Why did Jesus cry out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Study Mark 15 with context, apologetic analysis, and cross-references.
Mark 155 questions
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Commentary provenance
Dr. Lucas D. Shallua Commentary · Mark 15
01
The precise difficulties
Why did Jesus cry out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
What does the tearing of the temple curtain signify?
Why did the centurion say Jesus was the Son of God?
Why was Jesus' death necessary?
Was Jesus really dead?
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Verse and question study
Why did Jesus cry out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Jesus was quoting Psalm 22:1, a lament that expresses the anguish of abandonment. On the cross, He experienced the separation from the Father that sin brings. This does not mean the Father stopped loving Him; it means that Jesus, bearing the sin of the world, experienced the relational distance that sin creates. It is the mystery of the atonement. The sinless One became sin for us, and in that moment, He felt the abandonment that we deserved.
What does the tearing of the temple curtain signify?
The curtain separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. Only the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place, and only once a year on the Day of Atonement. The tearing from top to bottom signifies that the barrier between God and humanity is removed. Through the death of Christ, all believers have access to the Father. The way is open.
Why did the centurion say Jesus was the Son of God?
The centurion had seen many men die. He had witnessed crucifixions before. But there was something different about Jesus. He did not curse, He did not beg, He did not fight. He cried out to God and breathed His last with dignity. The centurion recognized that this was no ordinary man. His confession is the first human acknowledgment of Jesus' divine sonship in Mark's Gospel. It is a foretaste of the Gentile mission.
Why was Jesus' death necessary?
The cross was necessary because sin requires a payment. The wages of sin is death. The Old Testament sacrifices pointed forward to a final, perfect sacrifice. Jesus, the sinless Lamb of God, took the place of sinners. He bore the penalty we deserved. His death satisfied the justice of God and made forgiveness possible. Without the cross, there is no salvation.
Was Jesus really dead?
Yes. The Romans were experts at execution. They confirmed His death with a spear. Joseph of Arimathea received the body. He was wrapped in linen, placed in a tomb, and sealed with a stone. The women watched. The burial is a historical fact. The death is certain. But so is the resurrection.
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Historical and literary context
Chapter 14 ended with Peter's threefold denial and the rooster's crow. Jesus has been condemned by the Sanhedrin as deserving death. Now He is brought before the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate. The Sanhedrin could pronounce a death sentence, but they could not carry it out without Roman approval. So Jesus is delivered to the Gentiles — exactly as He predicted in Mark 10:33. The chapter moves from the governor's palace to the Praetorium to Golgotha to a borrowed tomb. Every scene drips with irony. The King of the Jews is crowned with thorns. The Son of God is mocked as He saves others. The temple curtain is torn as the temple's true purpose is fulfilled. The first person to fully confess Jesus as the Son of God in Mark's Gospel is not a disciple but a Gentile soldier. The chapter is a masterclass in theological irony.
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Apologetic note
Some critics argue that Jesus did not actually die on the cross but merely swooned and was later revived. This is impossible for several reasons. First, Roman soldiers were professionals. They knew how to execute. They confirmed Jesus' death with a spear thrust to the side. Second, the amount of blood and water that flowed from the wound indicates a fatal rupture. Third, Jesus had been scourged, which was often fatal in itself. Fourth, He was wrapped in linen and buried with a large stone sealing the tomb. If He had merely swooned, He would have suffocated in the tomb. Fifth, the disciples were not expecting a resurrection; they were hiding in fear. The most plausible explanation for the empty tomb and the disciples' transformation is that Jesus actually rose from the dead. The crucifixion and burial accounts are deeply rooted in historical detail: the names of Simon of Cyrene and his sons, Joseph of Arimathea, the specific women witnesses, the Roman practice of crucifixion. These are not legendary embellishments. They are eyewitness memory.
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Chapter cross-references
Psalm 22 The lament of abandonment, fulfilled in the crucifixion