In the Darkness the Son of God Asked: “Why?” (Matthew 27:45-46).

Class Outline:

Sunday April 19, 2026

 

Main Point:  

On the cross, in literal and spiritual darkness, Jesus was truly forsaken by the Father so that sinners like us would never be. His agonizing question—“My God, why have You forsaken Me?”—reveals the depth of His substitutionary pain and the wonder of our salvation.

 

Today we stand at the foot of that cross in MAT 27:45-46. And we still find ourselves in the darkness.

 

1. The Darkness of Judgment (v. 45)

 

MAT 27:30

Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour.

 

“From the sixth hour until the ninth hour” = noon to 3:00 p.m. (MAR 15:25 tells us crucifixion began at 9 a.m.—six long hours already).  

 

“Darkness fell upon all the land/earth” (Greek)—a real, supernatural event, not a solar eclipse (Passover was at full moon). 

 

The same Greek word can mean “land” or “earth”; either way, it was widespread and palpable, like the Egyptian plague (EXO 10:21-22—“darkness which may be felt”).  

 

EXO 10:21-22

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even a darkness which may be felt." 22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days.

 

This is the darkness of death.

 

Sin is rebellion against God’s person. His will, His law, His moral, ethical way are not outside of Him, but are Him.

 

Amos opens: 

AMO 1:2

"The Lord roars from Zion …”

 

AMO 8:9-10

"It will come about in that day," declares the Lord God,

"That I will make the sun go down at noon

And make the earth dark in broad daylight. 

10 "Then I will turn your festivals into mourning

And all your songs into lamentation;

And I will bring sackcloth on everyone's loins

And baldness on every head.

And I will make it like a time of mourning for an only son,

And the end of it will be like a bitter day. 

 

This is “the darkness of death” that has come upon the Lord and all the guilty.

 

Guilt and the substitution of the innocent come together.

 

JOH 1:4

the life was the Light of men.

 

JOH 8:12

"I am the Light of the world;

 

Apart from Christ, not one man has seen this light.

 

Sin is rebellion against God’s very person (not just rules).

 

PRO 4:19

The way of the wicked is like darkness;

They do not know over what they stumble. 

 

The day of the Lord - judgment (end times)

 

JOE 2:2

A day of darkness and gloom,

A day of clouds and thick darkness.

 

2. The Cry of Agony (v. 46)

 

MAT 27:45-46

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?"

 

This is the only time in Matthew where Aramaic speech is used as if to say that what Jesus says not is so sacred that only the very words will do.

 

Jesus cried out with an intensified shout of a loud.

 

Is it really a question? 

 

Jesus is quoting PSA 22:1 but we must take the words at face value. The question is real. The forsakenness is real. The eternal Son, who had never known a moment without the Father’s face (JOH 16:32—“yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me”), now experiences total separation.  

 

Why Me?

 

Emphasis: “Me” comes before the verb in Greek (“Why Me have You forsaken?”). The Father forsakes the wicked (GEN 6:6-7), but never the sinless Son—until now.

 

GEN 6:6-7

Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth … “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land …”

 

Forsaken by His Father. 

 

Forsaken is the intensive form of “to leave behind, abandon, desert.” It carries judicial weight—God the Father has in some way turned away from His Son who has been plunged into the darkness of sin and death. 

 

As difficult as it is, we have to allow it. 

 

We believe the Father abandoned Him for the reason that He said it. He does not err. 

 

His loneliness is now complete. He had been abandoned by everyone, but at least He had His Father. 

 

His Pain: 

 

Physical - six hours on the cross, nails, thorns, scourging.  

Emotional - betrayed, denied, abandoned by friends.  

Spiritual - the infinite horror of bearing the guilt of the world 

 

2CO 5:21 

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf.  

 

HEB 13:5, God says, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you”—because Jesus was forsaken in our place. 

 

3. Application & Response. 

 

When sin tempts us we must remember that it is of darkness, the darkness that descended upon Jerusalem for those three hours. The devil has fooled the church into thinking that sin is not that dark or damaging to life.

 

EPH 5:8-11.

 

1JO 1:5-6.

 

Judicial: Christ died for us, for our sins, to bring us to the Father. He died our death that we would never have to die the second death. 

 

Personal: Because of these words we have the confidence in knowing what God will never forsake us - no never. 

 

You will feel forsaken by people or by circumstances. God gives you those times so that you can remember: Jesus never lost faith in His God being there even when He could no longer feel Him or see Him.

 

His question was actually an affirmation of God being there.

 

You can ask “Why?” but ask God why.

 

Gospel: Knowing these words will make you a more confident witnesser, and also more effective at preaching the gospel to yourself every day. 

 

Body of Christ: Your guilt has been removed. Remember that the guilt of all other believers has also been removed. No longer judge one another. We are all guilty.

 

We have seen the darkness on the cross and the people. We have heard the loud cry. The only innocent One was forsaken so that every guilty one could be welcomed home to the light of the kingdom of heaven. 

 

What a Savior!