever felt alone or forsaken. This is not just a statement; it’s a glimpse into the heart of someone who carries the weight of the world’s suffering. You can feel the tension and the intensity as He reaches out, looking for connection even in His darkest hour.
This book was written by Matthew, one of Jesus’s followers, who wanted to share the story of Jesus with others. He includes this specific detail because he understands the gravity of this moment. Matthew is writing to people who need to see how Jesus fulfills the prophecies of the Old Testament and how deeply He understands human suffering. This poignant cry from Jesus reflects the profound connection Matthew feels to Jesus’s experience and the importance of this moment in understanding who Jesus is and what He went through for us.
When Matthew wrote this, the world was under Roman rule, a time of great political tension and oppression. The Jewish people were hoping for a Messiah, someone who would rescue them from their hardships. Understanding this context helps you see how Jesus’s death was not just a personal tragedy but a national crisis. The time was charged with expectation, and here is Jesus, fulfilling prophecies in a way that many did not expect. It’s a moment that shakes the very foundations of faith for those witnessing it.
This verse matters for you today because it addresses feelings of abandonment that many people experience at some point in their lives. Have you ever felt like you were left alone in your struggle? Jesus’s words show us that it’s okay to cry out in those moments of despair. He understands your pain and feels it with you. This verse reminds you that even in your darkest moments, you’re not truly alone. It invites you to explore your feelings of abandonment and find comfort in knowing that someone understands those depths of sorrow.
This week, take a moment to reflect on your own feelings of loneliness or abandonment. Write down a time when you felt forsaken and how that impacted you. Then, spend some time in conversation — whether through prayer, journaling, or talking with a friend — about those feelings. Allow yourself to express your pain and seek the connection you might be missing. You might even find it helpful to reach out to someone else who seems lonely and offer them support, creating a shared space for healing.
To really grasp this moment, let's step back and see the bigger picture. Leading up to this moment, Jesus has been betrayed, arrested, and put on trial. He’s been beaten and mocked, and now He’s hanging on the cross, facing a slow and painful death. This cry, coming at the ninth hour, is pivotal. It highlights the climax of His suffering and the depth of His isolation. Immediately after this, things begin to shift dramatically — the earth shakes, and the curtain in the temple tears. This cry is the tipping point in the narrative; it marks a profound moment of despair that leads to the ultimate transformation of hope.
When you think about Jesus’s cry of abandonment, how does it resonate with your own experiences of feeling alone or misunderstood? What do you think this teaches you about expressing your own struggles?
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