Did the Father Really Turn His Face Away?

Countless Christians sing lyrics every Lenten season proclaiming how Father God turned His face from God the Son as He hung on the cross. I’ve listened to numerous pastors proclaim that this supposed abandonment was the most excruciating pain Jesus experienced. But is this true? Did our Savior die completely alone, separated from the other members of the Trinity?

This is more than an interesting biblical debate. If Father God could, or would, desert His Son during such extreme obedience and a radical display of love, then what does that say about His response to us in our moral failure?

The Roots of This Idea

The notion of Christ’s abandonment stems from words He spoke on the cross and interpretations of a few verses, most from the Old Testament, one from the New, highlighting God’s holiness.

Matthew 27 records the final hour of the Lord’s death. In verses 45-46, we read:

“From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ (which means ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’).”

Your Bible might include a footnote connecting this to Psalm 22:1. This verse comes from a chapter scholars refer to as Messianic prophesy because it foretells numerous events Christ endured.

The passage begins with a statement of distress in which the author, David, ancient Israel’s second king, expressed his desperation. While the Bible doesn’t specify his particular crisis, it reveals that he felt abandoned and alone. He expanded on his anguish in the passage that follows:

“My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night I find no rest” (v. 2), adding that he felt like a worm whom others scorned and despised (v. 6).

Jesus experienced this as well. After His arrest, Roman soldiers stripped Him, put a scarlet robe upon Him, a crown of thorns on His head, and a staff in His hand. Then, they knelt in front of Him in ridicule, stating, “Hail, king of the Jews!” (Matthew 27:27-31).

Psalm 22 contains numerous other parallels to Jesus’ experience. People told both of them to save themselves or to “let the Lord rescue” them (Psalm 22:8, Matthew 27:39-43). David also wrote about out-of-place joints (Psalm 22:14). While we don’t see a direct mention of this in the New Testament, Bible teacher Vince Miller wrote, “Within a few minutes of being placed on the cross, Jesus's shoulders were dislocated. Minutes later, Jesus's elbows and wrists became dislocated.”

The Psalmist talks about people looking upon the one they pierced, and the New Testament tells us that soldiers drove nails through Jesus’ hands and feet (Psalm 22:16). David wrote, “They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment,” something Christ’s executioners did as well.

Biblical Influences

Those who believe God can’t stand in the presence of sin often cite a few verses to support their conclusion. The first comes from Habakkuk 1:13, which states:

“Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrongdoing. Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?”

The NLT phrases it this way:

“But you are pure and cannot stand the sight of evil. Will you wink at their treachery? Should you be silent while the wicked swallow up people more righteous than they?”

And in the NET, we read:

“You are too just to tolerate evil; you are unable to condone wrongdoing. So why do you put up with such treacherous people? Why do you say nothing when the wicked devour those more righteous than they are?”

Another verse often referenced comes from Psalm 5:4, also written by David.

“For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness; with you, evil people are not welcome.”

The New American Standard Bible uses slightly different wording:

“For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; No evil can dwell with You.”

Then, in the New Testament, we read:

“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth” (1 John 1:5-6).

Upon first reading, all these examples appear to support the idea that the Father abandoned the Son in His darkest hour. But is this the message God intended to convey?

The Savior’s Final Words

According to numerous scholars, Christ’s anguished cry, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me,” expressed His distress, not His reality. As Dr. Jared Hood, Lecturer at the Presbyterian Theological College wrote in an article published in the Aquila Report, “The sufferer is asking God why He won’t save him from his oppressors. … Secondly, it’s a rhetorical question. The sufferer knows full well why God does this.”

Notice also what David, who expressed feelings of divine abandonment during his pain, wrote in Psalm 139:7-12:

“Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?

If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.

If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,’
even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.”

Bible teachers such as Wayne Grudem and the late Timothy Keller use the above passage as evidence of God’s omnipresence, meaning He remains in every location all the time. To put it simply, there is nowhere in the universe in which God doesn’t dwell.

Then there’s what Jesus said to His disciples, shortly before His execution:

“A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me” (John 16:32, emphasis added).

Proclaiming Himself the Messiah

In Matthew 27, Jesus wasn’t stating that He’d actually been forsaken. Instead, He was making His identity clear to Jewish onlookers. When He quoted Psalm 22:1, those familiar with the Torah would’ve immediately thought of the entire passage.

Although it begins with suffering, notice how it ends in victory and vindication:

“I will declare your name to my people;
in the assembly 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 scorned
the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help…

They will proclaim his righteousness,
declaring to a people yet unborn:
He has done it!”

(Psalm 22:22-24, 31).

Bible References Regarding God’s Reaction to Sin

When reading Scripture, one must consider historical and literary context. For example, Habakkuk records a conversation between the Old Testament prophet and the Lord. Occurring shortly before Babylon conquered God’s people, Habakkuk wanted to know why God had allowed the nation’s evil practices to continue seemingly unrestrained.

The Lord responded by foretelling the upcoming Babylonian captivity. While Habakkuk longed for justice, he couldn’t understand why God would use a nation he considered even more wicked than Judah to correct His people. This is when he spoke the words recorded in Habakkuk 1:13. The prophet wasn’t making a doctrinal statement. Rather, he was expressing his pain and confusion through poetic lament.

The other two verses referenced early in this article point to relational intimacy. I’m reminded of the words in Amos 3:3, “Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?” Or, as the NLT phrases it, “without agreeing on the direction.”

One might state it this way: “Can we link arms with someone pursuing a different agenda or purpose?”

Examples of Our Creator’s Heart

Throughout Scripture, God pursued humanity in their sin. In Genesis 3, after Adam and Eve disobeyed Him and tried to hide, He sought them out and, through the blood of an animal, granted forgiveness and restored their relationship. Later, when He began forming the ancient Hebrews into a nation, He instructed them to build a temple patterned after the one in heaven so that He could dwell among them.

Expanding on this and the notion that our sin repels God, Tim Mackie from the Bible Project, calls this a dangerous half-truth, adding that “the tabernacle actually turns that over and says, no, God's purpose is to live among his people, which means God moves into sin. God stakes out a claim in the region of sin.”

Consider also the book of Job. In this historical account of a righteous man who experienced significant spiritual attack, the devil, the epitome of evil, approached the Lord and they engaged in conversation.

But the last example I’ll provide is the birth, life, and death of Jesus. Perfect, sinless God the Son entered into our mess and lived among us. The One the religious leaders called a friend of sinners was known to eat with the embezzlers of His day. For three years, He also regularly interacted with Judas, a man Scripture calls the Son of Perdition for how – controlled by the devil – he betrayed our Savior.

However, Jesus demonstrated His most passionate response to our rebellion when He chose the cross. This sacrificial act demonstrated that He doesn’t condone or excuse sin. Instead, He comes close and provides a way out. Through this, He granted all who believe in Him eternal life.

Why This Matters

In my journey, the notion that my sin repelled God caused me to approach Him with a pass-fail mentality. I assumed He withdrew from me when I messed up, and returned when I behaved in a way that honored Him. This resulted in increased shame and self-condemnation rather than more fully experiencing the freedom Christ gives me. I’ve since discovered He is closest when I need Him most, and He invites me to find strength, healing and transformation in His merciful embrace.

Scripture makes it clear, He offers forgiveness to all, for as 2 Peter 3:9 states, He doesn’t want “anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” We either accept His offer and live in an ongoing, ever-deepening relationship with Him, or we distance ourselves from Him when we don’t like the truth He reveals. In the case with the latter, we are the ones to do the rejecting. Whereas our Savior promised He will never turn anyone away. He won’t leave or forsake us, in life or death, any more than His Father forsook Him in His final hours.

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/ronniechua

Jennifer Slattery is a writer and speaker who co-hosts the Faith Over Fear podcast and, along with a team of 6, the Your Daily Bible Verse podcast. She’s addressed women’s groups, Bible studies, and taught at writers conferences across the nation. She’s the author of Building a Family and numerous other titles and maintains a devotional blog at JenniferSlatteryLivesOutLoud.com.

She’s passionate about helping people experience Christ’s freedom in all areas of their lives. Visit her online to learn more about her speaking or to book her for your next women’s event, and sign up for her free quarterly newsletter HERE and make sure to connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and GodTube.