From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And about three oâclock Jesus cried with a loud voice, âEli, Eli, lema sabachthani?â that is, âMy God, my God, why have you forsaken me?â Matthew 27:44â46
Jesus asked a lot of questions during his relatively brief ministry on earth â 307 to be precise. Yet, THIS question ⦠his LAST question in his earthly life, was different from all the others. It wasnât meant to teach anything ⦠it wasnât offered for the benefit of those who are listening in.
Rather, as Martin Copenhaver has written, âMy God, my God, why have you forsaken meâ is an expression of isolation. It is raw and threatening, like an open wound. And, like Jesus hanging on the cross, it hangs in the air unanswered.â