When Jesus cried out from the cross, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” in Matthew 27:46, He was not expressing fear or abandonment. He was pointing His followers to the amazing set of prophecies in Psalm 22. His words are the opening line of a psalm written by King David nearly 1,000 years before Christ was born—long before the Roman Empire existed or crucifixion was devised as the most torturous and humiliating method of execution imaginable.
By quoting that first verse, Jesus was doing what rabbis of His time often did to invoke the entire psalm. And what follows in Psalm 22 is a stunningly accurate description of what Jesus was enduring in that moment:
All those who see Me ridicule Me … saying, “He trusted in the LORD, let Him rescue Him.” … I am poured out like water, and all My bones are out of joint. … My tongue clings to My jaws. … they pierced My hands and My feet; I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.
It’s astounding to consider that Jesus’ death was described so clearly 10 centuries before it happened. How could David have seen these exact details unless God revealed them to him?
Jesus was fulfilling every part of that ancient prophecy. His cry from the cross was not a wail of defeat, but a declaration of divine purpose: “This has all been foretold. I am the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. I am the Messiah.”
It’s astounding to consider that Jesus’ death was described so clearly 10 centuries before it happened.
The psalm continues with this great promise: All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before You. For the kingdom is the LORD’s, and He rules over the nations.
Instead of being the end of the story, the cross serves as the doorway to victory. Jesus didn’t just die; He rose again. The Suffering Servant becomes the victorious King.
This is the power of Easter. The resurrection is the cornerstone of our faith. It proves that His sacrifice for our sins was accepted, the grave has no hold on us, and every word God has ever spoken can always be trusted. Through the cross, Jesus took on our suffering. Through the resurrection, He gives us His life, which lasts for all eternity. Thanks to Him, we are not bound by our past, by sin, by guilt, by shame, or by death. We are invited into new life, new purpose, and new hope.
As Romans 6:4 says, Just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Easter offers more than a mere memory of what was done. It is an invitation to step into what Christ has made possible for all who believe in Him—today, tomorrow, and forever.
Psalm 22 concludes by saying, They will come and declare His righteousness to a people who will be born, that He has done this. Today, you and I are part of that prophetic declaration as we proclaim the Good News of salvation to millions of people around the world.
Yes, Jesus has done it all. His cry was for your sake and mine, that we would remember how all of this was foretold. He fulfilled the Scriptures. He defeated death. He has made a way for all nations to return and be reconciled to God.
So, this Easter, don’t just remember the story—respond to it. Worship the Risen Savior. Rejoice in fulfilled prophecy. And walk in the victory that Jesus has secured for you through His cross and empty tomb.
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed. Alleluia!
Scripture is quoted from the NKJV.
