Forsaken

Mark 15:33-39 (ESV)
And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. [34] And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" [35] And some of the bystanders hearing it said, "Behold, he is calling Elijah." [36] And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, "Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down." [37] And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. [38] And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. [39] And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, "Truly this man was the Son of God!"

“My God, my God why have you forsaken me? “ The last words. Death, to be forsaken by God. That is what it means to die, to truly perish. Life is sustained by God. Every moment we live is a breath given by the grace of God in his mercy. And all death is finally a punishment for sin. Jesus is the only one who has any right to ask God Why? He had no sin of his own. His death was not punishment for his sin but our sin. He dies. He is forsaken by God. Forsaken by his Father. He dies. But he died that we might not perish but have eternal life. Yes, we will die, but we no longer perish who believe in Jesus Christ. Our sin is condemned in death, it is still punishment for sin, but yet we are at the same time given eternal life, the gift of God on behalf of his son who was forsaken for our sin.