On the cross, Jesus cried out, “My God, my God! Why have you
forsaken me?”
From this single sentence, many bible teachers and pastors
have theorized that it was in this moment that the Father looked away from
Jesus – because of all of our sins being laid upon Jesus – and it was in this
moment that Jesus experienced separation from the Father for the only time in
all of eternity.
As dramatic and poetically compelling that might be, the truth
is simply this: The Bible nowhere supports this theory.
So, where does it come from?
Well, apparently the teaching that the Father actually did
forsake Jesus on the cross, and that Jesus experienced separation from the
Father comes from a few assumptions:
First, the assumption that God is too holy to look upon sin.
Second, the assumption that Jesus’ cry from the cross at
that moment was meant to communicate that His Father did actually forsake him.
Let’s take these two assumptions one at a time and see if
they are true.
Is God really too holy to look upon sin? Not according to
the scriptures.
Instead, we see all throughout the Bible that God does
indeed look at mankind. We see that God’s eyes move to and fro over all the
earth, searching the hearts and minds of His people. [See 2 Chron.16:9; Job 31:4;
Jerem. 16:17; Zech. 4:10; etc.]
“And there is no
creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.”
– [Heb. 4:13]
Q: What would happen if God wasn’t able to look at sin?
A: It would mean that looking at us would be pointless
because all He could ever see was a world full of sinful people [which is
everyone].
The doctrine that God is too holy to look upon sin is
actually based on one single verse of scripture in the Old Testament that says:
“Your eyes are too pure to look
on evil; you cannot tolerate wrongdoing.” [Habbukuk 1:13]
But if you keep reading that chapter what you’ll notice is
that Habbukuk wraps up that statement by asking: “So, why do you?”
In other words, the question is asked assumptively, but then
the question itself is cast into doubt as the prophet observes that God does
indeed look on evil after all.
Another verse that is often used to support this idea that
God is too holy to look upon our sins is found in Isaiah where we read:
“But your iniquities have separated you
from your God; your sins have
hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.”
[Isaiah 59:2]
But if we keep reading [a good idea as you can see], we
read:
“The Lord looked and was displeased that there was no justice.
He saw that there was no one,
he was appalled that there was
no one to intervene; so his own arm achieved salvation for him,
and his own righteousness sustained him.” [v.16]
“As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit,who is on you, will not depart from you…” [v.21]
So, here, in the very same chapter, we read that
God DOES look, and that He DOES see our sins, and that “[His] Spirit…will not
depart…”
Finally, let’s look at Jesus. He was the “exact representation
of the Father” and he was the only one who had ever seen God and who came to
reveal the Father to us.
What do we notice about Jesus? Does He, as God in
the flesh, avert his gaze when surrounded by sinners? Hardly! Instead, those
sinners are his closest friends. He spends so much time with them that the
religious elite [who, by the way, were too holy to spend time with sinners], criticized
him for it.
So, is God really “too holy to look on our sin”?
Absolutely not!
Second: When Jesus says, “My God, my God, why
have you forsaken me?” doesn’t that mean that His Father really did forsake
Him?
No.
This statement from Jesus was a quote from Psalm
22 which begins:
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from my cries of anguish?”
[v.1]
But, this is a Messianic Psalm. In this Psalm we
also read prophetic statements like:
“…they pierce my
hands and my feet.” [v. 16]
“…They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.” [v.18]
Perhaps Jesus is quoting this Psalm because he hopes to
point out how these exact words are being fulfilled in their midst?
Note also what this same Psalm has to say about what God is
doing:
“For he has not despised or
scorned the suffering of
the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has
listened to his cry for help.” [v.24]
Wait…what?
The Psalmist says that they will pierce the hands and the
feet of the Messiah, and that they will divide his clothes and cast lots for
his garments…and that God “will not hide His face from him”.
So…once more I need to ask: “Did the Father turn His face
away from Jesus when He was on the cross?”
No. Not even once.
Finally, notice that Jesus affirms that His Father will never
abandon Him:
“Jesus replied. “A time is coming and in fact has come when
you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with
me. I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this
world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” [John
16:31-33]
Notice that Jesus not only affirms that His Father will not
leave him [even though the disciples will], but that this abandonment by the
disciples and the ever-present nature of the Father occurs at the same time: While
Jesus is hanging on the cross!
This really should not surprise us.
God promises all through the scriptures that He will never
leave us or forsake us.
Jesus reminds us that He will be with us always, even unto
the end of the age.
[See Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 13:5; Deut. 31:6, Isaiah 41:10,
etc.]
So, to recap:
The Father did NOT look away from Jesus while He was on the
cross.
God is NOT too holy to look at sin. [Jesus did it all the
time]
God will NOT leave or forsake us, either.
I hope that helps!
If this has blessed you, please share it with your friends
on social media.
Thanks!
Keith
*NOTE: Written with assistance from insights gleaned from
Brian Zahnd, Brad Jersak and others.
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