Chapter

Matthew 27:46

ESV 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?”
NIV About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?' (which means 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?').
NASB And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, 'ELI, ELI, LEMA SABAKTANEI?' that is, 'MY God, MY God, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?'
CSB About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "Elí, Elí, lemá sabachtháni ? " that is, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me ?"
NLT At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, 'Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?' which means 'My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?'
KJV And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

What does Matthew 27:46 mean?

No mention is made of how those who mocked Jesus while He hung on the cross (Matthew 27:35–44) reacted as unnatural darkness fell over Israel. Did they see in that darkness the hand of God responding to this execution? Were they at all humbled by it? Did they stop speaking, or leave? We don't know for sure since those details are not given.

The darkness ends, though, at about the time Jesus cries out in a loud voice, speaking Aramaic: "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" This is the first verse of Psalm 22, which has many references connected to the crucifixion. Some believe Jesus is once again declaring how His experience is part of prophecy (Matthew 16:21; 26:53–54). Others note that those words mean, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" That's a heartbreaking cry to hear coming from the Son of God.

Human understanding is necessarily limited when it comes to God's exact nature (Isaiah 55:8–9). Part of that limitation is our vague understanding of the Trinity: God's existence as three Persons in one Being. Also incomprehensible is exactly how God's infinite knowledge and power were limited in His incarnation (John 1:14). We know Jesus experienced human emotion and temptation (Hebrews 4:15). That included intense anguish as He anticipated this moment (Matthew 26:38–44).

We cannot know, for certain, exactly what is happening among the Persons of the Trinity at this point. The way Jesus is said to have "cried out" (Mark 15:34) and the reaction of bystanders suggests intense emotion. In some way, beyond our complete understanding, Jesus is experiencing a straining of His connection to God the Father, as He takes on the sins of mankind (2 Corinthians 5:21; 2 Thessalonians 1:9; Habakkuk 1:13; John 1:29).

Was a sense of "forsakenness" the deepest level of suffering experienced by Jesus? Was this what brought Him such great sorrow in the garden the night before? We can only speculate, taking care not to reach beyond what Scripture actually says (1 Corinthians 4:6).
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