(upbeat music) - Welcome back to the Ask Pastor John podcast with John Piper. Podcast listener Bridget writes in to say this, "Pastor John, I love the Lord deeply "and my faith continues to grow, "but I've always struggled with Matthew 27, "verses 45 and 46. "Why would Jesus call out to the Father, "why have you forsaken me, when Jesus knew the answer?

"It was for this very reason Jesus came, "to be forsaken on our behalf. "Could you give some insight into why Jesus asks "this question so that this hurdle in my faith "can be removed?" - My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Those terrifying words occur in the two gospels, Matthew and Mark, Matthew 27, 46 and Mark 15, 34.

As Jesus is hanging on the cross near death, so it says about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice. Amazing, how did he have any strength to do a loud voice? Eli, Eli, lemah sabachthani, the Aramaic form. That is, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Now, one very important fact to remember is that these words are the exact first words of Psalm 22. And that's important because Jesus seems to have known that the whole Psalm, in some way or other, was about him. Because at least three other parts of this Psalm are quoted in the story of his death.

So you got verses one and two, this is what the Psalm says. Why are you so far from saving me? From the words of my groaning, oh my God. I cry by day, but you do not answer. And by night I find no rest. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

And then verse seven. All who seek me, see me, mock at me. They make mouths at me. They wag their heads. Those exact words, they wag their heads, quoted in Matthew 27, 39. And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads to show that this Psalm is being played out in the death of Jesus.

And then verse 16 of the Psalm. They have pierced my hands and feet. And then verse 18. They divide my garments among them. And for my clothing they cast lots. So the words, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me, are part of this Psalm that contains, as it were, a script for Jesus' last hours.

Now, why did he say it? She wants to know why the why. Why did he say it? And here's a three-part answer. One, there was a real forsakenness. That's why. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me means he really did. He really did. He's bearing our sin.

He bore our judgment. The judgment was to have God the Father pour out his wrath on us. And instead, he pours it out on him. And that necessarily involves a kind of abandonment. That's what wrath means. He gave him up to suffer the weight of all the sins of all of his people.

And the judgment, the judgment for those sins. And we cannot fathom. I don't think we can begin to fathom all that this would mean between the Father and the Son. To be forsaken by God is the cry of the damned. And he was damned for us. So he used these words because there was a real forsakenness.

That's the first reason. Second, the why, it seems to me, is not a question looking for an answer, but a way of expressing the horrors of abandonment. A couple of reasons for thinking this. Jesus knew ahead of time what he was doing and what would happen to him and why he was doing it.

His Father had sent him for this, this very moment. And he had agreed to come, knowing all that would happen. Listen to these words. This is John 18, 4. "Then Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to the arresting mob, 'Who do you seek?'" Gave himself up.

So he knew. He knew it was coming. He knew everything. And another reason is the moment was one of agony, not theological curiosity. The moment was one of agony. And a third thought on the fact that he's not asking a question so much as expressing a horror is the words are a reflex of immersion in Psalm 22.

Seems. I mean, they're a direct quotation. But when you're hanging on the cross, you don't say, oh, I want to quote some scripture here. It either is in you as the very essence of your messianic calling, or it's not. And if it's in you, then you give vent at the worst moment of your life with the appointment of your father scripted in Psalm 22.

That seems to be right at the heart of what's going on. Let me read verses 22 to 24 of this psalm. It goes like this, Psalm 22. "I will tell of your name to my brothers in the midst of the congregation. I will praise you. You who fear the Lord, praise him.

All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him. Stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel, for he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted. And he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard when he cried." In other words, this psalm ends with a note of triumph.

So Jesus isn't curious about wondering, how's this going to turn out? He had embedded in his soul both the horrors of the moment of abandonment, and he had embedded in his soul for the joy that was set before him, I've got a promise, and God will not despise me in the end.

He will take me back. So at some level, he knows it's not a final cry or an ultimate cry. He endured the cross for the joy that was set before him. And the why is not a request for a theological answer. It's a real cry of spiritual desolation with words that were second nature, because his whole life was scripted by God.

And I think the last reason, we should say, for this, therefore, is that this psalm was his life, crying out reflexively in agony with these words of this psalm, "Show that as horrible as it is, it was all going according to plan." All of it was the fulfillment of scripture.

Even the worst of it was the fulfillment of scripture. And that moment was probably the worst moment in the history of the world, and it was scripture fulfilled. So he said these words, one, because there was a real forsakenness for our sake. Two, he was expressing desolation, not asking for an answer.

And three, he was amazingly fulfilling scripture in the horror of it all and witnessing to the perfection of the plan of salvation. Thank you, Pastor John. And thank you for taking a moment from your day to listen to the podcast. You can find our free apps and search our past episodes and get us a question of your own online at desiringgod.org/askpastorjohn.

Well, tomorrow, John Pepper will explain why going to church does not make you a Christian by looking at one of the essential core realities of Christian life. Don't miss this episode. I'm your host, Tony Reinke. I'll see you tomorrow on the Ask Pastor John podcast. you