After six punishing hours of hanging on a cross for the sins of the world, our Lord cried out with a loud voice the words which compose the title of this article (Matthew 27:46).  Mark’s account has the word “Eloi” instead of Eli (Mark 15:34).  McGarvey explains, “Eli is Hebrew, Eloi Aramaic or Syro-Chaldaic for ‘My God.’  The former would be used by Jesus if he quoted the Scripture, the latter if he spoke the language of the people.”^[1]

The scripture Jesus quoted was the opening question of Psalm 22 —“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” How fitting it was for Jesus to use the Word of God in His agony on the cross, since it was the fulfillment of God’s word/will that required this extreme suffering (Matthew 5:17; 26:39; John 6:38). Later in the aforementioned psalm, are these words: “I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee” (Psalm 22:22). This is quoted in the book of Hebrews to prove the point that Jesus, as the captain of our salvation, was made perfect through sufferings, and that He took part in the flesh and blood in order to identify with us as a brother (Hebrews 2:10-12). His agony that caused Him to cry out “Why?” to God eventually led to Him to sing praise to God with His brothers, those He has sanctified with His blood (Hebrews 2:11; 1 Peter 1:2).

The statement Eli, Eli, Lama Sabachthani is personal.  Jesus refers to God the Father as “My God.” Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, sustained a relationship to the Father that no other on earth possessed (John 1:18; 5:17-20).  This great intimacy must have made the pain of separation our Lord expressed all the greater.  He felt forsaken by His God, the one closest to Him.

Why was there a separation?  What exactly was transpiring when Jesus expressed this great distress of separation?  2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” According to Habakkuk 1:13, God is of purer eyes than to behold evil and cannot look upon iniquity.  Certainly, Jesus did not become a sinner at this time, for Peter claims afterwards that Jesus never sinned (1 Peter 2:22). John by inspiration declares, “…in him is no sin” (1 John 3:5). The writer of Hebrews describes Him as, “…holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners” (Hebrews 7:26).  Jesus being made sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21) and the separation that is evident in the words He cried out must be related to the fact that Jesus is the sin offering for the world.  Hebrews 10 reveals that the blood of bulls and goats shed under the Old Testament dispensation could not take away sins; therefore, Jesus came as our great high priest and offered his own body for sins once and for all.

We cannot fully comprehend what was occurring in the mind of Jesus Christ when He cried those heartrending words, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”.  Let us not think that we can fully understand it when Jesus Himself asked, “Why?”.  Without doubt the humanity of Jesus is seen in these words.  He suffered the cruelest of deaths for us voluntarily, so that we might have eternal life (John 3:16).  Let us remember this when we are tempted to ask “Why?”.

^[1] McGarvey, J.W. and Philip Pendleton. The Fourfold Gospel. (Bowling Green, KY: Guardian of Truth) p. 730

Almost every day we specify something we want. One example is placing an order in a restaurant. We understand that if we specify what we would like, all other items on the menu are ruled out. No one goes through the menu telling the waiter/waitress every item they do not want. If anything other than our order is brought to our table, we assume waiter must have the wrong table, because it is not what we specified. On the other hand, sometimes we are generic with our requests. In the example of the restaurant, someone may ask for steak sauce without specifying the brand. Whether A1, Heinz, or some other brand is brought to the table, the request is fulfilled. If the brand is not specified, then any steak sauce will suffice.

This simple concept of generic and specific requests must be grasped when it comes to God’s word. When God specifies the way in which something is to be done, that eliminates all other ways I may think of doing it; however, if God is generic in His request, then I am at liberty to fulfill that request in any way that falls under that genus He has given.

We have many examples of specific requests in the Bible. In Genesis 6:14, God commanded Noah, “Make thee an ark of gopher wood.” “Gopher” was the type of wood specified; thus, pine, maple, oak, or any other kind of wood was ruled out. When God gave the command to Israel to keep the Passover, He specified, “Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year…” (Exodus 12:5). This eliminated any other animal such as a cow or a pig. It also eliminated any female lamb. Lambs of the second, third, fourth or any other year than the first year would be eliminated as well. From Matthew 26, 1 Corinthian 10:16-17, and 1 Corinthians 11:23-29, we learn unleavened bread and fruit of the vine are the specified food and drink we are to partake of in observing the Lord’s supper; thus, other kinds of food are eliminated. The inspired writer of Hebrews makes this argument concerning Jesus being ineligible to be a priest under the Old Covenant. Hebrews 7:14 says, “For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood.” Since God specified from which tribe priests were to come—Levi (Numbers 3:10)—all other tribes were excluded; thus, Judah was excluded.

God also gives some generic commands. Consider Mark 16:15, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” There are certain things that are specified in this verse. For exam-ple, the Gospel is what we are to preach when we go into all the world. This rules out preaching some other message than the Gospel. But the command “go” is generic in the sense that how one is to go is not specified. Therefore, it is perfectly acceptable for one to go by boat, plane, car, radio, television, internet or any other means that will bring the Gospel to the world.

When people try to take what God has specified and substitute their own choice, God is displeased. Nadab and Abihu offered fire that was different than that which God had specified and, therefore, were punished by the Lord (Leviticus 10:1-2). Death was the consequence of doing their own thing rather than what God authorized; this is obviously a big deal to God! When God has given liberty in an area and people bind their own specific preference on others and deem the alternatives to be sinful God is equally displeased. The Spirit speaks contemptuously of those “forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving” (1 Timothy 4:3-4).

We must recognize the generic and specific commands God has given in His word and treat them properly. If we do so, God will be pleased.