Welcome back to the Ask Pastor John Podcast, a longtime author and Pastor John Piper.

And Pastor John is we near the end of this January, we arrive at Psalm 22, for those of you reading

along with us in the Navigator's Bible reading plan, Psalm 22 has been in front of us now for a few days.

It's a haunting Psalm, haunting from the very opening line.

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Psalm 22 verse one, very heavy,

and it's especially haunting because this line becomes

one of the cries of Jesus from the cross.

Psalm 22 is all about Christ and it's on his lips

in the crucifixion accounts in Matthew 2746

in Mark 1534, but to hear him recite Psalm 22-1 leads us to ask this,

was Jesus confused by the cross? That's what a listener by the name of Bridget

wants to find out today. Here's her email. Pastor John, I love the Lord deeply.

My faith continues to grow. But I've always struggled with Matthew 27, 45, and 46, where Jesus recites Psalm 22 verse 1.

Why would Jesus question the Father like this in asking why have you forsaken me?

When he certainly knew the answer, it was for this very reason Jesus came to die to be

forsaken on our behalf.

Could you give insight into this 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 2746 and Mark 1534, as Jesus is hanging

on the cross near death.

So it says about the ninth hour,

...