The Seven Last Words of Jesus from the Cross - Part 4: The Fourth Word

“My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34)

King Canute the Great was ruler of England, Denmark, and Norway from 1016 to 1035. The members of his court flattered him continually: “You are the greatest man that ever lived…You are the most powerful king of all…Your highness, there is nothing you cannot do; nothing in this world dares disobey you.”

The king was a wise man, and he grew tired of such foolish speeches. One day, as he was walking by the seashore, King Canute decided to teach them a lesson.

“So, you say I am the greatest man in the world?” he asked them.

“O king,” they cried, “there never has been anyone as mighty as you, and there will never be anyone so great, ever again!”

“And you say all things obey me?” King Canute asked.

“Yes, sire,” they said. “The world bows before you and gives you honor.”

“I see,” the king answered. “In that case, bring me my chair and place it down by the water.”

The servants scrambled to carry King Canute’s royal chair over the sands. At his direction, they placed it right at the water’s edge.

The king sat down and looked out at the ocean. “I notice the tide is coming in. Do you think it will stop if I give the command?”

“Give the order, O great king, and it will obey,” cried his entourage.

“Sea,” cried King Canute, “I command you to come no further! Do not dare touch my feet!”

He waited a moment, and a wave rushed up the sand and lapped at his feet.

“How dare you!” King Canute shouted. “Ocean, turn back now! I have ordered you to retreat before me, and now you must obey! Go back!”

In came another wave lapping at the king’s feet. King Canute remained on his throne throughout the day, screaming at the waves to stop. Yet they came anyway, until the seat of the throne was submerged in water.

Finally, King Canute turned to his entourage and said, “It seems I do not have quite as much power as you would have me believe. Perhaps now you will remember that there is only one King who is all-powerful, and it is He who rules the sea and holds the ocean in the hollow of His hand. I suggest you reserve your praises for Him.”

King Canute understood what we often forget: that all earthly glory is fleeting. He was pointing his court back to the ultimate act of humility that occurred ten centuries earlier on a hill called Calvary. The fourth sentence that Jesus speaks from the cross, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34) was in reparation for the sin of pride. When Jesus uttered His painful cry to the Father, darkness covered the earth. When our root sin is pride, we think that we shine brighter than the sun. How fitting, then, that at the time of the crucifixion, the sun hid behind the clouds. Venerable Fulton Sheen says that “The sun refused to shine on the crucifixion” (1).

Pride tempts us to see ourselves through the eyes of the world. We value ourselves through the lenses of others’ opinions. “The desire to put ourselves forward and merit the plaudits of men, to be regarded as very successful in our undertakings, is, according to St. Vincent de Paul, an evil that causes us to forget our God; it vitiates our holiest actions and more than anything else impedes our progress in the spiritual life. To be pleasing and acceptable in the sight of God, we must, therefore, banish from our hearts the desire to appear before men to win their approval and applause and especially the desire to rule over others" (2).

At the end of the day, what matters is Jesus Christ. And everything that we do should be done for His glory and praise—a truth King Canute tried so humbly to show his court. This is something I have to constantly remind myself when I share my writings: I am not promoting myself; I am being a witness for Him. I write for His Greater Glory (Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam).

Copyright © 2026 Christy Romero. All rights reserved. If you thought of someone while reading this, bless them by sharing it with them.

1. Fulton Sheen, “The Seven Last Words,” (New York: Garden City Books, 1952), pg. 32.
2. St. Alphonsus Liguori, “The Twelve Steps to Holiness and Salvation,” 1993.