Jesus' Third Word From the Cross

When Jesus cried these words,
He hadn't lost faith.
Abandonment wasn't the story.
Confusion wasn't the moment.

It wasn't the cry
of an abandoned child.

It was the cry
of a fulfilled prophecy.

Jesus was quoting
the opening line
of Psalm 22.

And in His world,
the opening line
was the title.

Say the first words,
and the whole psalm
comes rushing in.

Psalm 22
isn't despair.
It's alignment.

A thousand years
before the cross,
David described the scene:

Mockers shaking their heads (PS 22:7).

Taunts thrown at the Holy One (PS 22:7-8).

Enemies circling Him (PS 22:12,16).

Hands and feet pierced (PS 22:16).

Bones pulled out of joint (PS 22:14).

Bones visible yet unbroken (PS 22:17),

Soldiers dividing His garments,
casting lots for His clothing (PS 22:18).

Every detail
is right there.

So when Jesus cried those words,
He wasn't announcing separation.
He was announcing fulfillment.

He was human.
He was suffering.
And He was stepping into the prophecy
He came to complete.

The Father wasn't forsaking the Son.
The Father was fulfilling Scripture.
The Son was fulfilling salvation.

You may not know this about Jesus:
the cry of abandonment was the signal the plan was on time.

And the cry
that sounded like abandonment
was actually the signal:

the promised One had come,
the long-awaited moment
was unfolding,
the ancient plan
was moving into place,
the Messiah
was lifted before them.