Why did Jesus cry out to Elijah as stated in Matt:46-49?

Question

Please refrain from "religion bashing". Thank you! ; )

Let me rephrase this...why did Jesus refer to Him as Elijah? Sorry for the misunderstanding.

Answer 1

He was quoting scripture.

Answer 2

Hi. Recently I thought it was a cry of despair, but it looks like its something else: I got this from Wikipedia:

"Of the seven sayings of Jesus from the cross, this one stands out. It is the only saying recorded in Matthew and Mark, and is the only one that appears in two, parallel accounts. Intriguingly, this saying is given in Aramaic with a translation (originally in Greek) after it. This phrase also appears on the opening line of Psalm 21 (Psalm 22 in the Masoretic Text). In the verses immediately following this saying, in both Gospels, some who hear Jesus' cry imagine that he is calling for help from Elijah (Eliyyâ). The slight differences between the two gospel accounts are most probably due to dialect. Matthew's version seems to have been more influenced by Hebrew, whereas Mark's is perhaps more colloquial.[...]
Many Christians believe that the quotation presents the psalm as a prophecy of Christ's suffering[1], of his message[2], and, as a whole, of his exaltation[3]. Some theologians claim the Father seems to have deserted the Son [4] but saves him ultimately and with him those who seek him in all the nations."

You can check the whole article following the link bellow :)

Answer 3

Matthew chapters 46 - 49 do not exist. So I believe you may mean Matthew chapter 27 verses 46 - 49 which states "From the sixth hour on a darkness fell over all the land, until the ninth hour. About the ninth hour Jesus called out with a loud voice, saying: "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani, that is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?. At hearing this, some of those standing there began to say: "This man is calling Elijah. And immediately one of them ran and took a sponge and soaked it with sour wine and put it on a reed and went giving him a drink. But the rest of them said: "Let him be! Let us see whether Elijah comes to save him. [ Another man took a spear and pierced his side, and blood and water came out].

As Jesus was dying on the torture stake, about the ninth hour or about 3:00 p.m., he called out: "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani" translated "My God, myGod, why have you forsaken me?" Bystanders THOUGHT THAT HE WAS CALLING FOR ELIJAH, perhaps they misunderstood Jesus; words because his speech was indistinct as a result of his intense suffering or because his dialect differed from theirs. In calling out to his heavenly Father, acknowledging him as his God., Jesus fulfilled Psalm 22:1.

Answer 4

You are talking about Matthew 27:46-49. Again, the religious authorities knew that both an Elias and the Messiah were coming, but not only did they not recognize them, they killed them. And yet again to emphasize the "eyes to see" aspect, among those who didn't recognize either John the Baptist or Jesus Christ for what they truly were was a Pharisee named Saul - a deadly persecutor of Christians, but who later became, after his eyes were "opened" On The Road To Damascus, one of the greatest Christians that the world would ever know, a man who later, after his conversion, wrote much of what is today the New Testament - the apostle Paul (check Paul's Ministry):


"And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead."
"And His disciples asked Him, saying, Why then say the Scribes that Elias must first come?"

"And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed [see John's Last Days]. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them."

"Then the disciples understood that He spake unto them of John the Baptist." (Matthew 17:9-13 KJV)

As He was about to die on the cross, the Messiah had a terrifying surprise. Some thought that He was cryng out to Elias (which shows how little they understood, the original Elijah and John the Baptist were both dead by then, but He was actually crying out to God, not in Greek, but in Aramaic, because at that moment, for the first and last time ever, God left His Son:


"And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? That is to say, My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?
"Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias. And straightway one of them ran, and took a sponge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave Him to drink. The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save Him." (Matthew 27:46-49 KJV)

The fact is that: "Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months" (James 5:17 KJV). If Elias/Elijah was just an ordinary man, how was he able to do such powerful miracles, including healing the sick and raising the dead? We walk not by sight but by his Spirit.

Answer 5

I think the passage you are referring to is Matthew 27: 46-49. He did not. This passage, when Christ was on the cross, reads:

About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"--which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
27:47
When some of those standing there heard this, they said, "He's calling Elijah."
27:48
Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink.
27:49
The rest said, "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to save him."

This is reference to Psalm 22.

1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?

In Jesus day, to refer to the first few lines of a Scripture passage is to refer to the whole passage. Just like today you don't have to say the whole quote for people to know what you are talking about when you say "the best laid plan of mice and men..." This Psalm is about the abandonment that he felt at he moment, but of eventual lovingkindness and salvation.

3 Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the praise of Israel. 4 In you our fathers put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. 5 They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed

Answer 6

46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" which is to say "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"
He wasn't calling to Elijah, as some in the crowd mistakenly thought. He was calling to God.

Answer 7

Good question, simple answer: They were poking fun at Jesus
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.......Mathew 27:46.........
"About the ninth hour [three in the afternoon] Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli [Hebrew], lama sabachthani [Aramaic] that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"
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..............Mathew 27:47.................
"Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elijah."
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The people there knew Jesus was quoting Psalm 22:1. The Jews knew it well because they had no doubt chanted it, recited it, and memorized it. Even the Jews that spoke predominantly Aramaic and recognized little Hebrew knew "Eli, Eli" referred to God. However, Elias, which means Elijah, is what they said He was calling for in Mathew 27:47.
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The crowd knew He didn't say Elias, Elias, but Eli, Eli. They knew He was saying, "My God, my God." They were mocking Him. The prophet Malachi said that before Messiah came to set up His Kingdom Elijah would come (Mal. 4:5). They were saying, "This poor, misguided Messiah still thinks He's going to have His Kingdom. Maybe He's calling for Elijah to announce Him as Messiah and proclaim His Kingdom!" Their mockery was cruel, cynical, and sarcastic.

Answer 8

What Chapter?

Answer 9

Same reason why you cry my name every night :O joking

Answer 10

What chapter?