Is Jesus God? Understanding Who He Was Speaking to on the Cross
A common question people ask is, “If Jesus is God, who was He speaking to on the cross?” Matthew 27:46 records Jesus crying out, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” which translates to, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” To address this question, we’ll explore several scriptures that clarify who Jesus was talking to and how it aligns with the truth of His divine identity.
1. Establishing that Jesus Is God
First, we must understand that Jesus is, indeed, God. According to 1 Timothy 3:16, “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory.” This verse clearly states that God was “manifested in the flesh”, a phrase indicating that God appeared in human form, made clear and visible to humanity.
Consider also Matthew 3:16 and John 1:32, where the Spirit of God descends upon Jesus like a dove. John bears witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.” These verses reveal Jesus’ divine nature, justified by the Spirit and validated as the Righteous One. This is a key aspect of 1 Timothy 3:16: the Spirit confirms Jesus’ identity and mission.
Moreover, in Matthew 4, after Jesus rebukes Satan’s temptations, angels come and minister to Him, demonstrating that He was seen by angels, just as 1 Timothy 3:16 says. Later, during Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, an angel strengthens Him, underscoring the truth of His divine connection and support from heaven.
1 Timothy 3:16 also speaks of God’s message preached to the Gentiles, which Jesus fulfilled in Matthew 12:18-21. After healing many, Jesus fulfills Isaiah’s prophecy: “I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He will declare justice to the Gentiles.” As seen in Matthew 15, Jesus even heals a Canaanite woman’s daughter, marveling at her faith and showing His ministry’s reach to the Gentiles.
The verse continues, saying, “believed on in the world.” In John 12:32, Jesus says, “If I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to Myself.” This anticipates the spread of the Gospel across nations, inviting belief from all people. Finally, the verse states that God “was received up in glory.” Luke 24:51 and Acts 1:9-11 affirm Jesus’ ascension into heaven, where He returns in a glorified state, completing His earthly mission.
In all these ways, Jesus fulfills each aspect of 1 Timothy 3:16, He is God in human flesh, justified by the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on by the world, and received back into glory.
2. Further Proofs of Jesus’ Divinity
Matthew 21:12-13 gives us additional proof of Jesus’ divine identity. Jesus enters the temple of God, drives out the money changers, and declares, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’” By calling the temple of God His house, Jesus identifies Himself as God, asserting divine authority over the place of worship.
Acts 7:59 also supports this, as Stephen calls out to God, saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit,” equating Jesus as God in his final moments. In John 20, doubting Thomas exclaims, “My Lord and my God!” after encountering the risen Jesus, affirming Jesus’ deity. Romans 9:5 likewise declares that Christ is “overall, the eternally blessed God.” Together, these verses testify to the truth of Jesus as God.
3. Understanding Jesus’ Cry on the Cross
Now that we have established Jesus’ divine identity, we return to the question: who was He talking to on the cross? 2 Corinthians 5:21 provides context: “For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” Jesus took on the sins of humanity, and in doing so, experienced the separation from God that sin causes. Since God is holy and cannot be in fellowship with sin, Jesus’ taking on sin created a momentary separation, reflected in His cry, “Why have You forsaken Me?”
This moment on the cross represents Jesus taking on our human condition so that, through Him, we could be reconciled to God. Philippians 3:21 and 1 Corinthians 15:42-44 describe how believers will receive glorified bodies free from sin, symbolizing the eternal life that Jesus’ sacrifice makes possible.
Psalm 22:1, where David also cries, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” is a powerful parallel. Psalm 22 foreshadows the Messiah’s suffering, and its verses, like verse 16, which speaks of being surrounded by enemies, having his hands and feet pierced, vividly resemble Jesus’ crucifixion experience.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we have seen that Jesus is truly God, fulfilling prophecy and revealing God’s nature in human form. On the cross, as He took on the sin of humanity, Jesus momentarily felt the separation from God that sin creates. By doing so, He became like us, that we might one day be like Him, reconciled, holy, and transformed.
Jesus’ cry of abandonment wasn’t a denial of His deity but an expression of His human experience of bearing our sins. Through His sacrifice, we gain the promise of new life, glorified bodies, and eternal fellowship with God.
