(Text and Audio)
Title: Ignorance and/or Deception?
Normally, I would have us start at the parallel study, but I want to start somewhere else so that when we take a look at the parallels they will make more sense.
So let’s start here:
Verse 47: “This man is calling for Elijah!”
(WHAT?)
(Without looking at your cheater notes…and most cheater notes don’t catch this…)
But does anyone here know why in the world would they think Jesus is calling for Elijah?
“Eli, Eli lama sabachthani”
The Greek name Eli is a transliteration of the Hebrew word אלי, which comes from the word (or name) אל (El). And El is either a proper divine name that became applied to the living God, or else the abbreviated form of the word (or name) אלהים (Elohim), also denoting the living God.
Therefore, whether Jesus spoke these words in Hebrew “Eli” (as Matthew records) or Aramaic “Eloi” (As Mark records), the translation provided in the text “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” is absolutely correct.
So how could the audience have gotten this so wrong? And when Jesus is clearly calling for His father in Heaven, how could they think he was calling for a mere man, the prophet Elijah, whom Jesus was much greater than?
I’d like to suggest two possibilities:
- “This man is calling for Elijah” is a statement of ignorance by the attending Roman soldiers. They know enough about the Jewish religion to recognize that Elijah was a very important figure, and they assume Jesus is calling on him to come down and rescue him.
Matthew Henry thinks this is a possibility and remarks:
Some think that this was the ignorant mistake of the Roman soldiers, who had heard talk of Elias, and of the Jews’ expectation of the coming of Elias, but knew not the signification of Eli, Eli, and so made this blundering comment upon these words of Christ, perhaps not hearing the latter part of what he said, for the noise of the people.
Note, Many of the reproaches cast upon the word of God and the people of God, take rise from gross mistakes. Divine truths are often corrupted by ignorance of the language and style of the scripture. Those that hear by the halves, pervert what they hear.
- “This man is calling for Elijah” is a statement of deception by the Jewish leadership. They are attempting to show that Jesus is calling on the prophet Elijah, because every Jew knows that Elijah is the forerunner of the Messiah, meaning that Jesus knows He’s not the Messiah.
Again, Matthew Henry Chimes in:
But others think that it was the willful mistake of some of the Jews, who knew very well what he said, but were disposed to abuse him, and make themselves and their companions merry, and to misrepresent him as one who, being forsaken of God, was driven to trust in creatures; perhaps hinting also, that he who had pretended to be himself the Messiah, would now be glad to be beholden to Elias, who was expected to be only the harbinger and forerunner of the Messiah.
For the record, I think both options are definitely possible, but I tend to lean toward the latter option because of what happens next.
Matthew 27:47-50 (read it again)
Parallel Study:
Mark: “Some of those who stood by, when they heard that, said, “Look, He is calling for Elijah!” Then someone ran and filled a sponge full of sour wine, put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink, saying, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to take Him down.”
Luke: No mention of the sour wine, but Jesus does say, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”
John: Mentions Jesus does receive the wine, then exclaims, “It is finished” and gives up His spirit.
So here is why I think it’s likely that “Look, he’s calling for Elijah!” is a statement of deception from the onlooking Jewish leadership: It gets a reaction of skepticism from the onlookers.
They respond by saying, “Let him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.”
Essentially, they are calling Jesus’s bluff. They think he’s shows his true colors as a fraud by depending on Elijah and they want the people to see that as clearly as possible.
And Finally, verse 50
“Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.”
(It is highly likely that “Jesus crying out” here is what Luke and John record as “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” and “It is finished.”)
POINT:
Jesus cried out for GOD.
His faith was in GOD.
He did not cry out for another man, even if that man was a powerful profit, such as Elijah was.
Jesus was superior to Elijah in every way, and if Elijah was here today he’d say the same thing.
But the agenda of men is often fueled by both ignorance and deception. Look no further than what we call “news” on television to see that something, which in truth is NOTHING, can be made into SOMETHING.
We need to be better than that. Substantive. Tested. Real.
Let us not depend on the machinations of man to provide for us what only the Living God can give: meaning, substance, and satisfaction.
Pray/QA