The Silence of Heaven!

Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?

Matthew 27:45-46

One of the most heart-wrenching statements ever spoken was made by our Lord as He hung on the cross. These were not words of despair but a deliberate quotation from Psalm 22, a messianic psalm written by David nearly a thousand years before the crucifixion. Psalm 22 begins with suffering, rejection, and apparent abandonment, but it ends in triumph, victory, and worldwide worship. What begins in agony concludes in glory. Jesus was directing all who heard Him and all who would later read the Scriptures to recognize that He was fulfilling God's redemptive plan exactly as foretold.

Another striking detail is what didn't happen. There was no voice from heaven. At Jesus' baptism, the Father declared, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17). On the Mount of Transfiguration, the Father again spoke from heaven: "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him!" (Matthew 17:5). Yet at Calvary, heaven was silent.

Why the silence? At that moment, Jesus was bearing the sins of His people. As our substitute, He endured the judgment we deserved. The Father's silence was not an absence of purpose but the fulfillment of justice. The spotless Lamb of God was drinking the full cup of God's wrath so that all who trust in Him would never have to.

Yet the cry of abandonment is not the end of the story. Just as Psalm 22 moves from suffering to victory, so the cross leads to the empty tomb. The silence of Friday yields to the triumph of Sunday. Christ's sacrifice was accepted; death was conquered; and salvation was secured forever. When life seems dark and God appears silent, remember the cross. Because Jesus was forsaken in our place, those who belong to Him will never be forsaken. The Savior's cry affirms the believer's confidence in the Father's unfailing promise: "I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5).

Your shepherd,

Pastor Mark