45 “Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. 46 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?” (Matthew 27:45–46 ESV)
33 “And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:33–34 ESV)
44”It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, 45 while the sun’s light failed.” Luke 23:44-45a ESV)
In our study of the Gospel of Matthew’s record of the Passion Week of the Lord Jesus Christ, it is necessary, and insightful, to examine all four Gospel accounts. This discipline provides us understanding of all the events and encounters which took place during those hours.
The Synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke, all record the phenomenon of darkness over all the land during Jesus’ crucifixion. It was a darkness over all the earth. No place exempted. This occurred from the sixth hour until the ninth hour. According to Jewish time, this would have been from Noon until 3:00 P.M.
Curiously, only Matthew and Mark recount Jesus’ most significant cry from the cross; “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” The phrase “Jesus cried out” (ἀναβοάω; anaboao) means to actively scream or shout aloud with an unusually loud volume. This was an unpleasant shout and not an expression of joy. It was a cry of deep agony and despair. It occurred at the ninth hour, or 3:00 P.M.
“The link between the darkness and the cry is very close: the first is a symbol of the agonizing content of the second. This, then, is the fourth word from the cross, the very first one reported by Matthew and Mark. It issued from the mouth of the Savior shortly before he breathed his last,” explain Dr. William Hendriksen.
The words “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani” are a combination of Hebrew and
Aramaic. “Eli” is Hebrew, the rest Aramaic. The statement is a direct fulfillment of Psalm 22:1. Jesus Christ experienced God the Father’s abandonment from the outpouring of divine wrath (Romans 1:18). That’s the reason for the Lord’s agonizing and loud cry. Notice, Jesus did not cry “Father” but “My God, My God.” This expressed His understanding of the abandonment. The eternal fellowship between God the Father and God the Son was interrupted on behalf of sinners. .
The word “forsaken” (σαβαχθάνι; sabachthani) means to abandon and leave behind. It is a refusal to care for someone in pain and suffering. In this instance, it was God the Father’s refusal to hold back His divine wrath upon the Son of God in the place of sinners (2 Cor. 5:21).
“In the Gospels what happened between twelve o’clock and three o’clock is a blank. All we know is that during these three hours of intense darkness Jesus suffered indescribable agonies. He was being “made sin” for us (2 Cor. 5:21), “a curse” (Gal. 3:13). He was being “wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities.” Jehovah was laying on him “the iniquity of us all,” etc. (Isa. 53),” states Dr. Hendriksen.
“God’s condemnation of our sin in the flesh of Jesus (Rom. 8:3) was signified by the physical pain our Lord endured on the cross. At the same time the Romans were nailing Jesus to the cross, the Father was pouring His wrath upon Christ. Yet we cannot limit Jesus’ experience of His Father’s wrath to bodily pain. Our Savior also suffered spiritually as God punished the sin of His people in His Son, as Matthew 27:46 reveals. In fact, the physical suffering of crucifixion was nothing compared to the God-forsakenness Jesus experienced,” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.
“Reckoning the sin of His children to Christ on the cross (2 Cor. 5:21), the Father cursed Jesus in our place (Gal. 3:10–14). After centuries of passing over His people’s transgressions (Rom. 3:21–26), God satisfied His wrath, pouring upon Jesus His unmitigated anger over the sins of His elect. In Jesus’ offering up of Himself as a substitute, the Father lays upon Him all the curses of His covenant with Israel (Deut. 28:15–68; Isa. 53; Rom. 5:12–21).”
“Our holy Creator would compromise His character if He forgave us without removing our sin and demanding that the curses of His covenant be fulfilled. His faithfulness to that covenant requires that we be punished for rejecting Him (Prov. 16:5), but God condemned our sin in Christ, and therefore His pardon of us does not violate His faithfulness. John Calvin writes, concludes Dr. Sproul.
Soli deo Gloria!
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