Never Forsaken Because of Jesus
Scripture Reading — Mark 15:33-37
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Mark 15:34
News reporters write stories that seek to answer “the five W’s”: who, what, where, when, and why. The why is often the most challenging because it addresses the question of motive. Why did a particular action take place? What motivated it? What was going on in the minds and hearts of the people involved?
Jesus himself asked the why question when he cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” The Bible tells us that through his death Jesus had to bear God’s full wrath against human sin. Jesus was our sin-bearer, who endured the horror of Godforsakenness so that we don’t have to.
During the course of his life on earth, Jesus enjoyed the Father’s love, presence, and favor. But all that was removed on the cross, where he felt the full force of God’s anger toward sin. In 2 Corinthians 5:21, the Bible describes it this way: “God made [Christ] who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
God’s motive was love. He yearned to restore his lost world.
So today he implores sinners everywhere, “Be reconciled to God.”
Do you understand why Jesus died—for you? Have you accepted his grace?
Thank you, Father, for your love and for giving us your Son as the full and complete sacrifice for our sins. Thank you, Jesus, for taking our place and setting us free. Amen.
About the author — R. Scott Greenway
R. Scott Greenway was born in Mexico City in 1964, the fourth child of missionary parents. He graduated from Calvin College in 1986, Calvin Theological Seminary in 1991, and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in 2002. He and his wife, Kelly, have four children. He pastored the Irving Park Christian Reformed Church in Midland Park, New Jersey, and currently serves as pastor of Caledonia Christian Reformed Church in Michigan. He enjoys a variety of outdoor sports, including hunting and fishing.
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