Are You For Real?

In Psalm 22, David prophetically writes of Jesus’ death, beginning his song with the words, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning?” The song goes on to prophecy many more details of the conversations, actions, and even emotions that would occur during Jesus’ time on the cross.

Hundreds of years later, God confirmed David’s prophecy by directing Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John to report the details of what actually took place during the last moments of Jesus’ crucifixion. Yet many who study the Bible, question the validity of one detail in particular – Jesus’ statement, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

In all honesty, it IS a difficult concept to wrap our mind around. We may not be able to fully understand it in this lifetime, but Scripture gives us enough tidbits to confidently answer the question, even if we don’t know all the details of how God did it.

The first and most important tidbit comes from Isaiah’s prophecy which includes an insight into the character of the coming Messiah, and this character trait is confirmed in the New Testament by Peter. Both writers tell us that Jesus never deceived anyone. In other words, he never bore false witness.

Isaiah 53:9 And they made His grave with the wicked— But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth.

1Peter 2:22 “WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH”;

If God did not forsake Jesus while he was hanging on the cross, then Jesus was either deceiving us or he was being deceived, himself, when he asked God why He had forsaken him. According to the Scriptures we just read, Jesus NEVER deceived anybody, so if God did not truly forsake him, at least for a moment, while he was on the cross, that only leaves one other option – Jesus, himself, was deceived.

Is it possible that Jesus, “the way, the truth, and the life,” could be deceived? If “the truth” can be deceived at any point, then it will contain a bit of error, and it will no longer be the truth. So if Jesus was confused and deceived about being forsaken for a moment on the cross, then He had accepted a bit of error, and He disqualified himself from being “the truth.”

Also we are told that the fullness of Deity resided in the physical body of Jesus, and Jesus claimed that He only spoke what the Father told Him to speak. Can Deity be deceived or become confused? Can Deity “misspeak,” as so many of our politicians do?

John 14:10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.

Col 2:9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,

John 12:49-50 For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.”

Even when the father of all deception (Satan) tried to work his ‘charms’ on Jesus, he was not deceived.

Mat 4:9-11 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND HIM ONLY YOU SHALL SERVE.’ ” Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.

If Jesus was deceived at any point, then we cannot have full confidence that he had never been deceived prior to that point. But we need not be concerned, because Scripture gives us abundant evidence that Jesus was at no time deceived, confused, or misleading. Therefore, when he uttered those words from the cross, he was stating a truth. We may not completely understand the HOW part, but we dare not suggest that the One in whom the fullness of the Godhead dwelt was guilty of being deceptive OR of being confused!

Keeping it real,

Photo Courtesy Of: Unknown

Article Written: Sep 27, 2011 / Edited: Oct 15, 2011