I would like to jump in here albeit very late in the discussion. I’d like to point out some things that I feel are compelling to this consideration.
First of all there is a long held misnomer that God “abandoned” Jesus and turned his back on him at the cross. This is a favorite meme among many preachers during Easter and Passion oriented messages. However this is based entirely upon the misunderstanding of the declaration, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me.”
This was never specifically narrated by the gospels as God having forsaken Jesus, nor did any Apostle ever state Jesus was forsaken by God. In fact that declaration was the first and identifying title line among Jews of Psalms 22 which Jesus was pointing to due to the fact that it contained so many prophetic descriptions of what was happening in that very hour. “I am being torn apart by lions”, “they pierced my hands and my feet.” “I am being poured out like water.” are blatant signals that he was fulfilling the scripture.
The one that is contained within Ps 22 that demolishes the misnomer of God actually forsaking Jesus is in Psalms 22:24 “For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard.”
Furthermore this medieval notion that God was pouring out his wrath on Jesus on the cross cannot be found in scripture. It is a notion synthesized hundreds of years after the Apostles. They never said such things. What we see at the cross is not God pouring out his wrath on Jesus, but corrupt and sinful men pouring out THIER wrath on Jesus. We see God pouring out his LOVE through Jesus upon the rage filled humanity, refusing to retaliate against those who were hating him. In fact we do not see Jesus divided from God on the cross, for God is indivisible. If that were not true Jesus could not have prayed to the Father on the cross, “Father forgive them they know not what they do.” Are we to believe Jesus was being ignored at that moment because he was utterly despised and rejected? No in fact if you read carefully in Isiah it identifies the suffering servant by saying “WE esteemed him despised and rejected of God.” It was and has been mans perception and interpretation for many years.
I would also point out that neither the Jews who conspired and shouted crucify him, nor the romans who swung the hammer to nail were under the control or influence of the Holy Spirit. They were controlled by Satan and it was Satans wrath that was clearly brutalizing the Savior. Jesus was dying the death he did not deserve out of love for mankind, and of this love sacrifice the father was pleased that hewas smitten and afflicted. Not because God needed a virgin thrown i to a volcano, but because a champion must harrow hell itself in order to enter into death and the grave for the purpose of defeating it with his indestructible life. Why is it we are baptized? It is identification with his death burial and resurrection. This is where salvation occurred. Jesus forgave people on earth before the crucifixion, if PSA is necessary Jesus should have never been able to say “That you may know the son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins..” The death by the cross was the demonstration of the height and depth and length and width of Gods love AND it was the vehicle whereby God tasted death for all men. It was not a satisfaction of Gods wrath. It was a satisfaction of Gods love.