The Cry Of Dereliction
“My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”
Surely, these are some of the most difficult words uttered in all of human history. What did Jesus mean when he said he was forsaken? Did the Father turn his back upon his only begotten Son? Does this destroy the doctrine of the Trinity?
Many modern notions have attempted to divide the Trinity, saying things like God turned his back upon his Son because he could not look upon sin. I think things like this have good intentions, but intended consequences.
This could be a whole series of articles, but I simply want to state a few truths we need to maintain, and then quote a Puritan author at length to see how he deals with the doctrine. (For further reading, Matt Emerson’s work on this topic is stupendous. See it here).
1) The Beloved Son of God was never abandoned by His Father.
God the Father did not hate Jesus the Son for going to the cross. No, the cross was given to Jesus by the Father and Jesus willingly took the cross up Calvary’s hill to obey His Father. What Father abandons a fully obedient Son? We cannot see the doctrine implying a division between the Father and the Son.
Thomas Boston says:
“God knew how to let Him feel His wrath as our Surety; and yet was pleased with Him as a Son.”
- Thomas Boston (Beauties of Boston, p142)
2) The Divine Nature is incapable of suffering.
Suffering requires change and God cannot change. If God could change, then he could change to become less than he is, and then cease to be truly Divine, or he could change to become better than he is, in which case he would not have been God. The impassibility of God is important for the conversation surrounding the cross.
3) Jesus suffered but never sinned.
2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV)
21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Jesus was counted as a sinner, but was not a sinner. Jesus’s atonement was an act of obedience, therefore whatever punishment he endured on the cross was not of his own doing, but the sins of those he died to save.
Putting all this together, what is meant by the cry of dereliction?
Wilhelmus á Brakel writes:
The magnitude of His soul’s suffering is also evident from His complaint upon the cross. “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” (Mat. 27:46). He was not forsaken by His divine nature, for the hypostatic union could not be dissolved. He was also not forsaken by the love of His Father, which remained immutable. Neither was He forsaken by the Holy Spirit, with whom He had been anointed in abundant measure; nor did He complain of being forsaken into the hands of men. Rather, He complained about the withdrawal of all light, love, help, and comfort during the specific moment when His distress was at its highest and when He needed them to the utmost. When Christ uttered the word ”why?” He was not asking to know the cause, but it was instead an emotional expression of sorrow. it was not an expression of despair, for he said, “My God,” “Father.” It was rather indicative of a most comfortless, helpless, and distressful condition.”
(Wilhelmus À Brakel, The Christian’s Reasonable Service, Vol 1, RHB Books, Pg 579)
What does Jesus mean? He is crying out with the Psalmist as the Psalmist had written in Psalm 22. He is experiencing the pain and suffering of sins and crimes not his own. While being righteous He feels the terrible wrath of sin in his suffering upon Calvary’s cross.
The God-Man has gone through inexplicable suffering to rescue and redeem us who deserved the suffering. He has suffered in order to call the unrighteous to himself. He has done it.
The cry of dereliction is a cry of pain for the Savior. But it is a cry of redemption for the sinner, for if God’s wrath is poured out on Jesus, all those who believe in Christ will find no wrath in God, only love, mercy, and grace.
Praise the Lamb who was slain!