My God, Why?
Ben Johnson – March 22, 2026
Matthew 27:39-46 (NLT) – The people passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads in mockery. “Look at you now!” they yelled at him. “You said you were going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days. Well then, if you are the Son of God, save yourself and come down from the cross!”
The leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders also mocked Jesus. “He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself! So, he is the King of Israel, is he? Let him come down from the cross right now, and we will believe in him! He trusted God, so let God rescue him now if he wants him! For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” Even the revolutionaries who were crucified with him ridiculed him in the same way.
At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”
Psalm 22:1-2 (NLT) – My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help? Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer. Every night I lift my voice, but I find no relief.
Why does God allow SUFFERING?
Matthew 27:47 (NLT) – Some of the bystanders misunderstood…
Psalm 22:3-5 (NLT) – Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. Our ancestors trusted in you, and you rescued them. They cried out to you and were saved. They trusted in you and were never disgraced.
We can QUESTION and still CLING.
1. Bring our QUESTION to God, don’t BURY them.
Matthew 27:46 (NLT) – … Why…?
God is not INTIMIDATED by our questions, He INVITES them.
2. ANCHOR ourselves in what we KNOW, not what we FEEL.
Psalm 22:3-4 (NLT) – “Yet you are holy… Our ancestors trusted in you, and you rescued them.”
When God feels SILENT, His past FAITHFULNESS becomes our PRESENT anchor.
3. Cling to God, EVEN when we don’t UNDERSTAND God.
Matthew 27:47 (NLT) – Some of the bystanders misunderstood…
Psalm 22:1 (NLT) – My God…
The place that FEELS like God’s ABSENCE may actually be where He’s DOING His deepest work.
God is WORKING in ways we cannot see, doing MORE than we know,
to accomplish more than we can IMAGINE.
Life Group Discussion & Questions
BREAKING THE ICE: Before we dive into our discussion, I want to acknowledge a tension we all feel. God, in His great love, gave us free will—He invites us to choose Him. But we also live in a world where that same freedom allows for sin, pain, and suffering. So, as we reflect, let’s be honest about our questions. We can wrestle with ‘why’ and still cling to God’s presence in the midst of it. These questions will help us process these feelings and stay anchored in trust. Let’s begin by sharing. Have you ever wrestled with the question, “If God is good, why is there so much pain?” What does that question stir in you?
DIGGING IN: Have someone read Matthew 27:39-49 out loud.
1. Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why…?” What does this teach us about bringing our own “why” questions to God? What kinds of questions do you find hardest to bring to God?
2. Have you ever experienced a season where God felt silent or distant? What helped you hold onto your faith, or what made it difficult? How can we support each other in seasons like that?
3. Jesus still said “My God” even in His pain. What does it look like for you, practically, to cling to God when you don’t understand what He’s doing? What would “transferring trust” look like in that situation?
BRINGING IT HOME: Which is hardest for you right now— being honest with God, trusting Him in the silence, or holding onto Him when life doesn’t make sense? Wherever you find yourself in your journey of faith, don’t stay there alone. Bring your questions. Choose to trust. Keep clinging to Him. Because even when God feels silent, He is not absent. He is doing His deepest work.