Shimba Theological Institute Review
Volume 3, Issue 2 (2025)
Author: Dr. Maxwell Shimba
Affiliation: Shimba Theological Institute, Orlando, Florida
Title: “Eli, Eli, Lama Sabachthani”: A Theological Defense of Jesus’ Fulfillment of Psalm 22, Not Forgetfulness
Abstract
Muslim apologists have often misinterpreted Jesus’ words on the cross, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34), as evidence of human error, despair, or forgetfulness of His divine mission. This paper argues that Jesus’ utterance was a conscious quotation of Psalm 22, a prophetic psalm fulfilled in His suffering and death. The article explores the linguistic, historical, and theological context of this cry, demonstrating that Jesus’ words reveal prophetic fulfillment and divine intentionality, not divine abandonment. Through a comparative exegesis of Psalm 22 and the Gospel narratives, this study reaffirms the Christological truth that Jesus remained fully aware and obedient to His salvific mission, accomplishing the will of the Father in perfect fulfillment of Scripture.
1. Introduction
The phrase “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani”—translated “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”—has become one of the most debated sayings of Jesus from the cross. Critics within Islamic apologetics have contended that this statement demonstrates that Jesus forgot His mission or lost faith in God at the moment of crucifixion. However, such an interpretation disregards the literary and theological unity of Scripture.
Within the Jewish hermeneutic tradition, the opening verse of a psalm often serves as a verbal reference to the entire psalm. Therefore, Jesus’ quotation of Psalm 22:1 must be read as a deliberate invocation of that whole text—a psalm that prophesied the suffering, mockery, piercing, and ultimate vindication of the Messiah.
This study argues that Jesus’ quotation was an act of prophetic fulfillment, consciously linking His passion to the messianic prophecy written by David a millennium earlier. Far from being a cry of despair, it was a declaration of divine purpose completed on Calvary.
2. The Prophetic Foundation of Psalm 22
Psalm 22 stands among the clearest Old Testament anticipations of the crucifixion. It opens with a lament—“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”—but progresses toward victory and universal praise. Written around 1000 B.C., it reflects David’s personal suffering while typologically foreshadowing the Messiah’s redemptive agony.
The parallels between Psalm 22 and the crucifixion narratives are too specific to be coincidental.
| Psalm 22 Prophecy |
Fulfillment in the Gospels |
| “All they that see me laugh me to scorn… they shake the head” (v.7) |
“They that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads” (Matt. 27:39) |
| “He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him” (v.8) |
“He trusted in God; let him deliver him now” (Matt. 27:43) |
| “They pierced my hands and my feet” (v.16) |
“They crucified him” (John 19:18, 20:25) |
| “They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture” (v.18) |
“They parted his garments, casting lots” (John 19:24) |
Each of these fulfillments demonstrates that Psalm 22 was prophetically messianic, and that Jesus intentionally identified Himself as its subject. His utterance, therefore, was a scriptural citation signaling that the long-foretold suffering servant had come.
3. Theological Interpretation of the Cry
3.1 Jesus’ Conscious Fulfillment of Scripture
Throughout His ministry, Jesus consistently affirmed that His life and death were in fulfillment of the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms. In Luke 24:44, He declared,
“All things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.”
This statement confirms that Jesus viewed His suffering not as failure, but as divine necessity. His quotation of Psalm 22:1 from the cross must therefore be interpreted as intentional fulfillment, not forgetfulness. By speaking those words, Jesus demonstrated a profound awareness of His mission and a deliberate fulfillment of Davidic prophecy.
3.2 The Substitutionary Nature of the Cry
The apparent sense of abandonment expressed in “why hast thou forsaken me?” reflects not divine separation, but the vicarious experience of sin. As Paul writes:
“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin.” — 2 Corinthians 5:21
At that moment, Jesus bore the totality of humanity’s guilt, experiencing the weight of divine justice. The Father did not reject the Son in essence, but the Son endured the felt absence of communion as He bore sin’s penalty. This was not confusion, but substitution—an atoning act fulfilling Isaiah 53:5:
“He was wounded for our transgressions… the chastisement of our peace was upon him.”
Thus, the cry represents redemptive identification with humanity’s alienation, not divine ignorance.
3.3 The Jewish Context and the Invocation of the Entire Psalm
In first-century Judaism, quoting the first verse of a psalm was a recognized method of invoking the entire psalm’s message. By uttering Psalm 22:1, Jesus invoked both its lament and its triumphant conclusion. The psalm’s closing verses declare,
“For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted… when he cried unto him, he heard” (Psalm 22:24).
This demonstrates that Jesus’ cry was not final despair but anticipation of vindication—fulfilled in the resurrection (cf. Hebrews 5:7–9).
4. The Fulfillment Pattern in the Passion Narratives
The New Testament repeatedly emphasizes that every event of the crucifixion fulfilled Old Testament prophecy:
-
Isaiah 53:7–12 — The suffering servant prophecy fulfilled in Christ’s death (1 Peter 2:24).
-
Psalm 69:21 — “They gave me vinegar to drink,” fulfilled in Matthew 27:34.
-
Zechariah 12:10 — “They shall look upon me whom they have pierced,” fulfilled in John 19:37.
-
Psalm 31:5 — “Into thy hands I commit my spirit,” quoted directly by Jesus in Luke 23:46.
Therefore, Jesus’ words from the cross were the culmination of redemptive prophecy, not an emotional lapse. His consciousness of Scripture’s fulfillment underscores His divine mission to complete the work of salvation.
5. Refuting the Islamic Interpretation
Islamic apologists claim that Jesus’ cry indicates human error or abandonment. This argument fails on three grounds:
-
Christological Context:
Jesus, possessing both divine and human natures (Philippians 2:6–8), experienced the full measure of human suffering while remaining omniscient and divine. His cry reveals His humanity’s participation in suffering, not loss of divinity.
-
Scriptural Ignorance of Context:
The interpretation ignores the Jewish exegetical practice of psalm invocation and the messianic framework of Psalm 22. Jesus’ words were scriptural identification, not emotional confusion.
-
Consistency with Prophetic Lament Tradition:
Even in the Qur’an (e.g., Surah 21:87), prophets such as Jonah express anguish in divine missions. Thus, emotional lament does not indicate forgetfulness but authenticity of suffering in the prophetic experience.
Jesus’ cry, therefore, does not disprove His mission—it affirms it. It demonstrates His obedience “unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8), fulfilling the divine plan of redemption.
6. The Triumph of the Cross and the Resurrection Hope
Psalm 22 ends in victory and praise:
“All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD” (Psalm 22:27).
This prophecy finds its fulfillment in the resurrection and the universal proclamation of the Gospel (Matthew 28:18–20). The cry of “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani” thus transitions from suffering to triumph—it is the threshold of victory, soon followed by Jesus’ victorious declaration, “It is finished” (John 19:30).
The forsakenness He endured led directly to humanity’s reconciliation. The darkness of Calvary was the necessary prelude to the dawn of resurrection glory.
7. Conclusion
Jesus’ utterance, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani,” was not a cry of confusion or divine amnesia but a prophetic citation of Psalm 22. In quoting this psalm, Jesus consciously identified Himself as the suffering Messiah prophesied by David. His words encapsulate both the depth of His atonement and the certainty of His victory.
The Christian understanding of this phrase reveals a profound theological truth: God did not forsake Jesus in essence, but through Jesus’ voluntary identification with sin, redemption was made complete. The cry was not abandonment—it was accomplishment.
Thus, the Cross was not the end of Christ’s mission but its perfect fulfillment. The Son of God remembered, fulfilled, and completed every word written about Him in the Scriptures.
“These things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled” — John 19:36.
References and Bibliography
-
The Holy Bible, King James Version.
-
Augustine, Expositions on the Book of Psalms, Vol. 22.
-
Calvin, John. Commentary on the Psalms. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1996.
-
Brown, Raymond E. The Death of the Messiah. New York: Doubleday, 1994.
-
Carson, D. A. The Gospel According to John. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1991.
-
Wright, N. T. The Resurrection of the Son of God. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2003.
-
Shimba, Maxwell. The Divinity of Jesus Christ. Orlando: Shimba Theological Institute Press, 2024.
-
Morris, Leon. The Cross of Jesus Christ. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1983.
-
Stott, John R. W. The Cross of Christ. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006.
