Psalm 22 · a question people ask
Why did Jesus cry, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46)
The Gospels tell what happened, and they don't explain it. There was darkness "from the sixth hour" (Matthew 27:45), and "About the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice" (Matthew 27:46). Matthew gives the words first as "Eli, Eli, lima sabachthani?" (Matthew 27:46) and then, "That is", in the words of the psalm. Mark has "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" (Mark 15:34). Some who stood there said, "This man is calling Elijah" (Matthew 27:47). In the WEB the words are this psalm's first line, word for word (Psalm 22:1). Neither Gospel names the psalm or says what the cry meant, and these notes don't add an answer.
The verses
“Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. About the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lima sabachthani?” That is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Some of them who stood there, when they heard it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.””
“When the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. At the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is, being interpreted, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Some of those who stood by, when they heard it, said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.””
“For the Chief Musician; set to “The Doe of the Morning.” A Psalm by David. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning?”