Matthew 27:46 Meaning: Why 'My God, Why Forsaken?'

The Greek verb Matthew uses for “cried out” is aneboēsen, which means to raise a loud cry, a shout that forces itself out. This is not a quiet complaint. It is a raw, public cry, heard by everyone standing there. The word for “forsaken” is egkatelipes, a strong Greek verb meaning to abandon, to leave behind in a helpless state. Thayer's lexicon says it can mean “totally abandoned, utterly forsaken.” So the cry carries the full weight of that feeling: left alone, without support.

But look at what Jesus does not do. He does not cry out to some distant deity. He says “My God, my God” twice. The pronoun “my” clings to the Father even when the experience feels like abandonment. And the Aramaic phrase he uses, sabachthani, is the everyday language of ordinary people, not a formal prayer. Jesus is not reciting liturgy. He is speaking from his gut, in the language of home, using words his mother taught him. Even in the deepest pain, he reaches for the one he trusts, using the most intimate words he has.

Christians have read this verse in several ways, all trying to honour what happened. Many Reformed and Methodist commentators, like Calvin and Wesley, see here the moment Jesus bore the full weight of divine wrath against sin, feeling a real separation from the Father’s comforting presence while still trusting him. Others, such as Adam Clarke, push back strongly against the idea that the divinity left Christ, arguing that would ruin the atonement; Clarke suggests Jesus was quoting Psalm 22 to show the mockers he was the Messiah they were fulfilling. The Cambridge Bible notes that even in the cry, the repeated “My God” witnesses to Jesus’ confidence in the Father’s love. Across traditions, the common thread is that this cry is both real suffering and real trust, but exactly how the Father related to the Son in that moment remains a mystery Christians approach with humility.

A common mistake is to think Jesus doubted God’s love or lost his faith on the cross. In fact, his cry is a direct quote from Psalm 22, a psalm that begins in anguish but ends in declared trust and victory. Jesus calls God “My God” twice, even in the pain. He is not doubting; he is holding onto God while experiencing something he had never known before, the full weight of what sin does to our relationship with the Father.

You may have days when God feels far away. Prayer seems hollow, the silence heavy, and the words of faith come out as a question: “Why have you forsaken me?” On those days, remember that Jesus already spoke those words for you. He entered that exact darkness so you never have to stay there alone. This week, when you feel distant from God, try this: speak the honest cry. Say the hard question. But say it to my God, not to the void. Jesus showed us that even the darkest prayer is still a prayer of faith when we say “my God” at the start of the sentence. You are not pushing him away. You are holding on, just like he did.