WITH ABANDON
by Jeremy Chance Springfield
4/1/2026
The presence of the Spirit in a believer’s life provides sincere and edifying comfort. Weathering trouble and trial is possible when we can admit our Maker abides by our side through it all. Just the thought of not enduring hardships alone may be all a heart needs to tolerate the bleakest moments of our lives.
The alternative is unthinkably terrifying: imagine the absence of that Divine security in the most disturbing of times. When needed more than ever, the heavenly Presence that reliably carried you through even life’s darkest moments becomes suddenly and unmistakably missing. The divine direction guiding you through the difficulties of uncertain hours is instead deafeningly silent. What had only ever been a nightmare of unrealized isolation becomes the waking and inescapable horror of being truly and irrevocably alone.
The alternative is unthinkably terrifying: imagine the absence of that Divine security in the most disturbing of times. When needed more than ever, the heavenly Presence that reliably carried you through even life’s darkest moments becomes suddenly and unmistakably missing. The divine direction guiding you through the difficulties of uncertain hours is instead deafeningly silent. What had only ever been a nightmare of unrealized isolation becomes the waking and inescapable horror of being truly and irrevocably alone.
Before such spiritual seclusion even the most faithful would surely panic, teetering on the brink of an abyss of total despair.
Culminating from a disturbing series of events, that is exactly the portrait the New Testament preserves concerning the last moments of Yeshua’s life. As he hung perversely from that splintered and profane cross, his disciples having deserted him to be punished by the gleeful hostility of a Roman sadism perfected, the Gospels record a questioning cry wrenched from his breaking heart that should send chills down the spine of every believer.
His heart-wrenching words are first found in Matthew 27:45-46.
|
45 Yet, from the sixth of the hours the darkness was upon all the earth until the ninth hour. 46 And towards the ninth of the hours Yeshua cried out with a loud voice, “Deity! Deity! for what have You forsaken me?” |
|
With such shameful ease do we read the most unfair inquiry ever uttered by a human tongue. Proof of our familiarity with sin exists in our ability to comprehend Messiah’s anguished words and not utterly implode at the injustice of them even needing to be spoken by one as holy as he.
Yeshua’s singular question while hanging from the cross is scandalous. The implication is those words were pronounced in agony—torn from a heart trembling by what could only be described as a most unimaginable betrayal. He laments a brutally severed bond with the Creator uttered in the most extreme and merciless way.
Yeshua’s singular question while hanging from the cross is scandalous. The implication is those words were pronounced in agony—torn from a heart trembling by what could only be described as a most unimaginable betrayal. He laments a brutally severed bond with the Creator uttered in the most extreme and merciless way.
This shunning came from the supernal Father as a summary response to the anxious plea Yeshua made while trembling in the garden the night before, as recorded in Matthew 26:38-39.
|
38 And he said to them, “My soul, she is to me grieved unto death! You must wait for me here, and you must watch with me!” 39 And he removed a little, and fell upon his face, and was praying, and said, “My Father! if it is able, let this cup pass by me! Nevertheless, not as I will, but as You do.” |
This was no mild request. All his being was shaken to the core at the foreknowledge of what the coming crucifixion would demand from him—not only physically, but spiritually, as well. The account from Luke 22:44 adds significant detail to the events of that fearful moment.
|
And when he was in terror, he prayed vigorously, and his sweat was like drops of blood. And he fell upon the earth. |
|
The demand of redeeming mankind required a determination no man could muster—except the Messiah. Despite the foreknowledge of his mission, the Messiah’s humanity was still haunted by the immensity of the deed looming before him. He struggled in cold sweat to cope with the impending divine desertion, and his faith-shaking behavior in the garden displayed the true horror of what awaited him on the cross.
Even so, the text tells us he sought the will of the Holy One above all else in this calling. Judaism preserves in Pesikta Rabbati 36:1 a powerful portrait of the resolve the Messiah expresses in the face of such prophesied torture.
Even so, the text tells us he sought the will of the Holy One above all else in this calling. Judaism preserves in Pesikta Rabbati 36:1 a powerful portrait of the resolve the Messiah expresses in the face of such prophesied torture.
The right to recover what Adam lost comes with a cost no man before him could pay. It mandated a superior spiritual merit if it was ever to be realized. Yet, despite the torment meant for the Messiah, he joyfully agrees with a bold and unflinching request that is paralleled beautifully in the words of Hebrews 12:2.
|
And let us gaze at Yeshua, he who became the head and the perfecter of our trust; who, for the sake of the joy that was before him endured the cross, and unto shame was condemned, and at the right hand of the throne of the Deity sat down. |
The presence of the Divine that Yeshua stood to lose during his crucifixion he willingly and joyously gave. To readily relinquish such a blessed relationship is simply unthinkable to the believer, yet he did just that. What he was prepared to rescind came out of Yeshua’s desire to please the Creator with abandon.
This purpose is prophesied in Isaiah 53:10.
|
And it pleased YHWH to break him: He weakened him. Since You appointed his soul a guilt offering, he shall see seed; He shall lengthen [his] days, and [the] pleasure of YHWH in his hand shall prosper.
|
|
The pleasure experienced by the Creator is rooted in the reality that man would be redeemed by the brave commitment shown by the Messiah. His willingness to endure a spiritual isolation showed he cared more for the Holy One’s plan than he did for his own welfare.
The abandonment of Messiah is even prophesied by Isaiah in 53:4-5.
|
4 Indeed, our sicknesses he has borne, and our pains he carried, and we reckoned him stricken, beaten of the Deity, and afflicted.
5 And he was pierced for our transgressions, splintered for our wickedness; the disciplining [for] our peace was upon him, and in his welts is our healing. |
The term MECHOLAL “pierced,” if read as from the root CHALAL, can also signify an entire “severing” or “cutting off” of a thing. It can also be used for something that is “moved away” from the Presence of the Creator as a rejected object.
If the passage is read while replacing the term, we encounter a clearer portrait of what was happening to Yeshua in the spiritual sense in addition to the physical.
And he was severed for our transgressions, splintered for our wickedness; the disciplining [for] our peace was upon him, and in his welts is our healing.
Understanding this allows us to return to the chronicles of what occurred on the cross and consider further what Yeshua expressed in the depths of his agony by reading Mark 15:33-34.
|
33 And when it was the sixth of the hours, the darkness was upon all the earth until the ninth hour. 34 And at the ninth of the hours, Yeshua cried out with a loud voice, and said, “IL! IL! for what have You forsaken me?”—that is: “My Deity! My Deity! For what have You forsaken me?” |
|
Mark’s record of Yeshua’s question is identical to the account in Matthew 27:46, but then in a curious choice, he clarifies the Aramaic phrase with a secondary and slightly different rendering that is also in the Aramaic tongue. His reason for doing so is not expressly stated, but the likely intent will be revisited later in this study to highlight an important detail. Regardless, all this really centers around the term SHBAKTANI “You forsaken me” in the Aramaic text of the Peshitta. It is a conjugation of the word SHABEK, which can have the opposite meaning of “forsake” or “spare.”
The fact that the term can be used to intend two very different concepts is worth noting. Although the traditional interpretation of Yeshua’s Aramaic words has been toward “forsaken,” when the context of the crucifixion and the events leading up to it are carefully considered, there does exist precedent for viewing the cry in the alternative definition of “spare.”
The foremost evidence against reading it as “forsaken” could be said to be from a blatant statement in Scripture itself. Psalm 37:25 appears to make the case rather well.
|
…and never have I seen a righteous one forsaken… |
The assertion here is precise: a “righteous one” is not forsaken. The term is TZADDIK in the Hebrew, or ZADIKA in the Aramaic—an important detail, for Yeshua is referred to as a ZADIKA seven (7) times in the texts of the New Testament [see: Matthew 27:19 & 24; Acts 3:14, 7:52, & 22:14; James 5:6; 1st Peter 3:18].
This would suggest that the Creator watches over and provides for the righteous in such a way that Yeshua should likewise always experience. This claim would stand atop the Holy One’s own promised presence remaining with His people no matter what [see: Deuteronomy 4:31, 31:6 & 8]. He is devoted with abandon to the wellbeing of His people. It may thus be viewed as odd to readily assume Yeshua was completely forsaken while fulfilling the very task decreed for him.
The idea from reading the term SHABEK in its alternative approach is instead that Yeshua could not comprehend why the Holy One had allowed the brutal nature of the Roman torture method he was experiencing to persist for so long. In other words: what could possibly be the reason he was still alive?
If this was indeed included in the sentiment of his choice of words, then it would surprisingly align perfectly with what is expressed about the Messiah’s reaction to the degree of his prophesied suffering, which we read by returning once more to Pesikta Rabbati 36:1.
The idea from reading the term SHABEK in its alternative approach is instead that Yeshua could not comprehend why the Holy One had allowed the brutal nature of the Roman torture method he was experiencing to persist for so long. In other words: what could possibly be the reason he was still alive?
If this was indeed included in the sentiment of his choice of words, then it would surprisingly align perfectly with what is expressed about the Messiah’s reaction to the degree of his prophesied suffering, which we read by returning once more to Pesikta Rabbati 36:1.
This is a tragic text to read, yet captures exactly the tone of Yeshua’s pleading question if understood instead as: “For what have You spared me?” The symbolic name the text gives the Messiah--Efrayim [Ephraim]—is evidence that he must suffer unspeakable things, as it is used in some ancient rabbinic texts to reference the Messiah who bears affliction and dies for Israel.
This attitude towards the Messiah of a necessary suffering and sustained rejection is also presented in similar wording in the text of Heichalot Rabbati 35:5, quoting from Psalm 50:3 and Daniel 12:1 to provide a vital glimpse beyond the horror that must befall him.
It is true that Yeshua’s suffering was beyond anything we can imagine—the physical torture he endured for hours probably felt like a lifetime, with each passing second prolonging and magnifying upon his very being the gravity of what he was tasked with accomplishing. The sentiment shared in both Pesikta Rabbati and Heichalot Rabbati solemnly echoes that exhausted desperation of Yeshua in his crucifixion. Thankfully, the greater purpose of it all is displayed in the end of the passage from Heichalot Rabbati: those who trust the unthinkable plan of the Holy One will benefit from the wisdom of it all.
We do, however, thankfully see an act of mercy given in the timing of his death, as presented in John 19:31-33.
|
31 Yet, the Yihudaye, on account that it was the eve [of the Sabbath], they said not to overnight these bodies upon their crosses, on account that the Sabbath was looming—for that day was a high day of the Sabbath—and they sought from Pilatos that he should break the shin-bones of those crucified, and should lower them. 32 And the soldiers came, and they broke the shin-bones of the first, and of the other who was crucified with him, 33 but when they came towards Yeshua, they saw that he was dead by then, and they did not break his shin-bones. |
|
Rather than suffer the added torture of having his tibias violently shattered, Yeshua is at last allowed to release his spirit moments before the Roman soldiers can engage in their brutal tactic. The cruelty of suffering for as long as he did upon that cross ends without further abuse meted out to his already marred body.
However, the matter becomes slightly more complex in that the Hebrew text elsewhere does contain a claim that a believer can be forsaken, as seen in the words of Psalm 22:2 (verse 1 in most English translations).
However, the matter becomes slightly more complex in that the Hebrew text elsewhere does contain a claim that a believer can be forsaken, as seen in the words of Psalm 22:2 (verse 1 in most English translations).
|
My Deity! My Deity! For what have You forsaken me? [For what] are You far from rescuing me--[from the] words of my complaint?
|
This passage is of further note in that it is the source for the question Yeshua utters from the cross. This is especially seen in that the Aramaic Peshitta translation of Psalm 22:2 is identical to the Peshitta’s Aramaic of Mark 15:34.
The Hebrew text uses the term AZAVTANI “You forsaken me” rather than the SHBAKTANI of the Aramaic translation of the passage, and the Aramaic Targum to the Psalm—while also using SHBAKTANI—does not render the rest of the verse remotely like what is preserved in the Aramaic Peshitta of the Psalm. This leaves only the Aramaic Peshitta translation of the Psalm as the source for Yeshua’s direct quotation.
Additionally, several aspects of the psalm appear to be prophetically describing the events of Yeshua’s crucifixion, which would make his utterance of the same words make complete sense: the spiritual isolation of the moment and the prophetic nature of the psalm needed to be emphasized to highlight the severity that what was happening was on a historic scale regarding the promises made to Israel.
Additionally, several aspects of the psalm appear to be prophetically describing the events of Yeshua’s crucifixion, which would make his utterance of the same words make complete sense: the spiritual isolation of the moment and the prophetic nature of the psalm needed to be emphasized to highlight the severity that what was happening was on a historic scale regarding the promises made to Israel.
Included in these promises was the dark threat of what would occur if the people refused to repent of their sins—as recorded in Deuteronomy 31:17.
And My wrath against them shall be kindled on that day, and I shall forsake them, and I shall hide My face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and afflictions shall find them, and they shall say on that day, ‘Is it not that our Deity is not in our midst that these evils have found us?’
This consequence was taken seriously, for the words of Psalm 132:10 preserve a plea against the possibility that the potential forsaking could even include the one individual who should not be so mercilessly punished.
|
For the sake of David Your servant, do not turn away the face of Your Messiah!
|
|
The hope here is that the chosen leader of the holy nation never be forsaken by the Holy One. Simply stated, may divine favor always abound for the Messianic king of Israel. Therefore, to suggest that Yeshua was indeed forsaken in some way upon the cross would imply that he truly was the recipient of a judgment for the sins of the people.
To add to all this is the detail that the Aramaic text of the New Testament contains a reading not found in the Greek manuscripts that supports the otherwise singular assertion that Yeshua was indeed forsaken. This is found in the Eastern Peshitta’s reading of Hebrews 2:9.
To add to all this is the detail that the Aramaic text of the New Testament contains a reading not found in the Greek manuscripts that supports the otherwise singular assertion that Yeshua was indeed forsaken. This is found in the Eastern Peshitta’s reading of Hebrews 2:9.
|
Yet, he who was humbled to be less than the angels we see to be Yeshua, on account of the suffering of his death, and the glory and honor placed on his head, for he, apart from the Deity—in place of every man—tasted death. |
We see here that the Aramaic text tells us Yeshua died SETAR MEN ALAHA “apart from the Deity” for the benefit of those who themselves need reconciliation.
This is in distinction to the majority reading found in Greek manuscripts and the Western Peshitta text revised to align with them: BETABUTHEH ALAHA “by the goodness of the Deity.”
The ancient and unique reading preserved in the Eastern Peshitta’s text substantiates the ideas scattered throughout Scripture, but an incredible link that provides the topic with some much-needed nuance is seen in the words of the Zohar, Vayeitze 162a and a62b.
The passage provides a clarification that a truly righteous person enjoys a dual connection to the divine: linked in heavenly realms as well as earthly realms. Only the earthly bond can be severed if judgment must be meted out. The core heavenly link abides for that righteous person regardless of what occurs from our perception in this dimension.
This view accords with the inspired text from Isaiah 53:10 that reveals it was pleasing to the Holy One for the Messiah to willingly accept upon himself a spiritual punishment he did not merit. The text explains his commitment to such a dark experience would cause the Creator to make him prosper—emphasizing that although a serious forsaking would of necessity occur, a higher union remained because the Divine will was realized by the sacrifice of the Messiah.
This is the truth of the repulsive context of the cross. Sin had to be confronted. The Creator’s love for mankind meant He refused to leave it unresolved. The Holy One was committed to bringing harmony once more to the world, and in that focused redemptive goal was willing to do the unthinkable to the most undeserving man who ever walked the earth.
This view accords with the inspired text from Isaiah 53:10 that reveals it was pleasing to the Holy One for the Messiah to willingly accept upon himself a spiritual punishment he did not merit. The text explains his commitment to such a dark experience would cause the Creator to make him prosper—emphasizing that although a serious forsaking would of necessity occur, a higher union remained because the Divine will was realized by the sacrifice of the Messiah.
This is the truth of the repulsive context of the cross. Sin had to be confronted. The Creator’s love for mankind meant He refused to leave it unresolved. The Holy One was committed to bringing harmony once more to the world, and in that focused redemptive goal was willing to do the unthinkable to the most undeserving man who ever walked the earth.
The words Yeshua gasped in abject terror were honest and reflected the fierce judgment he had at one time so selflessly accepted upon himself. He lamented the loss of connection as well as the extended length of suffering in an incredibly rich word-play that captured perfectly the weight of the sentence being exacted upon his soul. Both parties involved spared no reservation in their willingness to restore peace. They acted with abandon so that man would not remain forsaken from his Maker.
All study contents Copyright Jeremy Chance Springfield, except for graphics and images, which are Copyright their respective creators.