Information Related to "Questions and Answers - Jan/Feb 2008"
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Question: Why did Jesus say, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" during His last moments of consciousness? Why did God apparently abandon Him?
-A.B.S., Texas
Answer: You are not alone in your bewilderment. Noted British author and journalist Paul Johnson has also found this particular biblical passage somewhat of a puzzle. He wrote: "But what are you to make of Matthew [27], verse 46: 'And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying Eli, Eli, Lama Sabachthani?' That is to say, 'Why hast Thou forsaken Me?'. . . Whence this sudden note of anguish, the last words to come from Him, immediately before He yielded up the ghost? . . . I have never found a theologian with a satisfactory explanation of this episode" (The Spectator, Dec. 1, 2007, emphasis added throughout).
To arrive at a reasonable explanation, we need to look at the Bible as a whole, closely examining the context of this particular passage along with tying in other related scriptures. Jesus commanded us to heed every word that comes from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4; Luke 4:4; Deuteronomy 8:3). The apostle Paul added that we should be "rightly dividing [or correctly sorting out] the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15)-recognizing that all Scripture is by inspiration of God (2 Timothy 3:15-17).
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