The psalm that follows this one (Psalm 23) is known by more modern-day parishioners than this one. However, this one is alluded to and quoted by the apostles more than all the other psalms. (Matthew 27:35, 39, 43, 46; Mark 15:34; John 19:23-24, 28, 34; Romans 10:19, 11:13-14; Hebrews 2:12)
Jesus voiced verse 1a in the then common Palestine language, Aramaic (but with some Hebrew characteristics) while suffering on the cross. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Jesus reveals how deeply he felt abandoned by God as he bore the sins of the world – my sins – in his body. (Matthew 27:46) David’s anguished prayer psalm is from a godly isolated sufferer immolated by ruthless, unrelenting, and hateful enemies whom he did not provoke.
Jesus verbally portrayed that he is prophecy fulfilled to those willing to hear and consider. The questions are not because Jesus didn’t know the answer. The questions are for the hearer to consider why the sinless Lamb without blemish, the Son of God, the Anointed One, the one whom the Most High God said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased,” (Matthew 3:17, 17:5; Luke 3:22; 2 Peter 1:17) has not only abandoned Jesus to vile evil men but taken light from him for three hours as he placed dark sin into him.
The blatant truthful answer to these “whys” Jesus reveals is, “I place myself here to bear your sin in my body for this is the only way to remove it from you, cleaning your soul and spirit like a lavender soap cleans your flesh.” Since Jesus died the extreme for me, shouldn’t I live his extreme for me?
