The words of Jesus, cried out from the Cross, traditionally giving the impression that he felt abandoned by God have never sat well with me. They were out of kilter with just about every teaching Jesus gave concerning the Son’s relationship with the Father. Everything Jesus said about the Father implied a depth of solidarity and relationship beyond human understanding, and that projected a faithfulness and trust between them that nothing could ever tear apart – even death.

When we look properly at the words he used, it becomes quite obvious that what is problematic is our translation, not his words. The Gospels of Mark, Matthew and Luke, were originally written in Aramaic, not Greek. John’s Gospel has traditionally been thought to have been entirely written in Greek, although some scholars consider its origins to have been Aramaic. Jesus and His disciples spoke Aramaic and Hebrew, not Greek. The words Christ cried from the Cross were Aramaic:

                  ‘From the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice,

                  “Eli, Eli, lemana shabakthani!” Some of the men who were standing there when they heard it, said, “He is calling for Elias" (Matt. 27:45-47

                   Original Aramaic quoted).

The actual English translation of these Aramaic words is: "My God, My God for this I was destined." (Matt. 27:46). If Jesus had said he felt forsaken, he would have used “nashatani," which means forsaken, lost or abandoned, not “shabakthani” which means kept, destined, or born for.  All the Gospels have retained these words in the original tongue. They have, however, been given a different meaning. Matthew, according to the Eastern version, does not translate them. Most likely this is because he wrote to the people who had seen Jesus and had heard Him preaching. It also seems probable that the later writers did not agree on the exact meaning of these words when they translated them into Greek. Aramaic is a very obscure language, and they didn't know it as well as they should have before they laid their translation into the scriptures.  This term is still used today, but only by the Aramaic-speaking people in Assyria, who speak virtually the same language the Galileans spoke at the time of Jesus. This phrase in Aramaic means, "My God, My God, for this I was kept [this was My destiny, or I was born for this]."

Let’s consider Psalm 22:1 for a moment, which many believe Jesus is quoting. David did not write Psalm 22:1 as a prophecy of the Crucifixion of Jesus. He spoke those words for himself when he felt abandoned and alone, because he had many enemies. David was saying that his situation was so dire that even God had forsaken him; he was not giving a prophecy of Christ's death. Similarly, Jesus did not quote this Psalm. If he had, firstly he would have used Hebrew instead of Aramaic, and if he had translated it from Hebrew he would have used the Aramaic, "nashatani," which means "forsaken me," instead of the word "shabakthani," which in this case means, "kept me." Even the soldiers who stood by the cross did not understand what Jesus said in that hour of agony and suffering. They thought that He was calling on Elijah because the word "Elijah" in Aramaic is "Elia," which is similar to the Word for God, "Eli."

The statement, "My God, My God, for this I was kept" was plainly spoken in Aramaic by Christ to his Father. He spoke loudly enough so that His disciples, who understood Aramaic could hear His words, which confirmed the reason for His crucifixion, and they would pass the message on to the entire world. Unfortunately, this statement, taken from the original Aramaic text, of Christ dying on the cross, is incorrectly translated in the Bible, perhaps because of the original Greek translators.

Plenty of Biblical data shows quite simply that Christ was born to die so that he might save humanity from all sin and make it possible for us to have a direct relationship with God. His destiny was to become the King of kings and Lord of lords, the most highly exalted and glorious name forever. The Letter to the Philippians states that God has, ". . . given Him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in Heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Phl. 2:9-11). Jesus himself said, "All power is given to me in heaven and in earth" (Matt. 28:18). Nothing other than his death on the cross could have brought about such a significant victory.

The Aramaic speaking disciples and women who were from Galilee would never have for a moment thought that Jesus had cried out that God had forsaken him. He had told His disciples that the world would reject him, and that they, his disciples, would lose faith for a short time. Jesus let his disciples know that the Father would be with him always, because he and his Father were one and the same. The Triune God was living and present, and working in his soon to be crucified body.

Jesus told Peter, “Do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He shall give me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matt. 26:53). This strongly suggests that Christ had full and unswerving confidence in the Father’s faithfulness to him. I think it is also clear that when Christ prayed, “My Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, your will be done” (Matt. 26:42), God the Father let him know that they would be together through the entire ordeal, simply because Christ went back to the sleeping disciples calm, sure, and resolute.

As a final note, it is worth pointing out that these words, “Eli, Eli, lemana shabakthani,” are still today used by Assyrians when they suffer trials or die unjustly. Instead of complaining, they turn to God, believing it is God’s desire that they should pass through such challenges. It is also the reason why suicide in the Middle East is a rarity.