Why

A theological analysis of a biblical term like Lama demands not only linguistic scrutiny but a deep immersion into its historical, soteriological, and practical context, especially from the perspective of conservative evangelical Protestant theology. The term Lama (לָמָה or לָמָּה in Hebrew) is an interrogative adverb meaning "why?" or "for what purpose?". Although its occurrence is common throughout the Hebrew Bible, its theological resonance reaches its apex in the cry of Jesus Christ on the cross: "Eli, Eli, Lama sabachthani?" (My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?). This cry, echoing Psalm 22:1, encapsulates one of the most profound and mysterious moments in salvation history, revealing the depth of Christ's atoning work and the nature of vicarious suffering.

The evangelical Protestant perspective values the inerrant authority of Scripture, the centrality of Christ, and the doctrines of sola gratia and sola fide. In approaching Lama, we do not treat it as an abstract concept, but as an expression of human and divine experience that points to the sovereignty of God and the redemption accomplished in Christ. The question "why?" is intrinsic to the human experience of pain and doubt, but on the lips of the Son of God, it acquires a cosmic and redemptive dimension. This analysis will seek to unfold the layers of meaning of this term, from its roots in the Old Testament to its implications for the life of the believer today, always with a keen eye on the glory of God and the sufficiency of Christ's work.

Understanding Christ's "why?" is fundamental to grasping the magnitude of the sacrifice and the inexhaustible love of the Father who did not spare His own Son for the salvation of humanity. It is in this "why?" that the justification for the sinner, the hope for the sufferer, and the foundation for a life of worship and service are found. The depth of Reformed theology enables us to see in this cry not a sign of despair, but the apex of Christ's obedience and the consummation of the divine plan of redemption, where the paradox of temporary abandonment results in the eternal acceptance of those who believe.

1. Etymology and Roots of Lama in the Old Testament

The Hebrew term Lama (לָמָה or לָמָּה) is a fundamental interrogative adverb in the Hebrew language, meaning "why?", "for what purpose?" or "with what intent?". Its etymology is simple, but its use in the Old Testament reveals a rich tapestry of human emotions and theological questions. It is not a word with intrinsic connotations of grace or salvation, but a linguistic tool that expresses inquiry in the face of incomprehensible circumstances, challenges to divine justice, or the search for understanding.

In the Old Testament context, the question Lama is frequently found in various literary categories, reflecting the complexity of the relationship between God and humanity. In the prophetic books, for example, the prophets often use Lama to question the disobedience of the people or God's apparent inaction in the face of injustice. In Jeremiah 12:1, the prophet laments: "Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are all who are treacherous at ease?" This question is not a sign of unbelief, but an expression of pain and an appeal to divine justice, demonstrating a faith that dares to question God within the bounds of the covenant.

1.1 The Use of Lama in Lament and Wisdom Literature

Wisdom literature and the Psalms of lament are the most fertile fields for the study of the use of Lama in the Old Testament. In the Book of Job, the question "why?" is the backbone of the entire drama. Job, confronted with inexplicable suffering, repeats the question in various forms, seeking to understand the reason for his affliction. In Job 7:20, he cries out: "If I sin, what do I do to you, you watcher of mankind? Why have you made me your mark? Why have I become a burden to you?" Job's persistence in his inquiry, even without an immediate answer, underscores the legitimacy of the human question in the face of the mystery of suffering, but always within a framework of fundamental faith in God's sovereignty.

The Psalms of lament, such as Psalm 10, 44, 74, and 88, are also filled with Lama cries. Psalm 44:23-24 asks: "Awake, O Lord! Why are you asleep? Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever! Why do you hide your face? Why do you forget our affliction and oppression?" These psalms express the anguish of the community or individual who feels abandoned by God, but the very act of praying and questioning God are acts of faith, presupposing that God is able to hear and respond. They are a testimony to the covenant relationship, where the people of Israel, even in their pain, turn to their God.

1.2 Psalm 22 and Progressive Revelation

Psalm 22 is the seminal text for the theological understanding of Lama, especially due to its citation by Jesus on the cross. The Psalm begins with the agonizing cry: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Psalm 22:1). This psalm, though expressing the pain of an individual, is profoundly messianic. It describes in vivid detail the suffering of a righteous one who is mocked, ridiculed and has his hands and feet pierced (Psalm 22:16), and whose garments are divided (Psalm 22:18). In the Old Testament, the "why?" of Psalm 22 largely remains without an explicit answer for the sufferer, but ends with a note of praise and confidence in God's deliverance (Psalm 22:22-31).

The progressive revelation of the Old Testament prepares the ground for the full understanding of Lama in the New Testament. The inability to find a complete answer for the suffering of the righteous in the Old Testament points to a future and definitive divine intervention. The human "why?", often a questioning of God's justice or love, finds its answer not in a philosophical explanation, but in the person and work of the Messiah. The development of this concept demonstrates that, although the question is ancient, its deepest answer would only be given on Calvary, through the vicarious suffering of the Son of God.

2. The Cry of Lama in the New Testament and its Significance

In the New Testament, the term Lama acquires a unique and central theological significance, transcending its use as a mere interrogation. It appears prominently and uniquely in the accounts of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, as recorded in Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34. In these verses, Jesus, in His final moments on the cross, cries out in Aramaic (a Semitic language close to Hebrew): "Eli, Eli, Lama sabachthani?" (Matthew 27:46), which means "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?". This direct quotation from Psalm 22:1 is not merely a reminiscence, but the consummation of a prophecy and the apex of the redemptive work.

The Greek word corresponding to the idea of "why?" or "for what purpose?" would be diati (διατί) or eis ti (εἰς τί). However, the evangelists chose to transliterate the Aramaic Lama (Λαμᾶ), maintaining fidelity to the exact expression uttered by Jesus. This choice underscores the dramatic nature and authenticity of Christ's cry. The literal meaning of "why?" is maintained, but the theological context elevates it to an unprecedented depth. This is not a "why?" of ignorance or unbelief on Jesus' part, but an expression of His real and vicarious experience of divine abandonment.

2.1 The Relationship of Lama with the Person and Work of Christ

Jesus' Lama cry on the cross is the culmination of His identification with sinful humanity. Theologically, this "why?" cannot be interpreted as a moment of despair or loss of faith on the part of the Son of God. On the contrary, it is the supreme expression of His obedience and His perfect humanity, which fully experiences the consequences of sin. It is the moment when Jesus, the spotless Lamb of God, takes upon Himself the sin of the world and, as such, experiences the separation from the Father that sin demands. The theologian John Calvin emphasized that Christ experienced the pains of hell in our stead, and this experience included the temporary withdrawal of communion with the Father.

This abandonment is not an ontological rupture in the Trinity, but a functional and experiential separation, essential for the doctrine of penal substitutionary atonement. Jesus, being God and man, was able to bear the fullness of divine wrath against sin. The Father "forsook" the Son because the Son became the bearer of humanity's sin. As 2 Corinthians 5:21 states: "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." Christ's Lama is, therefore, the sound of divine justice being satisfied, of the punishment for sin being executed in the perfect substitute.

2.2 Continuity and Discontinuity between Old and New Testaments

There is a clear continuity between the use of Lama in the Old Testament and its manifestation in the New Testament, especially through the quotation of Psalm 22. The Old Testament, with its psalms of lament and the story of Job, prepared the ground for humanity to express its pain and incomprehension in the face of suffering. The human "why?" finds its echo and its final answer in the divine-human "why?" of Christ.

However, there is also a profound discontinuity. While the Lama cries in the Old Testament were expressions of pain and a search for understanding on the part of suffering sinners, Jesus' Lama is the cry of the Righteous One who suffers for sinners. It is the only time in history that the Son of God was forsaken by the Father, and this experience was vicarious and redemptive. The answer to Christ's "why?" is not given by a voice from heaven, but is manifested in the resurrection, which validates His atoning work and guarantees that those who believe in Him will never be forsaken (Hebrews 13:5). The "why?" of the cross, though painful, is the path to reconciliation and eternal life.

3. Lama in Pauline Theology: The Basis of Salvation

Although the apostle Paul does not directly quote Jesus' Lama cry on the cross, Pauline theology is intrinsically rooted in the meaning and implications of that event. Christ's atoning work, culminating in His vicarious suffering and the experience of divine abandonment, is the foundation upon which Paul builds his entire doctrine of salvation. Christ's "why?" on the cross is the reason why the justification of the sinner is possible, as articulated in letters like Romans, Galatians, and Ephesians.

Paul explains that humanity is under the dominion of sin and the Law, incapable of justifying itself by its own works (Romans 3:20). The solution to this condition is found in the cross of Christ. Jesus' Lama represents the moment when God poured out His righteous wrath on sin, not on condemned humanity, but on His own Son, who became our substitute. As Martin Luther and John Calvin emphasized, the penalty for sin was fully paid by Christ. This is the essence of the doctrine of penal substitutionary atonement, which is the basis of sola gratia (by grace alone) and sola fide (by faith alone).

3.1 The Cry of Lama and the Doctrine of Salvation

Jesus' cry of abandonment is at the core of the doctrine of justification. In Romans 3:23-25, Paul declares: "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins." Christ's "why?" on the cross is the ultimate expression of propitiation, where God's wrath against sin is averted and satisfied in Christ.

Galatians 3:13-14 reinforces this truth: "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree"—so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith." Jesus' Lama is the point at which He becomes a curse, bearing the judgment that was due to us. This act of substitution is the basis of our justification: we are declared righteous not by our own merit, but by the righteousness of Christ that is imputed to us through faith, a central concept in Reformed theology.

3.2 Central Soteriological Implications

The implications of Christ's Lama for the ordo salutis (order of salvation) are profound. Justification, which is the act of God declaring the sinner righteous based on Christ's work, is directly linked to His vicarious suffering. Without Christ's abandonment, there would be no satisfaction for divine justice and, consequently, no justification for the sinner. Sanctification, the process of being conformed to the image of Christ, is also nourished by the knowledge of what Christ endured for us gratitude compels us to obedience. Glorification, the final consummation of salvation, is guaranteed because Christ endured the ultimate abandonment, ensuring that His elect will never be forsaken by God (Romans 8:38-39).

The theologian Charles Spurgeon often preached on the depth of Christ's agony on the cross, including His Lama cry, as the supreme proof of God's love and the seriousness of sin. For Paul, Christ's "why?" is not an unanswered question, but the definitive answer to the "why?" of our condemnation. He rescues us from the curse of the Law, not by our works, but by the grace of God manifested in Christ Jesus. Pauline theology, therefore, interprets Lama as the crucial link between God's justice and the salvation of the sinner, an undeniable testimony that salvation is entirely the work of God, from beginning to end.

4. Aspects and Types of the Question "Why?" in Theology

In analyzing Lama as the question "why?", it is crucial to distinguish the different aspects and contexts in which this inquiry arises in human experience and divine revelation. There isn't a "type" of Lama in the sense of distinct theological categories for the word itself, but rather different manifestations of the question "why?" that have varied theological implications. Reformed theology, with its emphasis on God's sovereignty, offers a framework for understanding these distinctions.

4.1 The Human "Why?" and Christ's "Why?"

1. The "why?" of human lament and perplexity: This is the most common form of the **Lama** question in the Old Testament, seen in the Psalms of lament and the Book of Job. It is an expression of pain, confusion, and at times, an appeal to divine justice in the face of suffering, injustice, or the apparent absence of God. It is a "why?" that seeks understanding, intervention, or comfort. It is a legitimate question of faith grappling with the realities of life in a fallen world.
1. The "why?" of Christ's atonement: Jesus' **Lama** on the cross is of a completely different category. It is not a question of ignorance or doubt about the Father's will, but the expression of His real and vicarious experience of being made sin for us. It is a "why?" that does not seek an answer for itself, but that is the answer to the "why?" of our condemnation. This "why?" is the sound of divine justice being satisfied and the penalty for sin being borne by the perfect substitute. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones frequently highlighted the uniqueness and unfathomable depth of Christ's suffering, which included this experience of abandonment.

4.2 The "Why?" and Theodicy in the Reformed Perspective

The question "why?" is central to the problem of theodicy – the attempt to reconcile the existence of evil and suffering with the goodness and omnipotence of God. Reformed theology addresses this challenge with an emphasis on God's unquestionable sovereignty. Although it does not offer simplistic answers for all individual suffering, it posits that God is sovereign over all things, including evil and pain, and that He uses them for His just and good purposes, even if often incomprehensible to us (Romanos 8:28).

The cross of Christ, with its **Lama** cry, is the apex of the divine answer to the problem of evil. God did not eliminate suffering from the world, but He Himself entered into suffering in its deepest form through His Son. Christ's "why?" demonstrates that God is not aloof from our pain, but experienced it in its most intense degree to redeem us. This leads us to trust in God's hidden wisdom, even when we do not understand the "why?" of our own circumstances.

4.3 Doctrinal Errors to Avoid

In interpreting Christ's Lama, it is vital to avoid certain doctrinal errors:

1. Interpretation as despair or loss of faith: Some may view Jesus' cry as a sign that He lost faith in the Father. This would deny His perfect humanity and His divinity. The cry is an expression of His perfect obedience and the depth of His identification with the sinner, not of personal failure.
1. Ontological rupture of the Trinity: The idea that there was a break in the essence of the Trinity is heretical. The abandonment was a functional and experiential separation, not a division in the substantial unity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The nature of God as an inseparable Trinity remains intact.
1. Minimizing the reality of Christ's suffering: It is equally wrong to minimize the intensity of Jesus' cry. He truly experienced the fullness of God's wrath against sin. The pain of separation from the Father was real and excruciating, essential for the efficacy of the atonement.

Reformed theology, through figures like Jonathan Edwards, has always underscored the glory of God in the cross, where justice and mercy meet. Christ's Lama is the convergence point of all human "whys," answering them with the supreme demonstration of God's love and justice. He invites us to bring our own "whys" to the foot of the cross, finding there not complete explanations for all pain, but the certainty of a God who suffered with us and for us.

5. Lama and the Practical Life of the Believer

The theological understanding of Jesus' Lama cry on the cross is not merely an academic exercise it has profound implications for the practical life of the believer. Christ's experience of being forsaken by God in our stead fundamentally transforms how Christians face their own "why?" questions, how they live their faith, and how they relate to God and the world. Christ's Lama shapes our piety, our worship, and our service.

5.1 Christ's Cry and Our Personal Responsibility

Christ's vicarious work, symbolized by His Lama, does not nullify the personal responsibility of the believer, but establishes it on a new foundation. Knowing that Christ endured abandonment so that we would never be forsaken (Hebrews 13:5), we are called to live in gratitude and obedience. Our obedience is not to earn salvation, but it is the response of faith to salvation already acquired by grace. The theologian A.W. Pink, in his works on the sovereignty of God, emphasized that the depth of Christ's work should lead to a life of total consecration.

When we face our own "whys" in life – "Why this pain?", "Why this loss?", "Why this injustice?" – Christ's Lama offers us comfort and perspective. We know that we are not alone in our pain. Jesus, our High Priest, "does not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15). His ultimate experience of abandonment assures us that He understands the depth of our anguish, even when we do not understand the ways of God.

5.2 Lama Shaping Piety, Worship, and Service

The doctrine of Christ's Lama should deepen our piety. Meditation on the cost of our salvation – the fact that God the Father forsook His Son to save us – should lead us to profound reverence and humility. This turns us away from legalism and self-sufficiency, and leads us to a sincere dependence on God's grace.

1. Worship: Our worship becomes richer and more meaningful when we remember that we were redeemed at such a high price. We sing praises not only for God's goodness, but for His justice and for Christ's sacrifice that satisfied that justice. Isaac Watts' hymn "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross" is a classic example of how the cross and Christ's suffering should shape our worship, leading us to surrender everything to Him.
1. Service: Christian service is motivated by the love shown to us on the cross. If Christ emptied Himself and endured abandonment for us, we are called to empty ourselves and serve others, especially the most vulnerable and marginalized (Philippians 2:5-8). Christ's Lama compels us to bring the gospel of reconciliation to those who are still abandoned in their sins.

5.3 Implications for the Contemporary Church and Pastoral Exhortations

For the contemporary church, the doctrine of Christ's Lama serves as a constant reminder of the seriousness of sin and the magnitude of grace. In an era that often seeks easy comfort and quick solutions, the cross calls us to confront the reality of suffering and sacrifice. It protects us from a superficial gospel that promises only earthly prosperity, and centers us on eternal salvation and the glory of God.

Pastorally, understanding Jesus' Lama allows leaders to guide believers through their own "why?" crises. Instead of offering simplistic answers or blaming the sufferer, the pastor can point to the cross, remembering that God Himself experienced pain and abandonment in its deepest form. This does not eliminate the pain, but infuses it with meaning and hope. We can exhort believers: "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it" (1 Corinthians 10:13).

The balance between doctrine and practice is evident here: the doctrine of Christ's Lama is not just a truth to be believed, but a reality to be lived. It invites us to a life of faith, even amidst incomprehension, knowing that the God who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, "how will he not graciously give us all things with him?" (Romans 8:32). The "why?" of the cross, though a mystery, is the source of our deepest security and the foundation of our unwavering hope.