Was Jesus Crying for help?

Question

In Mark 15:34 it is recorded that; "And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"

Was this a cry for help? Did Jesus feel that God deserted him during the hour of need? If none of this, what was the cry for, and why the question as it was?

Answer 1

Jesus was experiencing death in the same way that humans experience death. When a person is dying they must feel--I would assume--forsaken by God and utter loss of faith that God would let them die. Whenever tragedy strikes us we always blame God for letting it happen to us and ask ourselves why He doesn't love us, etc. My guess is that Jesus died for the world, and He died an actual death just like humans experience when they die. I believe He experienced all that pain because He and God love the world so much. I believe those words have meaning only to those who are suffering as an objective observer cannot comprehend them if he is safe in God's hands.

Answer 2

This is a very, very good question, and I have a very good answer for you, direct from the original manuscripts;

No, He was not crying for help. Jesus Never Called His Father "God", He called Him "Father".
Jesus Christ was teaching, even while dying on the Cross; what he was doing was reciting Psalms 22, which was written a thousand years before the crucification, to tell us that He was fulfilling prophecy.
Psalms 22 tells of the crucifiction, right down to what those who were at the foot of the Cross were doing, etc.
I hope this is helpful to you

Answer 3

2 Cor. 5:21 says, "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." It is possible that at some moment on the cross, when Jesus became sin on our behalf, that God the Father, in a sense, turned His back upon the Son. It says in Hab. 1:13 that God is too pure to look upon evil. Therefore, it is possible that when Jesus bore our sins in His body on the cross (1 Pet. 2:24), that the Father, spiritually, turned away. At that time, the Son may have cried out.
One thing is for sure. We have no capacity to appreciate the utterly horrific experience of having the sins of the world put upon the Lord Jesus as He hung, in excruciating pain, from that cross. The physical pain was immense. The spiritual one must have been even greater.
That shows us clearly how much God loves us.

Answer 4

He was quoting Psalms 22...
Jesus’ makes His own the prayer of the psalmist, an innocent man who is suffering because of his fidelity to God’s will in his life. These are not words of despair but an expression of faith.

While there are no certain references in the New Testament to the second part of Psalm 22 (the hymn of praise), we do see in the Gospels that Jesus was vindicated. His resurrection from the dead is God’s stamp of approval on His life.
Through the death of Jesus, the meaning of death has been, as it were, changed from the inside. Instead of representing the ultimate separation, it is now the path to greater union.

More info at the site:http://www.americancatholic.org/Messenger/Apr2004/Feature1.asp

Answer 5

He was starting to experience what hell is, and it hurt. For someone who has constantly been in the Father's loving presence it was horrible. He was actually identifying with us so the whole of our sin, which God's justice has to punish, was engulfing him, and God was turning away and treating him the way unforgiven sinners will be treated after the last judgement. And also quoting from Psalm 22. He was doing it so that we can get the acceptance of God, and have Jesus pay for us - "there was no other good enough to pay the price of sin".

Answer 6

I believe that this scripture should impress on us that sin seperates us from God. God is Holy and could not look on the sin that Jesus was bearing for us.

2 Timothy 3:16 - All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

2 Peter 1:20 - Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

Answer 7

This is good question, but I think the best answer will come from an actual live interview in-person with someone who has taken time to study the person of Christ extensively, and has chosen to live in a way that is consistent with Yeshua's life and ministry. I strongly suggest you phone a local pastor or priest and set up a time to meet them at your favorite restaurant or pub and have a brief discussion. You might be pleasantly surprised. All the best on your journey.

Answer 8

Many say that at that particular moment Almighty God had to turn away because the sins of the world were poured onto Jesus. God could not look upon His Son or that portion of Himself. Jesus always said, "I do what I see My Father doing." So at that particular moment Jesus saw the Father turn away.

Answer 9

I asked this question once to a person i knew....very wise...and he told me that the way he sees it is that, as Jesus was God aswell as human, for Him to die, the Godliness (if i can put it that way) had to leave Him for a while. And that is why He cried out, he was scared, just like any one of us whould have been before our executiong/humiliating infront of the whole nation, the people who wanted to crown Him kin only a few days b fore.

I still dont know if i agree with my friend's interpretation of it. But on thin I do know is that Jesus was just as scared and sad/ anxiouse when He was awaiting Hid execution as u or I would have been. Jesus went through a lot on behalf of a nation who dont think He even exists.

Answer 10

It was the only time God's spirit was withdrawn from JC in such a manner that Jesus felt the depths of desperation a human can reach without God's love. It was to prove that he was just like the rest of us, in need of God's mercy and love (we can't do anything all on our own).