All my life I have heard how Jesus was the Godforsaken One. And again, recently, a leader in a service said, that God the Father "turned His face away from the Son on the cross". But is that true? Was there some split in the Trinity that resulted in one Member turning away from another because of our sin?The best treatment I have read on this matter is found at http://answers.org/theology/forsaken.html.
One of the excellent points made by this author is that these words are the opening words of the Messianic Psalm 22. When so quoted, the terms of the whole of the psalm is being evoked. These words are the cry of the dying Messiah whose agony is fulfilling the terms of the psalm. Even His accusers are part of that fulfilment when they wag their heads and mock him, "He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if He desires him" (Ps 22:6-8; Matt 27:43).
Note too the reaction of the onlookers to his quoting of these verses from Ps 22. "This man is calling Elijah" who mock Jesus as if he is calling on Elijah. (Eli and Elijah may sound similar coming from the lips of a crucified man.) Importantly, they don't conclude that Jesus is admitting he is Godforsaken. And then Jesus dies.
What happens then is that the Temple's curtain is torn in two from top to bottom, the earth shakes, rocks are split and saints are raised to life!! All these are signs of redemptive judgment on the old order and patently confirm Jesus as the Messianic King of a New Order.
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