FORSAKEN MESSIAH: A BIBLICAL THEOLOGICAL ARGUMENT

FOR A COVENANTAL SEPARATION OF THE SON FROM THE

FATHER ON THE CROSS

__________________

A Research Paper

Presented to
Dr. Steve Wellum

The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

__________________

In Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for FA-27400

__________________

by

Joshua James Pannell

SBTS Box 185

December 5, 2014
 FORSAKEN MESSIAH: A BIBLICAL THEOLOGICAL ARGUMENT
FOR A COVENANTAL SEPARATION OF THE SON FROM THE
FATHER ON THE CROSS

While hanging upon a bloody Roman cross, the Son of God cries the most haunting

words of all Scripture: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt 27:46; Mk 15:24).

Intrinsically, faith-paralyzing questions1, theological, philosophical, and practical, saturate this

weighty cry;2 but “unless we wrestle with this [ . . . ] we not only cut ourselves off from

understanding the central Christian mystery and glory; we trivialize the gospel which meets the

world at its point of deepest need.”3 These daunting answers must be ascertained. After a biblical

theological study is completed, the conclusion is undeniable: the only way to understand this cry

of the forsaken Messiah is to understand it within its biblical theological, and thus covenantal,

context. Jesus, as the Son of God, experiences an actual forsakenness from the Father,4 a

covenantal separation.5

Hagner calls this cry “one of the most impenetrable mysteries of the entire gospel narrative.” David
1

Allan Hubbard and Glenn W. Barker, Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 13, Word Biblical Commentary (Nashville,
TN: Thomas Nelson., 2011-), 845.
2
How can God forsake God? Does this deny the simplicity of God? Can God continue to exist if one
member of the Trinity is separated from the other two? If God forsook Jesus, will God forsake me? How does this
text inform our understanding of the problem of evil?
3
N T. Wright, Mark for Everyone, 2nd ed. (London: SPCK, ©2004), 217.
4
Contrasting the Gnostics who believed Jesus could not be abandoned because suffering compromises
deity, see The Gospel of Peter 19 and The Gospel of Philip 68. Also contrasting both Cyril of Alexandria and
Ambrose who insisted that Jesus could only be separated as a man and was not separated as God. Craig A. Blaising
and Carmen Hardin, eds., Ancient Christian Commentary On Scripture. Old Testament, vol. 7, Psalms 1-
50 (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, ©2008), 169. Contrasting the Jews who saw this a suffering Messiah as
a contradiction of terms, see depictions of the death of Rabbi Akiba who is compared to Socrates. Contrasting the
Mystics who held that Jesus simply felt abandoned, but was not actually separated from the Father. Contrasting the
idea that these are words of faith as Jesus, with the entirety of the Psalm in view anticipates its ending.
5
Contrasting an ontological separation from the Father. “The cry [is] to be understood in light of xiv.36,
II Cor. v.21, Gal iii.13. The burden of the world’s sin, his complete self-identification with sinners, involved not
merely a felt, but a real abandonment by his father. It is in the cry of dereliction that the full horror of man’s
sin stand revealed." C.E.B Cranfield, “St. Mark 13,” The Scottish Journal of Theology 7 (1954): 284-303.

2
 Jesus as the Climax of the Biblical Narrative
The Bible unanimously spotlights the Son as the climax of the biblical narrative (Lk

24:27; Rom 10:4; Heb 1:1-2; 10:1). Prior even to Genesis 3, the whole of history foreshadowed

his entrance as the hero of the story (Eph 5:31-32). Every page of the Old Testament presents a

series of scathingly inadequate people, places, and events, seeking for the arrival of the Seed of

the Woman who will make all things new.6 Paul writes of Jesus as the Righteous Covenant Head

to whom Adam, and his failure, pointed (Rom 5). Peter’s sermon at Pentecost proves Jesus to be

the long anticipated Davidic King whom David and every one of his descendant’s anticipated

(Acts 2:22-26 [cf. 2 Sam 7; Ps 16:8-11; 110:1; 132:1; Ezek 34:23–24; 37:24–25; Hos 3:5; Amos
9:11]). Stephen’s sermon to the Sanhedrin (Acts 7), as well as John’s announcement that Jesus is

the “Lamb of God” (Jn 1:29, 36) typologically show Jesus as the ultimate rejected Messiah and

final sacrifice, respectively. “Even the name ‘Jesus’ is a Grecized form of the Hebrew ‘Joshua,’

recalling the successor of Moses and liberator of God’s people.”7

The Centrality of Covenants in The Biblical Narrative

Like a skeleton, the theme of covenant holds the biblical storyline together; separated

from the covenants the biblical storyline becomes difficult to discern.8 Therefore, because Jesus

is the person whom the entire Bible anticipates, the biblical covenants to culminate in him. The

cross, then, as the climax of both the Christ-event and the biblical narrative, finds its true

significance when read in light of the covenants.

6
For an extended discussion of this, see D A. Carson, ed., The Scriptures Testify About Me: Jesus and
the Gospel in the Old Testament (Wheaton: Crossway, 2013). and David Murray, Jesus On Every Page: 10 Simple
Ways to Seek and Find Christ in the Old Testament (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2013).
7
Craig Blomberg, “Matthew,” in Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament. ed. G.
K. Beale and D. A. Carson; Accordance electronic ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007), 3.

For a thorough biblical theological defense of this, see Peter John Gentry and Stephen J.
8

Wellum, Kingdom through Covenant: A Biblical-Theological Understanding of the Covenants (Wheaton, Ill.:

Crossway, 2012).

3
Superimposing the Cross Upon the
Covenants
In Galatians 3:13 Paul writes that upon the cross, the deuteronomic curse (cf. Deut

21:23) is placed upon Jesus, “so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the

Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith” (Gal 3:14). Paul here, in

one sentence, proves the united nature of the covenants, three in particular, and reads the cross

back onto them as their fulfillment. Reading the covenants through this crucifixional grid causes

the reader to see Jesus, the righteous and faithful covenant member who inherits the right of all

covenant blessing and inclusion, to be, upon the cross, unexpectedly placed outside of the
covenants (cf. Heb 13:11-12) so that he might suffer the subsequent curse. Jesus recognizes that

he should receive only covenant blessing for his covenant faithfulness and demands an answer

for the divine judgement to which he has been subjected, “for the revelation of the righteousness

of God who promised not to forsake the work of his hands.”9 To comprehend the implications of

superimposing the cross back onto the Old Testament covenants, a brief survey of these

covenants and the cross’s implications upon them must be done.

The Covenant of Works and the Cross. In the Covenant of Works,10 God promises to

Adam perpetual life in relationship with him, through access to the Tree of Life, if he would

image God properly by obeying his command to keep the garden (Gen 2:15-17), and show

dominion over the entire earth by expanding the borders of the garden, that the glory of God may

cover the world as the waters cover the sea (Gen 1:28 [cf. Hab 2:14]).11 Adam begins his mission

well as he names all of the animals (Gen 2:19), but then passively allows the creation to rule over

him by heeding the voice of the rebellious serpent who, in one action, inverts God’s created order

(Gen 3:6).

9
Jürgen Moltmann, The Crucified God: The Cross of Christ as the Foundation and Criticism of
Christian Theology (London: S.C.M. Press, 1976), 131.
10
For five arguments for a covenant with creation in Genesis 1-3, see Peter John Gentry and Stephen J.
Wellum, Kingdom through Covenant: A Biblical-Theological Understanding of the Covenants, 612-22.
11
See G. K. Beale, The Temple and the Church’s Mission: A Biblical Theology of the Dwelling Place of
God, NSBT (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2004), 81-167.

4
 Christ, the last Adam, triumphs where the first Adam fell, driving the serpent out

of the land (Matt 4; Luke 4).12 In the Son’s death, he cries out “why have you forsaken me”

because, “although [unlike Adam] he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his

mouth” (Is 53:9), God gave the righteous covenant head over to the same penalty which the

unrighteous covenant head suffered, covenant separation, death.

The Covenant of Grace and the Cross. God promised one who would restore the

lost covenantal relationship by properly showing dominion over the creation: crushing the

rebellious serpent (Gen 3:15). Through the destruction of the serpent, this Seed of the Woman
would restore an Edenic state to the world though the “wresting of the dominion of the world

from the serpent.”13 But when the Seed of the Woman takes the stage, against all expectations,

the Son is abandoned upon the cross. God has given him over to the serpent and the curse so that

he experiences the ultimate effect of Adam’s disobedience, covenant separation.

The Noaic Covenant and the Cross. In the cosmic flood of Genesis 7-8, the highest

tension in the biblical narrative thus far overwhelms the reader, as he wonders if God will

forsake his promise to crush the serpent in light of his creation’s growing rebellion. But in Noah,

God is proven righteous; sin will not triumph over righteousness: God, in his wrath, will not

destroy his creation; instead, he establishes a covenant as a guarantee that the serpent will not

have the final word.14 God, through the Seed of the Woman, will restore Eden. He will not

destroy the world he created to show his glory.15 But as Christ hangs upon the cross, he cries to

the God who has abandoned and is destroying his new creation, Jesus. The cry for justice from

12
This is especially seen in Luke’s Gospel as chapter 3 ends with a reverse genealogy leading to “Adam,
the son of God.” (Luke 3:38). This causes the reader to juxtapose Jesus actions when being tempted by the serpent to
Adam’s in the garden

Stephen G. Dempster, New Studies in Biblical Theology, vol. 15, Dominion and Dynasty: a Biblical
13

Theology of the Hebrew Bible (Leicester, England: Apollos, 2003), 68.

14
It should also be noted that the covenant with Noah, and all the subsequent biblical covenants, do not
exist as separate entities, but as an explication and expansion of the covenant in Genesis 3:15. They are all a part of
one single plan of redemption culminating in Christ.
15
For a detailed study on the Noaic Covenant, see Peter John Gentry and Stephen J. Wellum, Kingdom
through Covenant: A Biblical-Theological Understanding of the Covenants, 147-67; 628-29.

5
the God of perpetual covenant faithfulness goes up as he looks away in the moment of his

creation’s greatest need.

The Abrahamic Covenant and the Cross. Through Abraham, God further explains

his redemptive plan as the Seed of the Woman is identified with the Seed of Abraham (Gen 12:7

9cf. Gal 3:16]).16 Abraham’s Seed will secure the land of promise, a multitude of descendants,17

and blessing for the entire world.18 Still, all this hinges upon the obedience of the covenant head,

Abraham (Gen 22:15-18). Jesus, the fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant – Abraham’s Seed,

the true Isaac – is utterly abandoned by God upon the cross, though perfectly obedient to God.
The Old Covenant and the Cross. God promised Israel that they would be his people

and he would be their God (Ex 6:7). Through obedience to the law, God’s people would maintain

their relationship with him in the land (Lev 18:5) and cause his glory to cover the earth as Israel

becomes “a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth” (Is 49:6):

they will become an example to the nations of what covenant life with God looks like so that he

might receive worshipers from every nation, in fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant. God’s

people will fulfill their original purpose of transforming the earth into a temple for God to dwell

in through dispelling the serpent from the land as the nations come to know him.

But when Jesus, the True Israelite, comes, God forsakes him. God abandons Israel

upon the cross by exiling Jesus, “deliver[ing him] over to the Gentiles” (Luke 18:32 [cf. Ps

106:41; Lev 26:32-33, 38; Deut 30:1-6]). Though he conforms perfectly to the law, he does not

“live” as covenantally promised, but is forsaken by God. He is rewarded only with death,

covenantal separation.

16
For an explanation of Paul’s interpretation of seed in the singular, referring to Christ, see T Desmond
Alexander and Brian S. Rosner, New Dictionary of Biblical Theology (Leicester, England: Inter-Varsity Press, 2000),
73-85.
17
It is important to note here that God has changed the command to “be fruitful and multiply” (Gen
1:22) to “I will make of you a great nation” (Gen 12:2). Even here is the hint of grace and Jesus who will perfectly
fulfill the law as the Final Adam, Son of Abraham, and True Israelite.
18
For a detailed study on the Abrahamic Covenant, see Peter John Gentry and Stephen J.
Wellum, Kingdom through Covenant: A Biblical-Theological Understanding of the Covenants, 223-300; 630-35.

6
 The Davidic Covenant and the Cross. God, in his covenant with David, promises

both that David’s house will be established forever (2 Sam 7:12-16), and that David will have a

descendant whom God will call “son” (2 Sam 7:14). As the King of Israel, the Covenant Head,

David’s Descendant will properly image God so that the nations will flock to Israel. He will

banish the serpent from the land and rule over all the world, “forevermore” (Is 9:7) as long as he

is obedient to God (2 Sam 7:14-15).19 Jesus, the Son of David who is perfectly obedient to the

law, fulfills this kingly role, yet instead of being placed upon a throne, he is placed upon the

cross, forsaken by God, and given over to the raging nations who seek to destroy him (Ps 2:1).
The New Covenant and the Cross. The prophets expound on the teachings of Moses,

especially in Deuteronomy 30. Israel will come back from exile and will be granted the

circumcised heart that naturally loves God (Jer 31:16-34 [cf. Deut 30:1-6]). But, on the cross, the

Son is abandoned to judgment of the nations (Luke 18:32), never to see the land of promise.

Matt and Mark’s Understanding of Jesus in Light of the

Covenants
Unitedly, the Gospel authors describe all of Jesus’ actions, especially his death, in light

of the covenants. Because Matthew and Mark alone record the cry of dereliction, only they will

be addressed here.

Matthew’s Understanding of Jesus

Matthew views Jesus through this same covenantal grid, he is the one who brings all

of the covenants to final fulfillment. From the beginning of this Gospel, Matthew says that Jesus

is the Son of Abraham and the Son of David (1:1), the Promised One who fulfills God’s

covenants with them. Jesus is the New Israel: through Jesus’ Baptist, he is presented as the one

hwo will bring Isaiah’s New Creation and fulfill the Noaic Covenant. Ultimately, the Gospel of

19
For a detailed study on the Davidic Covenant, see Peter John Gentry and Stephen J. Wellum, Kingdom
through Covenant: A Biblical-Theological Understanding of the Covenants, 389-432; 640-44.

7
Matthew points to “the new David [who] is a new Moses who leads a new exodus for a new

Israel replete with a new Sinai, all pointing toward the new covenant.”20

Matthew must then also understand the death of Jesus as the ultimate threat to the

covenant’s fulfillment. Jesus, the Covenant Fulfiller, is abandoned and thus the covenants are

forsaken. In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus’ cry of forsakenness can only be understood as Jesus

recognizing this threat and, overwhelmed with the judgment he experiences through becoming a

curse, demanding an explanation from God.

Jesus as the Son of Abraham. As the Son of Abraham, Jesus will usher in the
blessing to the nations and the reversal to the curse.21 Beginning with his genealogy, Matthew

shows that Jesus came for gentiles with his inclusion of Tamar, Rehab, and Ruth (1:3, 5), and the

Magi from the east coming to worship Jesus (2:11), like the queen of the south (12:42). Jesus’

parables also hint at gentile inclusion in the benefits of his death as references are made to “the

world” (13:38), fish “of every kind” (13:47), those who come to labor at the end of the day

(20:9), and “all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with

guests” (Matt 22:10).

Jesus heals the Roman centurion’s servant (8:13) as well as the Canaanite woman

(15:28). In Jesus’ prediction of the last days, he says that the gospel will be proclaimed to the

entire world (26:12). At the end of the gospel, Jesus commissions his disciples to bring the

gospel to the gentiles as the ultimate fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant (28:20) with the

Abrahamic promise that nothing will stand in their way as they conquer the seed of the serpent

(15:28 [cf. Gen 22:17). This kingdom that Jesus is creating, composed of both Jews and Gentiles,

is contrasted with Israel who has rejected her Messiah (13:57), and will thus judge her on the

final day (12:41-42).

20
James M. Hamilton, God's Glory in Salvation through Judgment: A Biblical Theology (Wheaton, Ill.:
Crossway, ©2010), 369.
21
See also James M. Haminton Jr., “The Seed of the Woman and the Blessing of Abraham,” TynBul 58
(2007): 253-73

8
 Even when Abraham left the land and went down to Egypt because of the famine, God

refused to forsake Abraham, but he sent plagues upon Pharaoh to deliver him from that place

(Gen 12:17). Not when Abraham gave Lot the choice of the best land did God abandon him, but

he promise even that “all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever”

(Gen 13:15). When he was old and past the age where baring children was possible, God

revisited him and reminded him, “I will make you exceedingly fruitful” (Gen 17:6), and “I will

surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son”(Gen 18:10).

Even when Isaac’s life was threatened, God stopped his death at the last possible second with the
sound from heaven Abraham had been longing to hear, “Do not lay your hand on the boy” (Gen

22:12). But upon the cross, Jesus, the Seed of Abraham, the new creation, and the source of

gentile blessing is abandoned as if Abraham had been left in Egypt, never to see the promised

land again, for on the cross God turned his back on his Son.

Jesus as the Son of David. Jesus, the Son of David, will conquer as the King of Israel

(2 Sam 7:11b-16; Ps 17:21-18:7). Thirty-nine times in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus is refered to as

the “son of Man,” a title harkening back to Daniel 7 and the presentation of the kingdom form

the Ancient of Days. Matthew’s genealogy is arranged around the number fourteen, which is the

numerical value of David’s name in Hebrew.22 In the arrival of the Magi, Jesus is shown to be

better than Solomon, the king to whom the nations come to for wisdom and to learn of God

(12:42). In Jesus’ baptism, he is declared to be the Son of God with whom the Father is well

pleased (2 Sam 7:14; Ps 2:7, 12), the true King after God’s own heart (1 Sam 13:14; Jer 3:15 [cf.

9:36]).

In chapters 5-7, Jesus brings the law of his kingdom; he is the King who perfectly

knows, keeps, and enforces the law (Deut 17:18-20 [cf. 17:5]). In chapters 8-9, Jesus has

compassion on the people who are in desperate need for the promised Davidic King (9:36) and

so uses his authority as the Son of David (9:6) to conquer the affects of the curse and drive the

22
James M. Hamilton, God's Glory in Salvation through Judgment: A Biblical Theology, 363.

9
serpent out of the land (cf. 20:29-34; 15:21-25). Like David, Jesus faces oppression to His

kingdom in chapters 11-12, but His kingdom has already come and there is no person who can

stop it (12:28), not even the seed of the serpent (12:34 [cf. 15:20]).

In chapter 13, Jesus gives parables of His kingdom proving its final triumph (13:42)

and infinite worth (13:44-46). After Jesus calms the storm, his followers refer to him as the Son

of God, which – at minimum – has Davidic Covenant fulfillment in mind (14:33). As Jesus

enters Jerusalem, he is further recognized as the fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant as the

crowd calls him as the Son of David, in fulfillment of Psalm 148:1. Finally, Jesus calls his
followers to take the gospel to the ends of the earth because He has been given all authority as

the ruling Son of David (28:18).

Even when David was not brought to see the prophet, God spoke of the seven

brothers, “The LORD has not chosen these” (1 Sam 16:10) and anointed him king of Israel. Not

even when Saul pursued him did God forget his promises, but “Jonathan, Saul’s son, rose and

went to David at Horesh, and strengthened his hand.” (1 Sam 23:16). Even when civil war broke

out in the kingdom, God responded “I will give one tribe to your son, for the sake of David.” (1

Kings 11:13). Not even when Ahab instituted worship of Baal did God forsake David, but “the

LORD was not willing to destroy Judah, for the sake of David his servant” (2 Kings 8:19). Yet

upon the cross, Jesus, the son of David, is overlooked for his brothers, slain by Saul’s spear,

destroyed by Achish, and trampled over by Goliath, for God has forsaken him to his death.

Jesus as Israel. Matthew presents Jesus as recapitulating the history of the nation of

Israel through typological connections between Jesus’ story and Israel’s.23 Through quotations of

Isaiah 7:14, Hosea 11:1, and Jeremiah 31, Matthew shows that the arrival of Jesus brings the

exile to completion and the New Exodus is about to begin.24 Herod seeks to kill Jesus, like
23
See James M. Hamilton jr., “The Virgin Will Conceive: Typological Fulfillment in Matthew 1:18-23,”
in Built upon the Rock: Studies in Matthew, ed. John Nolland and Dan Gurtuner (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2008)
228-47.

For more on Jesus’ bringing the exile to an end and beginning the New Exodus, see Dale C. Allison
24

Jr., “The Embodiment of God’s Will: Jesus in Matthew,” in Seeking the Identity of Jesus: A Pilgrimage, ed. Beverly
Roberts Gaventa and Richard B. Hays (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2008), 119-21.

10
Pharaoh, by killing all of the male children two years and younger. But Jesus is rescued form

Herod, just like Israel was from the offspring of the serpent, Pharaoh, in the Exodus. Jesus comes

out of Egypt and is brought under the waters of baptism,25 like the Jews at the Red Sea.26 As he

does, Jesus hears a pronouncement which has never before been hears, Jesus is the Son of God,

the representative of God on earth, with whom the Father is well pleased; Scheriner argues here

that Matthew references the Servant of the Lord from Isaiah (Is 42:1) which is quoted in

Matthew 12:18.27

Jesus then goes into the wilderness for forty days to fulfill Israel’s forty years in the
wilderness and proves himself to the be True and Better Israel who is able to overcome the

temptations of the Serpent. (Matt 4). He then, as the New Moses (Deut 18:15-18), climbs a

mountain and gives the law of His new kingdom (5-7).28 In chapters 8-9, Jesus cleanses the land

of all unclean things. In chapter 13, Jesus speaks in parables in a fulfillment of Isaiah’s mission

(Isa 6:9-13) until the exile is complete.29 In chapters 16-17, Jesus is juxtaposed to Elijah,

Jeremiah, and Moses, and proven to be the greatest (17:50 [cf. Deut 18:15-18]). At the beginning

of chapter 19, Jesus uses his fishermen (4:19) to gather in the exiles for the new exodus, in

fulfillment of Jeremiah 16:26.

Jesus then compares Himself with faithless Israel who is condemned like the fig tree

(21:18-20), rejects the cornerstone (21:33-42), and has the kingdom taken from them (21:43-44).

Matthew points to John as the fulfillment of the one who would herald the end of the exile with the
25

phrase “prepare the way of the Lord. (Matt 3:3; cf. Is 20:3) Even down to his clothing, John is seen as the
eschatological Elijah (Matt 3:4; cf. 2 Kings 1:8).
26
See G K. Beale, A New Testament Biblical Theology: The Unfolding of the Old Testament in the
New (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic, ©2011), 414-15.
27
Thomas R. Schreiner, The King in His Beauty: A Biblical Theology of the Old and New
Testaments (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2013), 437.
28
Nolland says that the beatitudes “in 5:3-10 have as their background the sufferings of the Exile. Their
good news is that for those who have learned the lesson of the Exile the time of painful loss and deprivation will not
come to an end, and God’s people will be fully restored. John Nolland, The Gospel of Matthew: A Commentary On
the Greek Text, The New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, Mich.: W.B. Eerdmans Pub.
Co., ©2005), 37. It is also interesting to note that in this giving of the law, “his disciples came to him” (Matt 5:1) on
the mountain, contrasting Sinai where “Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death” (Ex 19:12).
29
For more on this, see Douglas S. McComiskey, “Exile and the Purpose of Jesus’ Parables (Mark 4:10-
12; Matt 13:10-17; Luke 8:9-10),” JETS 51 (2008), 59.

11
Israel is invited to share in covenant relationship with God, but rejects the invitation (22:1-14).

Jesus possesses the true meaning of the law (22:34-40), unlike the religious leaders (22:15-33).

Jesus then says that these leaders of Israel are actually the seed of the serpent (23:33). He is

truly the Son of God and the Seed of the Woman! Jesus is the true Israel.

When God heard the cry of Israel from Egypt, He remembered her and rescued her

from her bondage “because of my covenant” (Ex 6:5). Never was she forsaken in the

wilderness, but God provided a “pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a

pillar of fire to give them light” (Ex 13:21). He prospered her so that “your clothing did not
wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years.” (Deut 8:4). Never did God cease

to hear her cry for his deliverance from the nations, but he raised up judges, kings, and

prophets for her deliverance. But upon the cross, Israel is forsaken as if she had drowned in

the Red Sea, perished in the wilderness, or had been obliterated by one of her many foes, for

Jesus, Israel embodied, is forsaken and cursed by God so that he cries out “My God, My God,

why have You forsaken Me?”30

Jesus as the New Creation. Matthew’s gospel begins with “βίβλος γενέσεως”

indicating that in Jesus, the new creation has come.31 In this New Creation, like in Eden, God

dwells with his people, thus the name “Immanuel” (1:23 [cf. 28:20]). In the baptism of Jesus, the

Spirit descends over the waters, as in the Genesis account, proclaiming that through Christ, God

is bringing his new creation.

In the remaining chapters of Matthew, Jesus brings in this new creation through His

triumph over the affects of the curse. Like in Genesis 1, Jesus uses just his words to heal the

centurion’s servant (8:5-13) the unnamed multitude (8:16),32 as well as rebukes the unruly sea

See also Richard Bauckham, Jesus and the God of Israel: God Crucified and Other Studies On the
30

New Testament's Christology of Divine Identity (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2009, 2008), 261.

R T. France, The Gospel of Matthew, The New International Commentary On the New Testament
31

(Grand Rapids, Mich.: William B. Eerdmans Pub., 2007), 26-28.

32
Schreiner uses Matthew’s quotation of Isaiah 53:4 (Matt 8:17) to show that Jesus is able to accomplish
this new creation because he takes the sicknesses of the old creation upon himself on the cross. This is yet another
evidence of the covenant separation of Jesus from the Father, The Son becomes a curse so that the curse can be lifted

12
(8:26). Jesus forgives a man of his sins (9:2), cleanses an unclean woman (9:22), and casts

daemons out of the land (8:28-32; 9:32-33). In chapter 17, Jesus is transfigured and the glory of

the new creation is put on display (17:2-4). The removal of the sin, sickness, and rebellion of the

old creation, thus making way for the new creation, has begun! In the Olivet Discourse, Jesus

tells of the day when the old creation will pass away and only His new creation will remain (24-

25).

When God looked upon his creation, he declared that “it was very good” (Gen 1:31).

In the garden, God did not allow the creation to be without a gardener, but placed Adam and Eve
“to work it and keep it” (Gen 2:15), for He did not make it to be destroyed, but “He set the earth

on its foundations, so that it should never be moved” (Psa 104:5). God promised that one day the

creation would no longer be cursed, but “instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead

of the brier shall come up the myrtle” (Is 55:13). God promised Noah and all of creation that

“never again shall all flesh be cut off” (Gen 9:11); instead, God will “create new heavens and a

new earth” (Is 65:17) which will forever “remain before [him]” (Is 66:22). However, on the

cross, Jesus, the firstborn of the new creation is forsaken and destroyed by God. In sick irony, a

crown of thorns, the very object of the curse itself, is twisted upon His head and He is hung upon

a tree, the very object that killed the first Adam, and then darkness comes over the land, as if God

had never said “let there be light” at all.33

Mark’s Understanding of Jesus

“Mark’s Gospel overlaps significantly with Matthew’s, though it certainly has

distinctive features.”34 Jesus conquers the old creation to make way for the new (1:29-34; 3:11;

(Gal 3:13). Thomas R. Schreiner, New Testament Theology: Magnifying God in Christ, 266.
33
Eavans notes that, “The darkness of the land signifies judgment; that Jesus cries out that way he does
suggests that divine judgment has in part fallen on him. This is consistent with his earlier allusion to Zech 13:7 in
Mark 14:27. In rejecting God’s son (see the parable of the Vineyard Tenants in 12:1-12) God strikes his own people,
beginning with Israel’s shepherd. Darkness covers the land as God looks away from what has taken place.” Craig A.
Evans, Word Biblical Commentary, vol. v. 34B, Mark 8:27-16:20 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2001),
506-7.
34
Thomas R. Schreiner, The King in His Beauty: A Biblical Theology of the Old and New Testaments,
455.

13
5:21-23, 35-43) in fulfillment of Isaiah’s new heaven and new earth (Isa 35:5). Jesus interprets

the Law as the new Moses (7:1-23). And brings the New Covenant (2:21-22). Because of this

overlap, only themes that are specifically unique to mark will be covered here.

Jesus as The Righteous Sufferer. In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus is identified as the

sufferer who has done no wrong from the Psalms, especially as Psalm 22 and 69 reverberate

throughout the crucifixion account (15:32 [cf. Ps 22:1], 24 [cf. Ps 22:18], 23 [cf. Ps 69:21], 29

[cf. Ps 22:7], 36 [cf. Ps 69:21]. The religious leaders secretly plot to kill Jesus (14:18 [cf. Ps

10:7-8]). The one who eats with Jesus will betray him (14:18 [cf. Ps 41:9]). Jesus is deeply
saddened in his soul (14:34 [cf. Ps 42:5, 11; 43:5]). Jesus is delivered into the hands of sinners

(14:41 [cf. Ps 36:11; 771:4; 82:4; 140:4-8]) to be accused by false witnesses (14:57 [cf. Ps 27:12;

35:11), yet Jesus remains silent (14:61; 15:4-5 [cf. Ps 38:13-15]). While Jesus is crucified, his

friends watch, but from a distance (15:40 [cf. 38:11]).

Most clear here though, is Mark’s allusion to Psalm 22, and Jesus’ quotation of it.

In this Psalm, David laments God’s delay in establishing his kingdom and bringing to pass final

triumph of the Seed of the Woman over the serpent anticipated in Psalm 1-2, as he is overcome

with the wicked (Ps 2; 3; 13; 17) which he has cried to God for deliverance from over and over

again (Ps 3:7; 7:6; 9:19: 10:12). God promises to vindicate the upright, but David asks “how

long” (Ps 13; 17), climaxing in his cry that God has abandoned his covenant (Ps 22:1).

The reading of this Psalm, though, forces the reader to find greater fulfillment, to

“read forward – from psalm to passion – to provide continuity.”35 “David’s sufferings point

forward to those of Christ”36 and David’s victories are ultimately fulfilled in a “promise of a final

and definite victory through David’s Offspring.”37 Jesus picks up on this context as he sees that in

God delivering Him over to death, God has abandoned his covenant. Jesus, the one who is
Michael Jinkins and Stephen Breck Reid, “'God's Forsakenness: The Cry of Dereliction as an
35

Utterance Within the Trinity,” Horizons In Biblical Theology 19, no. 1 (1997): 35.

36
Thomas R. Schreiner, The King in His Beauty: A Biblical Theology of the Old and New Testaments,
264
37
Ibid. 225.

14
righteous, instead of dwelling in God’s temple (Ps 15), is rejected by God as one of the wicked,

the proud (Ps 12; 14), and is driven away like the chaff (Ps 1:4).

Jesus as Isaiah’s Servant. Mark’s Gospel opens with a quotation of Isaiah which

will drive the rest of the narrative; Jesus, as Isaiah’s Servant, assumes the role of Israel, the Son

of God (Isa 41:8-9; 42:1, 19; 44:1-2, 21; 45:4; 48:20; 49:3, 6; 52:13, 11; 65:8-9, 13-15) and,

unlike national Israel, perfectly obeys the Father and inherits the covenant blessings because of

it.

Mark “sees our salvation through Jesus as a spiritual exodus and a conquering of the
Promised Land.”38 The Gospel begins in the wilderness (1:4, 12, 13, 35, 45) as the setting for this

new exodus. Piper sees Malachi 3:1 and Exodus 23:20 as being in reference to John the Baptist

who prepares the way for Jesus and his baptism in the Jordan.39 John is baptizing in the Jordan

because Israel is still, in a spiritual sense, in the wilderness and needs to cross over the Jordan

again so that they can enter the kingdom of God. Piper also reads Jesus’ giving himself as a

ransom for many in light of Exodus 32:32, proving that Jesus is the greater Moses leading his

people on the final exodus.40 The transfiguration is clearly riddled with echoes of Sinai and the

second exodus as the “glory of the Lord [is] revealed” (Isa 40:5), including the six days (Ex

24:16), building of the tabernacles (Ex 25:9), God speaking from the cloud (Ex 19:9), the shining

(Ex 34:29-30), and the failure of the disciples (32:4).41

But in Jesus’ death on the cross, this cry of “comfort” (Isa 40:1) has turned into a cry

of abandonment. Instead of the glory of the Lord being revealed for all flesh to see, darkness

covers the earth (Mk 15:33).42 Instead of dwelling in the land in safety, Jesus is given over to the

Rikki E. Watts, Isaiah's New Exodus in Mark, Biblical Studies Library (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker
38

Books, 2000), 9.
39
Otto A Piper, “Unchanging Promise: Exodus in the New Testament,” Int 11 (1957), 18.
40
Ibid.

For an extensive explanation of Mark’s use of Isaiah and the new exodus, see Rikki E. Watts, Isaiah's
41

New Exodus in Mark.

42
“The darkness at midday symbolizes the judgment that comes upon the land of Israel with the

15
nations for judgment (Mk 10:33).43 Though Jesus has not sinned and thus merited seperation

from God (Isa 59:2), Jesus cries out in abandonment, for the word of the Lord has not “stood

forever” (Isa 40:8), but has failed,44 for Israel’s Faithful Covenant member has suffered covenant

separation from God, though he is truly innocent.

Understanding Covenantal Inclusion Versus Covenantal

Exclusion in the Bible

The Bible is the story of how God pursues relationship with his creation. He does this
through covenants. Never in the Biblical storyline does anyone have a relationship with God

apart from covenants.45 The cross is the climax of this theme as Jesus, who, as the perfectly

obedient Covenant Member, this inheriting all the right of all covenantal blessing and inclusion,

is placed outside of the covenants and suffers the subsequent curses (Gal 3:13) so that those who

find themselves outside of the covenant can experience “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly

places” (Eph 1:3), in Christ.

From the very beginning of the biblical story, the Bible will define a person’s

standing with God based on their spiritual location: in the covenant or outside of the covenant.

To truly understand how the Bible sees Jesus’ separation from the Father, a biblical study of

covenant separation must be done.

rejection of Israel’s King.” Morna D. Hooker, The Gospel according to Saint Mark (BNTC; London: A&C Black,
1991), 376.
43
For more on the connection between judgment and being handed over to the nations in Israel’s history,
see Peter Bolt, New Studies in Biblical Theology, vol. 18, The Cross from a Distance: Atonement in Mark's
Gospel (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 2004), 56-59.
44
On this idea, Jinkins and Reid say, “My God, why have you forsaken me?” could be rendered, “Why
have you allowed your Word to fall silent.” Michael Jinkins and Stephen Breck Reid, “'God's Forsakenness: The Cry
of Dereliction as an Utterance Within the Trinity,” 38.
45
Throughout the incarnation, Jesus displays his unique relationship with God which, because He is
human, can only be understood through the idea of covenant. Through the plan of redemption, we understand the
Trinity in another way: in how it relates to the plan of redemption, the economic Trinity. The Son submits to the
Father in everything He does (Jn 5:19; Heb 5:7). Still, even in his humbled state, Jesus calls upon God as “Father”
(Matt 6:9-13, 11:25-26; Lk 22:41-44, 23:34; Jn 11:41-42), longs for communion with Him (Matt 14:23; Lk 6:12;
22:41-44), and experiences effective prayers (Lk 22:32; Jn 12:27-28; Heb 5:7) Throughout his earthly ministry Jesus
receives audible words from the Father showing the continuity of the Son’s relationship during the incarnation with
his eternal state (Matt 3:17; 17:5; Mark 1:11; 9:7; 12:6; Luke 3:22; 20:13; Jn 12:27-28; 2 Pet 1:17).

16
A Biblical Theology of Covenantal
Inclusion vs. Covenantal Exclusion.
Within the covenantal structure of the Bible, Genesis 3:15 erects two foundations

upon which every biblical character will be built: one of those inside the covenant and the other

of those outside of it. Those who are built upon the former, serendipitously find themselves

deluged in the unmitigated grace and mercy of God; those in the other cite are separated from

God and will suffer his wrath both on earth, and for all of eternity. The bible cannot be

understood apart from this dichotomy of spiritual location. On the cross, Jesus is placed outside

of the covenant and therefore cries, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Though
this covenantal abandonment is a great mystery for us, the Bible never leaves the reader to guess

how it defines its own terms, and often uses story to explain what it means. Because of the

central theme of covenant in the Bible, every page is written to help us understand this place,

outside of the covenant, but a few have been listed below for a better understanding.46

Adam and Eve. The biblical narrative begins with the first man and woman inside of

a covenant relationship with God (Gen 2:16-17). However, after heeding the words of the

serpent, they reap their reward of death and covenantal exclusion (Gen 3:1-19, 22-24). They hide

from God, are afraid when they hear his voice (Gen 3:8), and are forced outside of the garden by

thread of physical death (Gen 3:24). Adam and Eve experience the wrath of God, they are

banished to dwell in the cursed creation, "tokens of Divine wrath to be always before [their]

eyes."47

In this Old Testament picture, we see Christ who was rejected from the covenant

presence of God, and kicked out of communion with Him. He is no longer in the place of eternal

delight, but he is mocked, spat upon, flogged, and killed (Mk 10:33). He does not eat of the Tree

of Life, but is given sourer wine (Matt 27:34), and drinks the cup of the wrath of God (Mk

This hermeneutic is primarily borrowed from Kevin Vanhoozer. For a short essay on a defense of this
46

hermeneutic, see Gary T. Meadors, Four Views On Moving Beyond the Bible to Theology, Counterpoints Bible and
Theology (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2009), 151-200.
47
John Calvin, Calvin’s Commentaries (Complete), trans. John King, Accordance electronic ed.
(Edinburgh: Calvin Translation Society, 1847), n.p.

17
10:38). God rejects Christ, like Adam, so that those who inherit covenantal exclusion, can be

greeted by an angel (Rev 21:9; 22:1), rather than deterred by him (Gen 3:24).

Noah vs. Those Outside of The Ark. God’s establishment of a covenant with Noah in

Genesis 9 seals his relationship that began with him three chapters earlier.48 Noah, and those in

his family because of their connection to him, is saved from the wrath of God poured out on all

humanity (Gen 7:11). This extreme judgment of sin so early in the biblical narrative “shows God

as the one who judges sin, and it stands at the beginning of the Bible as the eternally valid word

about God’s deadly anger over sin.”49

On the cross, Jesus experienced the floodwaters of God’s full, unbridled wrath (1

Jn 2:1); he drowns in it. Though Jesus, like Noah, “did all that God commanded him.” (Gen

6:22), he hears no invitation from God to “go into the ark [ . . . ] for I have seen that you are

righteous before Me” (Gen 7:1), but bangs His fist upon the door of the ark, crying out to God

because of his forsakenness. The Seed of the Woman dies under the floodwaters of God’s

judgment so that those who deserve to be on the ocean floor could be safe inside the walls of the

ark.

Lot vs. Sodom and Gomorrah. Though the angels arrive at Sodom only to find Lot

“sitting in the gate” (Gen 19:1), because “God remembered Abraham” (Gen 19:29), he is rescued

by two angels from the brimstone that was soon to descent from heaven in a flurry of God’s

wrath. This judgment upon Sodom is but a foretaste of the judgment of God for sin that will

come upon the wicked.50 Fire and brimstone will be indicative of descriptions of God’s judgment

on sin in later biblical descriptions (e.g. Ps 11:6; Ezek 38:22).

48
Williamson makes an argument that men and God do interact outside of covenant and that covenant
only “formalizes [the] relationship by means of a covenant.” Paul R. Williamson, New Studies in Biblical Theology,
vol. 23, Sealed with an Oath: Covenant in God's Unfolding Purpose (Downers Grove, Ill.: Apollos/InterVarsity
Press, 2007), 75-76.
49
Gerhard von Rad, Genesis: A Commentary, rev. ed., trans. John H. Marks The Old Testament Library
(Philadelphia: Westminster Press, ©1972), 129.
50
David Allan Hubbard and Glenn W. Barker, Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 13, Word Biblical
Commentary (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson., 2011-), 65.

18
 This picture of God’s wrath against sin foreshadows the wrath Jesus will face

upon the cross. There, Jesus suffered the punishment of Sodom and Gomorrah. Though he is the

faithful Abrahamic Covenant member, he is never warned to flee, for “we are about to destroy

this place” (Gen 19:13). He, by no means participated in wickedness of the city, yet he is

forsaken by God to remain there and suffer his fiery wrath against sin so that those who deserved

to be chained inside the city could escape to the mountains.51

Israel vs. The Egyptians. When God heard the cry of his people in of Egypt (Ex 2:23-

25), he responded with ten displays of his wrath on those who are not his son, those who threaten
the life of his son. This rescuing by God will serve as “the guarantee for all the future, the

absolute surety for Jahweh’s will to save.”52

Jesus, the True Israelite, cries out to God to fulfill his covenant promises, but is

not remembered by him (Ex 2:23-25). Instead, Jesus undergoes the wrath that is the ruin of Egypt

(Ex 10:7). Though Jesus knew perfectly who Yahweh is, he suffers the judgment which is

reserved for those who do not (Ex 5:2; 7:5). Upon the cross, Jesus suffers the wrath of the

plagues, as especially indicated by the darkness present at his death (Mk 15:33) ,53 so that those

who deserve that very wrath could be safe in Goshen.

Israel vs. The Canaanites. Though Israel battles many nations far greater than her,

God has given the land to Israel (Josh 1:2, 3, 6, 11, 13, 15; 2:9, 14; 24); God protects Israel, His

covenant people, in their conquest of the land. He promises, as they conquer the seed of the

serpent in the land of promise, “I will not leave you or forsake you.” (Josh 1:5). God fights for

51
Also, the very placement of the Abrahamic Covenant in Genesis 12 causes the reader to juxtapose the
grace Abraham experience with the judgment in the previous chapters. Abraham is inside the covenant and thus
receives grace. For more on the placement of Genesis 12, see Peter John Gentry and Stephen J. Wellum, Kingdom
through Covenant: A Biblical-Theological Understanding of the Covenants (Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway, 2012), 631.
52
Von Rad, The Theology of Israel's Historical Traditions, trans. D.M.G. Stalker, vol. 1, Old Testament
Theology (New York: Harper & Row, 1962), 176.
53
“Such darkness is to be read in light of the passages such as Exodus 10:22; Jeremiah 15:9; Joel 2:10;
and Amos 8:9, where darkness clearly symbolizes divine judgment.” Morna D. Hooker, The Gospel according to
Saint Mark (BNTC; London: A & C Black, 1991), 376. See also Tim Keller “Getting Out” in D A. Carson, ed., The
Scriptures Testify About Me: Jesus and the Gospel in the Old Testament, 33-54.

19
Israel as he, reminiscent of the fate of Sodom, rains “down large stones from heaven on them as

far as Azekah, and they died” (Josh 10:11). Dempster notes the unmistakable covenant curse

upon those in the land when the kings are hanged upon a tree. This judgment through conquest is

a pouring out of God’s wrath upon those who are outside of the covenant. 54

God uses the Canaanite genocide to prefigure the ultimate display of his wrath

revealed later. Jesus cries out because the God, who promised to never leave Israel, has given

him over to judgment and wrath. On the cross, Jesus is placed inside the walls of Jericho, in the

valley of Acorn, down in the ascent of Beth-horon, and hung upon a tree in open shame as if he
is the seed of the serpent so that those who deserve to die, like Rehab, can escape and find their

safety in the people of God.

Ephesians 2. Paul sees men prior to their salvation as “separated from Christ,

alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise” (Eph

2:12). Because these people are outside of the covenant, they are in obedience to the serpent

(2:2), “children of wrath” (Eph 2:3), and “without hope and without God” (Eph 2:12). But

because of “the blood of Christ” (Eph 2:13), those who were once outside the covenant have

been given peace with God (2:14) through covenant membership (2:13), because of the “blood of

Christ” (2:13), the exclusion of the one who from eternity past experienced nothing but joy and

fellowship with the Covenant Keeping God.55

Revelation 20. The final and ultimate display of God’s wrath against mankind is

found in His casting them into the Lake of Fire (Rev 20:14).56 These people, who have never
54
Stephen G. Dempster, New Studies in Biblical Theology, vol. 15, Dominion and Dynasty: a Biblical
Theology of the Hebrew Bible, 127.
55
From eternity past (Jn 1:1-2), the Father and Son have experienced perpetual joy (Jn 1:18), love (Jn
5:20; 17:1-5; Col 1:13; 1 Jn 4:8), fellowship (Jn 14:9-11; 17:5, 21), unity (1 Cor 12:4-6) and glory from each other
(Jn 17:5). Also, the Scriptures teach that the Son is begotten of the Father, which has consistently been understood in
orthodox theology as proceeding from the Father in eternal generation; in reference to the creed, the Son is begotten
yet not made (Ps 2:7; Pro 8:22-25; Jn 3:16, 5:26; Col 1:15 Heb 1:5; 1 Jn 4:9). The Son, from eternity past, has
received his very life from the Father so that without Him the Son does not exist. The Father and Son’s bond is so
close, Jesus makes the claim that he and the Father are one (Jn 10:30; 17:11, 21); again in the language of the creed,
they share one divine substance.
56
Time and space disallow for writing on Jesus being “cut off” from the covenant as one who refused its

20
experienced covenant fellowship with God, will exist outside of communion with Him for all of

eternity. Moltmann understands Christ’s death on the cross as him “suffering the true and total

hell of godforsakenness for the reconciliation of the world.”57 This too is how Calvin understands

the Apostle’s creed that Christ “descended even to hell.”58 Jesus is placed “Outside” (Rev 22:15)

the eternal city with “the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and

idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood” (Rev 22:15), so that the invitation

could go out to all the nations, “the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the

water of life without price” (Rev 22:17).

Theological Summary
It is only in this covenantal light that the death of Christ is to be read, and understood.

In his cry “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Jesus, the one who deserves only

eternal life, reveals that instead he suffers the ultimate death and separation from God. Though

he, for his perfect obedience to the Law, could do none other than stand firm in the judgment

(Rev 20:12 [cf. Ps 1:5]), he is condemned as he has become “the greatest thief, murderer,

adulterer, robber, desecrator, blasphemer, etc., there has ever been anywhere in the world.”59

Upon the cross, Jesus becomes a sinner, becomes sin (2 Cor 5:21); “therefore when the Law

found him among thieves, it condemned and executed Him as a thief.”60

Jesus and his Father “had gone up from Bethlehem to Calvary, like Abraham and

Isaac, ‘together (Gen 22:6, 8). But now, in this hour of his greatest need, God is not there.”61
sign (Gen 17:9-14 [cf. Ex 4:24-26), his falling in the wilderness (Num 14:29; Heb 3:17) though never fearing the
giants of the land (Num 13:13), his being destroyed by the presence of God though never offering strange fire (Lev
10), being consumed the fire outside of the furnace (Dan 3:22), being trampled upon by Goliath (1 Sam 17), sent
into captivity (Ez 39:23), driven into the wilderness (Lev 16:22), and disallowed to touch the mountain (Ex 19:12).

Jürgen Moltmann and Margaret Kohl, Jürgen Moltmann: Collected Readings (Minneapolis, MN:

57

Fortress Press, 2014), 220.

58
John Calvin, Calvin’s Commentaries (Complete), trans. John King, n.p.
59
Martin Luther, Lectures on Galatians, on Gal. 3:13. See Luther, Works, vol. 26 (St Louis: Concordia,
1963), 277.
60
Ibid., 277-78.
61
Donald Macleod, The Person of Christ, Contours of Christian Theology (Downers Grove, Ill.:

21
Jesus cries to his “God” – not the “Abba” he prayed to in the garden (Mk 14:36)62 – to remember

him, only to hear his condemnation, “I never knew you; depart from me, you worker of

lawlessness” (Matt 7:23). For the first time, the Son of God feels not approval from his Father

(Matt 3:17; 17:5; Mark 1:11; 9:7; 12:6; Luke 3:22; 20:13; Col 1:13; 2 Pet 1:17), but fear of “him

who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt 10:28). God has forsaken his covenant; he has

turned his back on his son.

But, the Son of God did not stay dead! Jesus was subjected to the curse, but only for

three days. Jesus rose from the dead! Jesus conquered death, sin, hell, and the curse, for “as in
Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first

fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ” (1 Cor 15:22–23). Jesus became a curse;

but afterwards, he has been exalted to the right hand of the Father to reign forevermore! What

Jesus has suffered, he has suffered “to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). After

the death and resurrection of Christ, the Father exalted him (Phil 2:9) so that they receive mutual

glory (Jn 17:5; Phil 2:9), and worship (Rev 5:13). The Father has given to the Son the highest

name (Phil 2:9): He has been exalted to the right hand of the Father and becomes the Davidic

King who brings YHWH’s salvation for Israel and the world through the fulfillment of the

Abrahamic Covenant (2 Sam 7; Ps 2:7; 72; Isa 9:7; Hab 3:13; Zech 9:9; Obad 21; Matt 1:1; [cf.

28:18-20]; Lk 1:69; 19:9).

Through Jesus’ temporary covenantal abandonment, he has truly brought all of the

covenants to pass. God is faithful to his words, his covenant, and his people. This is the answer

to the “faith-paralyzing” questions from before, and this answer causes the hearer not to fall

away, but to persevere in faith and good works, for because Christ was abandoned, never can the

Christian be.63 “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present

InterVarsity Press, ©1998), 177.

62
See Gérard Rossé, The Cry of Jesus On the Cross: A Biblical and Theological Study (Eugene, Or.:
Wipf and Stock Pub., 2003, ©1987), 61.
63
Beyond this, the Christian has true communion with God (Jn 14:16, 23; 1 Cor 1:9; 12:13; 2 Cor 13:14;
Phil 2:1; 1 Jn 1:3).

22
nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be

able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 8:38–39). Hallelujah!

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