Why did Jesus cry out, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" while on the cross?


"And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, 'Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?' that is, 'My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?'" (Matt. 27:46 NKJ).

In order to understand this verse, you must realize that Jesus was sent by His Father to be the sacrificial Lamb, Who came to take away the sin of the whole world. "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, 'Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world'" (John 1:29 NKJ)!

As Jesus hung on the tree, God laid on Him the sin of us all. God deserted Him during that time. This is how He took our sins away. The Bible declares:
Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.

But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
(Isa. 53:4-6 NKJ)

For He (God the Father) made Him ( (Jesus, God the Son) who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
(2 Cor. 5:21 NKJ)
During the time that this took place, God the Father forsook the Son. Jesus suffered all this so that we could spend eternity in Heaven with Him.

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