Imagine seeing your child in pain and then turning away. How would you feel? I’m a parent—I know it
would be excruciating! In Matthew 27:46, amid the agony of his Crucifixion, the Savior cried,
“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” In this statement we see our Redeemer feeling
completely abandoned and alone. Some Church leaders have clarified that God did not in
actuality completely forsake his Son but rather briefly withdrew so that Christ could better
relate to each of us. In other words, although Christ felt forsaken God was still present. Elder
Charles W. Penrose, then of the Quorum of the Twelve, explained, “God had [not] forsaken Him,
but He left Him to bear the brunt, that He might feel the pain . . . that He might be
touched with a feeling for our infirmities, because He bore the pains of us all.”1
What do you think the Father felt when he temporarily withdrew from his Son?
Elder Melvin J. Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve provided this insight:
[Heavenly Father] saw that Son next stretched upon the cross, and the nails driven into His flesh.
He saw the quivering flesh, wounded and bleeding. . . . He saw the life blood of His beloved Son
streaming and gushing out, and He stopped it not. . . . I imagine that He had looked upon that Son
until even the Father could not stand it, and He turned to some secluded spot
and bowed and wept for the suffering of His Son. I am so thankful in my heart
that whatever doubts may have risen in His heart as He looked upon the suffering of His
Son—“Shall I save him, or shall I allow him to suffer and die for the world?” O,
I thank God that He decided in your favor and in my favor, and by that He has redeemed us.2
As we contemplate the Father and the pain he must have felt as he watched his Son suffer,
we can better feel his love for his Son and for each of us.
As with all aspects of his sacrifice,
Christ’s feelings of forsakenness were consecrated for our blessing. Elder
Jeffrey R. Holland articulated his feelings about this significant aspect of Christ’s Atonement:
It is my personal belief that in all of Christ’s mortal ministry the Father may never have been
closer to His Son than in these agonizing final moments of suffering. Nevertheless,
that the supreme sacrifice of His Son might be as complete as it was voluntary and solitary, the
Father briefly withdrew from Jesus the comfort of His Spirit, the support of His personal presence.
It was required, indeed it was central to the significance of the Atonement,
that this perfect Son who had never spoken ill nor done wrong nor touched an unclean thing
had to know how the rest of humankind﻿—us, all of us﻿—would feel when we did commit such sins.
For His Atonement to be infinite and eternal, He had to feel what it was like to die not only
physically but spiritually, to sense what it was like to have the divine Spirit withdraw,
leaving one feeling totally, abjectly, hopelessly alone.3
We may be humbled as we ponder Christ’s feelings of forsakenness, recognizing that at least
one reason the Father withdrew his Spirit was so the Savior could understand
us when we feel abandoned and alone. Because of the Father’s withdrawal,
Christ can offer us perfect compassion when we feel detached from or even deserted by God.
Many of us will feel at times like we have been abandoned by heaven.
When this happens, we can follow Christ’s example on Calvary and keep on going. Consider the case of
Mother Teresa, a devoted disciple who spent her life serving the poorest of the poor.
Although she had powerful spiritual experiences as a young adult, for the final fifty years of
her life, Mother Teresa often felt disconnected from God. She wrote, “In my soul I feel just that
terrible pain of loss—of God not wanting me—of God not being God—of God not really existing.”4
As one commentator stated, in time, her “questions about God’s existence faded,
and she began to see this searing experience as an invitation to unite herself
more closely with Jesus in his abandonment on the cross and with the poor, who also feel
abandoned. . . . In continuing with her ministry to the poor, she made a radical act of fidelity
based on a relationship she still believed in, even if she could not sense God’s presence.
She trusted that earlier experience. In other words, she had faith.”5
Just as Jesus did, Mother Teresa did not quit when she felt abandoned by God.
Rather, she continued in the work God had sent her to do. We can follow the example
set by her and by our Savior—even when heaven feels distant. As we continue on,
we can remember that even though heaven feels far away, it’s closer than we realize.
Elder D. Todd Christofferson taught, “Each of us, whenever [we feel isolated] must stop and think,
‘Jesus Christ died for me. Jesus Christ thought me worthy of His blood. And He loves me. He has hopes
for me. And He can make a difference in my life. His grace can transform me.’”6
We may not feel God in a way we immediately recognize, but we will not be abandoned.
The Savior has promised, “I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you” (John 14:18).
If you’re interested in prophetic commentary on other statements Christ made from the cross,
click the link in the video description.