As Easter approaches I thought it might be useful to give a few thoughts on Psalm 22, one of the most relevant Psalms in the context of Easter. So two or three posts will appear over the next week.
This psalm is famously associated with Jesus in the cross. Jesus uttered the words of the first verse when on the cross (Matt 27:46; Mark 15:34). There is no known incident in David’s life that exactly fits the events described in this psalm, though of course David did face many difficult circumstances in his life. However, it is best to see the Psalm as looking forward to Christ on the cross.
We need to be careful in interpreting the words of Jesus on the cross. Jesus would know what the whole psalm said, and where it ended, and so it is not just a cry of dereliction. It is a mistake to focus purely on the suffering, but equally the suffering absolutely must not be overlooked. Paul says that the message of the cross was an offence to the Jews and nonsense to the Greeks (1 Cor 1:23). Muslims cannot conceive of how a pure servant and prophet of God (as they see Christ) could possibly suffer the ignominy of the cross. To see the cross aright we need to take suffering in all its reality, and the victory in all its fullness. Moreover, in quoting the first verse, Jesus was almost certainly alluding to the psalm as a whole.
Anyway, it seemed as if God was “so far from helping” Jesus. Jesus’ suffering on the cross was absolutely real. There was no anesthetic against the pain, and the wrath of God, God’s judgement on man’s sin, was poured out upon Him.
So the pain and suffering was real, but that was not the end of it. Jesus also knew of the absolute righteousness and faithfulness of His Father. And in v3-5 Jesus reminds Himself of the holiness of God and the fact that God had on many times delivered Israel.
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