Psalms and the Seven Sayings on the Cross

 

Psalm 22:1-21, 69:1-21

Psalms and the Suffering of Christ

In Luke 22:44, the resurrected Lord spoke to His disciples, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”

Psalm has a close relationship with the suffering of Jesus. Jesus said, “Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Psalms.”

What He referred to as “everything” is the fulfilment of His suffering that was written in the Scripture. Psalm can be used as parallel readings to the suffering of Jesus. This is the most advance way of interpreting the scriptures, and it is called either “inter-textuality” or “canonical approach”.

We shall focus on the several phrases of the famous seven sayings of Jesus on the cross. Actually, the seven sayings of Jesus on the cross reveal the theology of “laments” in Psalms!

1.    Psalm 22

“About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’” （Matthew 27:46）

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish?” （Psalm 22:1）

People used to ask a question from their theological perspective. “Why was the Holy Father and the Holy Son separated?”

In fact, there is a more relevant perspective from the theology of lamentation here: In Psalm, the psalmist cried out in such a way in order to express that he was indeed extremely agonized, as well as lonely and helpless.

When we are extremely painful, we might ask why God abandons us. Didn’t Job ask the same question before?

The question Jesus asked should not be a theological question in view of His painful suffering on the cross. It was plainly His heartfelt cry in the midst of His extreme pain, sorrow and helplessness.

The content of the whole Psalm 22 enables us to see that the predicament and sorrow of the psalmist were fully embodied on Jesus. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish?” （v 1）

“But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by everyone, despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads. “He trusts in the Lord,” they say, “let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.” (v 6-8)

“Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me. Roaring lions that tear their prey open their mouths wide against me. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted within me. My mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death. Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet. All my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over me. They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.” (vv.12-18)

If we were to read it in comparison with the sufferings of Jesus in the books of Gospel（Refer Matthew 27:32-46; John 19:23-24）, the “I” and “he” in the psalm is no other than “Jesus”, “God”, “Jews and Romans” in the books of Gospel.

Jesus experienced the sadness and the context of the lamentation in Psalm 22. Jesus was experiencing the same sadness described by the psalmist in order to redeem the sin of the world.

Jesus was in an extreme pain, and he was bullied by others and was further crucified on the cross. It was not that he couldn’t run away from it, but willingly he went to the cross to be pushed around by people and be crucified on it. It wasn’t that He couldn’t avoid it, but willingly, He went on the cross and bore the punishment of sinners.

May the sacrificial love of the Lord Jesus, and the suffering that He had gone through touch us and inspire us to follow Him and respond to Him with love. Shouldn’t we also suffer in some ways as we follow and serve God this day? Why should we keep complaining then?

When we are persecuted and when we suffer, we should know that the Lord Jesus suffered through all these hardships too. Therefore, Jesus could understand our pain and suffering, and He would walk with us through the valley of death. His presence brings us much comfort and healing.

2.    Psalm 69

Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” 

A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (John 19:28-30).

“I am thirsty” is another phrase found in the seven sayings of Jesus on the Cross. “I am thirsty” is also another climax of the suffering of Jesus. He was enduring the ill-treatment and humiliation of the soldiers who stood under the cross.

“I am thirsty” is also a phrase quoted from Psalm 69:21 in the Old Testament. “I am thirsty” is the climax and pivotal point in this entire Psalm.

The Psalmist said sadly, “Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.” (v1)

“Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head; many are my enemies without cause, those who seek to destroy me. I am forced to restore what I did not steal.” (v4)

“For I endure scorn for your sake, and shame covers my face. I am a foreigner to my own family, a stranger to my own mother’s children; for zeal for your house consumes me, and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.” （v7-9）

“You know how I am scorned, disgraced and shamed; all my enemies are before you. Scorn has broken my heart and has left me helpless; I looked for sympathy, but there was none, for comforters, but I found none. They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst.” (v19-21)

“I am thirsty” is an important dividing crest in Psalm 69, for after this verse, all the scriptures are about curses, and all these curses are against the “enemies.”

Verses 22-28:

“May the table set before them become a snare; may it become retribution and a trap. May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever. Pour out your wrath on them; let your fierce anger overtake them. May their place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in their tents. For they persecute those you wound and talk about the pain of those you hurt. Charge them with crime upon crime; do not let them share in your salvation. May they be blotted out of the book of life and not be listed with the righteous.”

When Jesus quoted the phrase “I am thirsty” in Psalm 69, He was aware that all the seven verses subsequent to this phrase were all curses! Jesus was trapped in a severe test amidst His extreme pain, hatred and grievances that could tempt Him to utter curses out of His flesh.

However, Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34）

Jesus broke through the bottleneck of the theology of lamentation. The great love of the cross shall remove curses for one’s enemy (“he”). This is because the great love of God brings forth revolutionary breakthrough and turnaround for people. It changes the relationship between God and men, and between men and men, the “You, he and I” relationship.

 “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.” (Ephesians 2:14-16)

This word of Jesus out of His seven sayings on the cross refers to His death and resurrection. Just like Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights, all these refer to God’s great love – that through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God wants to save all the Jews and the Gentiles, and this includes both the two thieves who were nailed beside His cross, whose deaths were reserved mercilessly, and the high priest, scribes, and Roman soldiers, etc., who stood under the cross.

God enabled Jonah to see that His greatest love was not merely rescuing the Israelites but rescuing those people of Nineveh who were not only sinful and wicked, but extremely vicious and violent as well.

“Father, forgive them, for they do not knowing what they are doing.” The most powerful gift of God is love and forgiveness. There is the strongest resilience within it that removes all bitterness and hatred completely.

May we be touched by the love and forgiveness offered by Christ to the world, that we come to understand that we are sinners who have received the grace of God!

We have received freely from Jesus His grace to forgive our sins, and hence, we should respond to the sacrificial love of our Lord, and go and serve others, and be gracious to them and pardon those who have offended us somehow.

The Lord gives us grace, and we should also be gracious to others. One who is not gracious to others shows that he never truly knows Christ’s grace, and he is ungrateful for it.