Session 16

We will study in this session the words in Mark 15 and verse 34, where the Bible says, "and at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, " Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? Which is translated, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" Dr. Nagy, in the beginning I would like to ask you, what was the language the Lord Jesus used in this verse and why did it come in the scriptures without translation?
The words, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani were spoken in the Aramaic languages, which were commonly used in the world at that time like English today. The author did not translate those words, as he wanted to picture the reaction of the people around upon hearing those words. Then he goes on to translate the words as, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"
To whom did the Lord Jesus address this prayer? 
The Lord Jesus addressed this prayer to God Almighty who is sitting on His throne who has no one like Him, Hallowed be His name.
How can we say that the Lord Jesus was God coming in the flesh? How can He be one and address God sitting on the throne saying, "My God, My God," why did He say, "Why have You forsaken Me?"
Every sensible man living on earth knows that God is One and has no partner. He was not born, and He did not give birth to anyone and no one competes with Him. Every one knows as well that God Almighty created heaven and earth in six days, and He sat on the throne. He fills heaven and earth, and He is close to everyone. He does things according to His own will. He was the one who took flesh; the one that the Lord Jesus had on earth. This flesh was like any other human flesh but without sin or iniquity or transgression. He carried inside Him the Holy nature of God and His glory. Every sensible human being knows that God Almighty cannot be crucified or reached by human hands. So the only solution for this riddle is that the one who was crucified was the body of the Lord Jesus Himself. And as a man living in the flesh, He would pray to God almighty and say, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? Which is translated, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"
Dr. Nagy, do you mean that the divine nature of God left Jesus on the cross and Jesus was just an ordinary man on the cross?
No, this never happened at all. The essence of God in Jesus, where it is written, "His Divine Nature", never separated from His human nature. The spirit of Christ is the spirit of the Lord Himself. If the spirit of the Lord left Him, He would be a dead man, but He was still alive when He said these words.
So how did the Lord Jesus say to God, "Why have You forsaken Me?"
The word "forsaken Me" here means, why did you let Me down? Why don't you help or support Me in times of trouble or crisis?
Did this literally take place? 
Yes, of course if the Lord, true and faithful One, said so. Then it has already taken place and God almighty has forsaken Him and did not help Him to endure the pain of the cross. Another verse even says, "Do not hide Your face from me." (Psalms 27: 9)
Why would God almighty forsake Jesus and not help Him bear the pain of the cross? 
As we mentioned in previous sessions, that if God helped Jesus go through the pain of the cross, then the story of the cross would resolve to a silly drama or a useless play and no redemption would take place. The word redemption means that a righteous One Holy without sin would die on behalf of a sinner. The righteous would bear the full punishment due to the iniquity of the sinner. Other wise we cannot say that He redeemed Him and died on His behalf. These words were written in the book of Psalms prophetically in Psalm 22 verse1 and in the book of Isaiah chapter 53.
Dr. Nagy, why did the attendants think that the Lord Jesus was speaking to Elijah? Why did they say, "Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to take Him down?" 
The words" Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" were heard by the ones surrounding the cross as He was saying," Elijah! Elijah! " This had a root in the Jewish tradition in the days of Jesus all glory belongs to Him, the Jews thought that the prophet Elijah was going to come and save the oppressed and the just from trouble if he called unto Him. That is why they said, "Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to take Him down?" as if they were saying, If He was truly innocent, then Elijah will come and deliver Him.
In the verse 37 Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last. Which spirit is the one mentioned here? 
The words breathed His last means the spirit of Christ, blessed be His name. The spirit of Christ is the Holy Spirit i.e. the Spirit of God Himself. This was obvious when the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a virgin Mary saying, " Rejoice…the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One is to be born will be called the Son of God." (Luke 1: 35) Therefore, the word spirit does not come in the feminine form ever always in the masculine form because it is the Spirit of God.
Dr. Nagy, if God was Jesus, and the Spirit of God is the Spirit of Christ and Christ is God showing in the flesh, so did God die when Christ died? 
No, God all mighty never died, but the flesh of Jesus died. When we all die, the spirit goes back to the Creator. What dies is the body. If our spirits as human beings never die, then the Spirit of God Almighty, who is God Himself who fills the heavens and the earth, never dies or is subject to change.
Dr. Nagy, my last question would be what came in the verse 38, "then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom." What do these words mean? 
It is well known that the temple of Solomon had many parts. One was known to be the Holy where only the priests were allowed to go in. The other was the Holy of Holies were the Ark of the Covenant was kept and symbolized the presence of God. Only the High Priest was allowed to get in this place once per year. There was a sheet separating the Holy and the Holy of Holies, which was a veil made of cloth. When the Lord Jesus died, it is written that the veil was torn in two from top to bottom.
How can we relate those words to the rest of the story? 
The fact that the veil was miraculously torn, meant that way to God after the death of Christ has been open. And anyone whatever his sins and transgressions might be can come into the presence of the Lord as long as he believes in the work of the Blood of Jesus. He opened the way for us, and there is no mediation between God and man through human Priesthood except the mediation of the blood of our great master Jesus Christ, all glory belongs to Him, who purchased this right of access through His death on our behalf.

Does the fact that the veil was torn have any special significance?

Indeed, it has a special significance that God almighty took the initiative to redeem men and to forgive theirs sins. That the work is a heavenly work coming from heaven to earth and that God is no longer a hidden God the One whom no one can approach. He is a heavenly merciful loving father who calls people from different backgrounds and religions saying, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give rest." (Matthew 11: 28)
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