A foretelling of the Cross.

When Jesus is hanging on the cross, He cries out "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" These words are not only describing the anguish of Jesus as He becomes the scapegoat for sin, but also point us toward a prophesy from Psalm 22. In writing this Psalm, King David described many of the events surrounding Jesus’ crucifixion in great detail about 1,000 years before they happened and about 700 years before crucifixion was even invented. Apart from this Psalm containing an undeniably accurate description of Crucifixion there are also at least a dozen specific prophesies fulfilled during the execution of Jesus Christ.

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Matt. 27:46
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from the words of my groaning?

O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, and am not silent.

Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the praise of Israel.

In you our fathers put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them.

They cried to you and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not disappointed.

But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by men and despised by the people.

All who see me mock me;
they hurl insults, shaking their heads: Matt. 27:29, 39

"He trusts in the LORD;
let the LORD rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
since he delights in him." Matt. 27:43

Yet you brought me out of the womb; Luke 2:7
you made me trust in you even at my mother's breast.

From birth I was cast upon you;
from my mother's womb you have been my God. Luke 1:35

Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near and there is no one to help.

Many bulls surround me;
strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.

Roaring lions tearing their prey
open their mouths wide against me.

I am poured out like water, John 19:34
and all my bones are out of joint. John 19:33,36

My heart has turned to wax;
it has melted away within me.

My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; John 19:28
you lay me in the dust of death. John 19:42

Dogs have surrounded me; "dogs" is a reference to Gentiles Matt. 20:19, 26:47-50; Acts 4:27
a band of evil men has encircled me,
they have pierced my hands and my feet.

I can count all my bones; John 19:33,36
people stare and gloat over me. Luke 23:35

They divide my garments among them
and cast lots for my clothing. John 19:23-24

But you, O LORD, be not far off;
O my Strength, come quickly to help me.

Deliver my life from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dogs.

Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
save me from the horns of the wild oxen.

I will declare your name to my brothers;
in the congregation I will praise you.

You who fear the LORD, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!

For he has not despised or disdained
the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help.

From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
before those who fear you will I fulfill my vows.

The poor will eat and be satisfied;
they who seek the LORD will praise him—
may your hearts live forever!

All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the LORD,
and all the families of the nations
will bow down before him,

for dominion belongs to the LORD
and he rules over the nations.

All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
those who cannot keep themselves alive.

Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the Lord.

They will proclaim his righteousness
to a people yet unborn—
for he has done it. John 19:30

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The pain resulting from the crushing of the median nerves in the wrists and the plantar nerves in the feet while being nailed to the cross is so indescribable that a word had to be invented to describe it: excruciating, which comes from the Latin ex crucio or “out of the cross.”

Jesus was born of a woman, so that we could be born of God.
Jesus humbled Himself, so that we could be lifted up.
Jesus became a servant, so that we could be made co-heirs.
Jesus suffered rejection, so that we could become His friends.
Jesus was obedient unto death, so that we could gain life.

Matthew 27 - Part 2

During Jesus' crucifixion and the trail and beatings which led up to it He experienced the pains and more that humanity deal with all the time.

He was abandoned and rejected by friends, beaten, ridiculed, stripped of his dignity, hung on display almost naked, finally the abuse ended with His death. It is my belief that in addition to all of this being the price of sin Jesus' sufferings were also for another reason. When any person suffers anything, the creator and savior of the universe, Jesus Christ, can relate to their suffering. No matter what hardships we face in life, Jesus experienced something similar too. We can confidently lay our burdens at the foot of the cross before a savior not only capable of understanding and relieving our burdens, but also who has walked veiled in the flesh of a man and lived through similar pains, temptations and trials.

This chapter is the pivotal scene of Christianity. Jesus, nailed to a cross crying out "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" as He gives up His spirit and pays the price of sin. The innocent blood of one spilled for the guilt of many.

After the death of Jesus his enemies remember His promise to rise again after death and thus secure the tomb with a boulder and a plater seal to secure it in place. They could not afford the public upheaval if some of Jesus' disciples stole His body away in the night and then claimed He had risen.

As we will read in Chapter 28, His disciples did not need this ruse...