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Forsaken
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In this painting we see the full effect of the agony our Lord was enduring when he spoke these words, perhaps the most famous of what we now call the Seven Last Words (statements) uttered by Jesus from the Cross. As if in fulfillment of scripture, we should note here our Lord’s words here are also found in Psalm 22. King David’s words written centuries earlier provide a moving backdrop for this scene.
It is three o’clock in the afternoon and darkness has come over Jerusalem in the form of a solar eclipse. We see here the silhouettes of the crosses of the two thieves condemned to die alongside our Lord in a poignantly humiliating touch.
This painting also includes the figures of some Roman soldiers keeping watch over their dying victims. Some of them have been callously casting lots for Christ’s garments. Many in the crowd have been taunting Him to show His divinity by coming down from the cross. “Then we will believe in Him,” they say mockingly (Matt 27:42). When Christ utters these words in Aramaic “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” some mistakingly think he is calling out to the prophet Elijah. They miss the extraordinary significance of the events taking place right before their eyes. He is about to give up His spirit to His Heavenly father for our salvation!
