“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
We begin by quietening down our body and mind and entering into stillness so that we can become aware of God’s presence within and around us.
Allow whatever is on your mind to surface and consciously let it go for the moment.
Become aware of how your body is feeling. Acknowledge your physical state and begin to let go of any tension or stiffness, relaxing into quietness.
We focus on the most desolate words of Jesus from the Cross as we hear in Matthew’s Gospel:
Matthew 27:46
‘And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
It’s hardly imaginable that Jesus should have uttered these words of total anguish. In Gethsemane his agony was such that his sweat fell like drops of blood, but his Father was closer to him in that moment than his own heartbeat. Angels came to comfort him. Now, when the death he had so feared is drawing near, there is no comfort. He cries out his sense of abandonment and absolute desolation.
How do you feel as you see and hear Jesus cry out these words? His mother and beloved disciple, as well as his enemies, hear his pain and loneliness. How do you think they feel as they witness this worst of moments?
We know that the cry of Jesus was in fact a quotation from Psalm 22. The psalm speaks of hope as well as of desolation. Let’s listen now to what it says.
Psalm 22
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?
O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer;
and by night, but find no rest.
Yet you are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.
In you our ancestors trusted;
they trusted, and you delivered them.
To you they cried, and were saved;
in you they trusted, and were not put to shame.
But I am a worm, and not human;
scorned by others, and despised by the people.
All who see me mock at me;
they make mouths at me, they shake their heads;
‘Commit your cause to the Lord; let him deliver—
let him rescue the one in whom he delights!’
Yet it was you who took me from the womb;
you kept me safe on my mother’s breast.
On you I was cast from my birth,
and since my mother bore me you have been my God.
Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.
Many bulls encircle me, strong bulls of Bashan surround me;
they open wide their mouths at me,
like a ravening and roaring lion.
I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint;
my heart is like wax;
it is melted within my breast;
my mouth is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to my jaws;
you lay me in the dust of death.
For dogs are all around me;
a company of evildoers encircles me.
My hands and feet have shrivelled;
I can count all my bones.
They stare and gloat over me;
they divide my clothes among themselves,
and for my clothing they cast lots.
But you, O Lord, do not be far away!
O my help, come quickly to my aid!
Deliver my soul from the sword,
my life from the power of the dog!
Save me from the mouth of the lion!
The psalm gives a vivid description of desolation in physical terms, but it’s not a cry of despair. There is real agony, but there’s still trust that God will act. There’s hope even in the face of death. Can you hear it?
Jesus’ disciples found in Psalm 22 a powerful description of his death, but also of the hope they found in all their own trials through that death. Can you share their sense of hope and trust in Jesus, or is it something you’re still reaching out for? What do you want to say to God at this time?
You have given all to me
To you Lord, I return it
Everything is Yours
Do with it what you will
Give me only your love and your grace
That is enough for me.
Amen.
We begin by quietening down our body and mind and entering into stillness so that we can become aware of God’s presence within and around us.
Allow whatever is on your mind to surface and consciously let it go for the moment.
Become aware of how your body is feeling. Acknowledge your physical state and begin to let go of any tension or stiffness, relaxing into quietness.
We focus on the most desolate words of Jesus from the Cross as we hear in Matthew’s Gospel:
Matthew 27:46
“Eli, eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
It’s hardly imaginable that Jesus should have uttered these words of total anguish. In Gethsemane his agony was such that his sweat fell like drops of blood, but his Father was closer to him in that moment than his own heartbeat. Angels came to comfort him. Now, when the death he had so feared is drawing near, there is no comfort. He cries out his sense of abandonment and absolute desolation.
How do you feel as you see and hear Jesus cry out these words? His mother and beloved disciple, as well as his enemies, hear his pain and loneliness. How do you think they feel as they witness this worst of moments?
We know that the cry of Jesus was in fact a quotation from Psalm 22. The psalm speaks of hope as well as of desolation. Let’s listen now to what it says.
Psalm 22
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?
O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer;
and by night, but find no rest.
Yet you are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.
In you our ancestors trusted;
they trusted, and you delivered them.
To you they cried, and were saved;
in you they trusted, and were not put to shame.
But I am a worm, and not human;
scorned by others, and despised by the people.
All who see me mock at me;
they make mouths at me, they shake their heads;
‘Commit your cause to the Lord; let him deliver—
let him rescue the one in whom he delights!’
Yet it was you who took me from the womb;
you kept me safe on my mother’s breast.
On you I was cast from my birth,
and since my mother bore me you have been my God.
Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help.
Many bulls encircle me, strong bulls of Bashan surround me;
they open wide their mouths at me,
like a ravening and roaring lion.
I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint;
my heart is like wax;
it is melted within my breast;
my mouth is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to my jaws;
you lay me in the dust of death.
For dogs are all around me;
a company of evildoers encircles me.
My hands and feet have shrivelled;
I can count all my bones.
They stare and gloat over me;
they divide my clothes among themselves,
and for my clothing they cast lots.
But you, O Lord, do not be far away!
O my help, come quickly to my aid!
Deliver my soul from the sword,
my life from the power of the dog!
Save me from the mouth of the lion!
The psalm gives a vivid description of desolation in physical terms, but it’s not a cry of despair. There is real agony, but there’s still trust that God will act. There’s hope even in the face of death. Can you hear it?
Jesus’ disciples found in Psalm 22 a powerful description of his death, but also of the hope they found in all their own trials through that death. Can you share their sense of hope and trust in Jesus, or is it something you’re still reaching out for? What do you want to say to God at this time?
You have given all to me
To you Lord, I return it
Everything is Yours
Do with it what you will
Give me only your love and your grace
That is enough for me.
Amen.