The crucifixion of the Lord Jesus is something not to be viewed for one’s amusement. I confess that I seldom use images (under fair use) from the movie The Passion of the Christ to grab one’s attention. This Good Friday, one should also look at Psalm 22 which was probably written by David under the most distressful situation. Was this when Saul was after his life? Was it when Absalom rebelled against him? Psalm 22 brilliantly shows the redemptive work of the Messiah. Since the Messiah was to come from the line of David, it’s only normal that David should have a glimpse of the sufferings of the Messiah.
Psalm 22 starts with one of the seven sayings on the cross. Jesus said, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Matthew 27:46 has Jesus saying those words. Why did Jesus say those words? Did God really forsake Him for that moment? It can be a puzzling, if not even perplexing question to answer. I’m going to give this explanation by the late J. Vernon McGee that would help explain Jesus quoting David’s words:
He was forsaken for a brief moment. The paradox is that at the very moment God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself. And the Lord Jesus Himself said, “Behond, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered every man to his own, and shall leave Me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.” (John 16:32). The Father was with Him when He was in prison, the Father was with Him when He was being beaten, the Father was with Him when they nailed Him to the cross. But in these last three hours He made His soul an offering for sin and it pleased the Father to bruise Him (see Isaiah 53:10).
Forsaken. My friend, you do not know what that is; and I do no tknow what it is to be forsaken of God. The vilest man on this earth today is not forsaken of God. Anyone can turn to Him. But when Christ takes my sin upon Himself, He is forsaken by God.
“Why hast thou forsaken Me?” It is not the why of impatience. It is not the why of despair; it is not the why of doubt. It is the human cry of intense suffering, aggravated by the anguish of His innocent and holy life. That awful and agonizing cry of the loneliness of His passion! He was alone. He was alone with the sins of the world upon Him.
I used to believe the statement that anyone can come to Jesus. However, John 6:44, 66, says that no one can come to Jesus except if the Father draws them. God can’t look at sin or accept sin. Jesus had to be rejected so those who trust Him, can be accepted. This is where I’m even thinking about why a definite atonement might be the best picture. The atonement is only effective for people who have received Jesus as Lord and Savior. The atonement has no effect on those who reject it.
Going down, David says, “I am a worm and not a man.” David experienced much ridicule in his life. For the Messianic applications, one should look at Matthew 27:39-44 and Luke 23:35. The people were mocking Jesus. Jesus was dying as an outcast. Did David say these words looking at a much greater suffering while he suffered? David spoke in verse 8 that people mock him, “He trusts in the LORD; let him deliver him; let him rescue Him, for he delights in Him.” These would be the words of pagans and later, the Jews, on the crucifixion. In Matthew 27:41, the chief priests, scribes, and elders said these words too. Added is, “Let Him come down from the cross, and we will believe Him.” Jesus, however, in full focus on the Father’s plan, carried out everything that the Father planned. I wonder if the Apostle Paul was part of this unruly crowd? The Bible’s silent on that. All we know is that even if Jesus came down, they will still not believe. None of the miracles convinced these hardened hearts. Not even the resurrection of Lazarus in John 11 even convinced them. Later, they would try to explain away the resurrection.
David makes a declaration of relying on God in verses 9-11. After seeing one ugly picture, David sees the loving-kindness of God. David speaks of how God is sovereign even when he was born. One can also look at Jesus and His earthly mother Mary. Mary had the honor that no woman could have–the Creator of the Universe in her womb. Mary would bear the Son of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit. Luke 1 also records Mary’s nervousness and Gabriel had to calm her down. Later on, Jesus would entrust Mary His earthly mother to John (John 19:26). At that time, his maternal half-brothers and half-sisters didn’t believe that He was indeed the Son of God. Such a claim was too hard to believe for them. Later two of these half-brothers wrote two letters of the Bible. Psalm 69:8 says that Jesus became a stranger to His mother’s children. David was really seeing the future of his Son and Lord.
A portrayal of the crucifixion
Going down, David compared the soldiers to the bulls of Bashan. Bashan became one of the great granaries of the Roman Empire. David mentions that these wicked men open their mouths at him, like a ravening and roaring lion. During David’s day, the Roman Empire had not yet been established. Back then, civilizations with a lion-like symbol were Babylon and Egypt, a lion with a man’s head. The lion became another forgotten symbol of Rome. These two symbols would describe the sheer brutality of the situation. Roman soldiers were known for their brutality. Crucifixion was invented later by the Persians between 400 B.C. and 300 B.C. The “art” of crucifixion was later perfected by the Romans. David was seeing events that were yet to happen.
Verses 14-15 narrate how the day goes from bad to worse. David mentions that he’s poured out like water, all his bones are out of joint, his heart is melted like wax, and his strength is dried up. His tongue sticks to his jaws. This would show extreme thirst. You can imagine the painfulness of the situation. The horrors of the crucifixion involve getting poured out like water. During Holy Week, the sun tends to be so hot. That’s why the darkness caused during the crucifixion was very supernatural. Another thing horrifying about crucifixion is that the bones will soon fall out of the joint. When a crucified person loses blood, strength is lost, and all the bones are slipped out of the joint. However, not one bone was to be broken (Psalm 34:20). In John 19:36, Jesus was confirmed dead and there was no need to break His legs. Those who were still hanging, had their legs broken. This was done to cause extreme suffocation. Crucified people had to support themselves in order ot breathe. The heal was really bruised. As Genesis 3:15 says, “He shall bruise your head but you will bruise His heel.” Satan bruised Jesus’ heel but Jesus will crush Satan’s head. Satan ended up playing into God’s sovereignty. Jesus had also died of a broken heart. It was also there that blood and water flowed out from His side. This was really evidence Jesus had died of a broken heart too.
Dog was often a nickname for Gentiles (verse 16). When Jesus tested the faith of the Canaanite woman, Jesus gave the word “dog” to refer to her as a Gentile. The Canaanite woman saw her lowliness and this faith delivered her. The word dog here doesn’t refer to domesticated pets but wild dogs. I don’t think household pets were what ate Jezebel’s bones but wild dogs. Crucifixion wasn’t invented yet but David saw it. David then mentioned that his hands and feet were pierced. Jesus quoting Psalm 22:1 would point to His crucifixion as fulfilling it all. Verse 17 has David mentioning his bones staring at him. This would be a gruesome picture. Jesus being flogged with a Roman cat-o-nine tail would get muscles and bones exposed. It would be a graphic picture of emaciation and exhaustion. Job 33:21 and Psalm 102:5 use this hyperbole. In Jesus’ case, the graphic result of Him being whipped that much, would give a literal fulfillment. Even worse, the soldiers would later divide Jesus’ garments (Matthew 27:35, Mark 15:24, Luke 23:34, and John 19:24). The KJV has Matthew mentioning the Psalm. In the modern translations, it’s somehow questioned while revealing John 19:24 quoting from the Psalms.
After that, David asks the LORD for deliverance. McGee also believes that Jesus recited the whole Psalm on the cross, but the writers decided not to write it down. It would be to get direct to the important point. David promised to declare God’s name to His brothers. Brothers here may refer to fellow Jews or his natural brothers. David soon gives an invitation to those who fear the LORD, to praise Him. David calls the offspring of Jacob to glorify the LORD. David experienced deliverance at the right time. Deliverance was either through death or momentary deliverance. For the saved person, death would be the ultimate deliverance. That’s why some Christians tend to say, “No, the person never died. He just went ahead of us.”
David said he would fulfill his vows before those who fear the LORD. Jesus would fulfill His mission at the cross. The dying thief rejoiced to see the fountain in his day (Luke 23:42-43). What can’t be denied is that even the lowest person, the worst of trash, can be redeemed. However, this redemption is by God’s grace, not through human efforts. Garbage will always be garbage. When it’s garbage, we throw it away. But Jesus redeemed even the piece of trash, a thief, and said, “Today, you will be with me in Paradise.” The thief who previously derailed Jesus finally saw the light. The worthless piece of garbage got salvation. That same worthless garbage would be thrown into the dump. However, the dying thief is no longer garbage. Today, that dying thief who asked Jesus to remember him, is now with Jesus in Heaven.
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