What does it mean that Jesus was forsaken on the cross?

Christ's cry, 'My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?' emphasizes the profound agony of His substitutionary death. In that moment, He bore the concentrated wrath of God for the sins of His people, experiencing a separation from the Father that He had never known before. This forsakenness is not merely physical but reflects spiritual abandonment as He stood in our place, paying the penalty for sin. It encapsulates the weight of the world's sins being laid upon Him, an act that was necessary for our redemption, allowing God to be both just and the justifier of those who believe. His forsakenness underscores both the seriousness of sin and the immense love of Christ, who willingly faced this agony for our sakes.