Luke 23 & Psalm 22 - The Psalm of the Cross

Psalm 22 which has been called by many as “The Psalmof the Cross”. There are two passages I really want to encourage you to taketime over the next few days to look at, and that's Psalm 22 and also Isaiah 53.Both of these are Messianic passages that prophecy and tell us about thesufferings of Christ. Psalm 22 was written by David 1,000 years before thecrucifixion of Christ. The Bible calls him both a king and a prophet (Acts2:30). And here he looked ahead one-thousand years and clearly saw the LordJesus Christ dying on the cross. Davidbegins the psalm with these words, "My God, My God, why have Youforsaken Me?" Jesus quoted these very words on the cross (Matthew27:46; Mark 15:34). As you read through this psalm, you find that many versesare directly related to the cross of Jesus Christ. In verses 6 through 8, Jesuson the cross experienced this: "But I am a worm and no man, a reproachof men and despised by the people. All those who see Me ridicule Me. They shootout the lip. They shake the head, saying He trusted in the Lord. Let Him rescueHim. Let Him deliver Him since He delights in Him." This is fulfilled inMatthew 27:39-44 and what we just studied in Luke 23. Psalm22:16, "They pierced My hands and My feet." This was fulfilledin Matthew 27:35 when they nailed Him to the cross and pierced both His handsand His feet. Remember later in John 20:20-27, Jesus would say to Thomas, "Touchand see the scars in My hand and My side”. John 19:23 records the fulfilmentof Psalm 22:17, "They divided My garments among them and for Myclothing they cast lots." Ibelieve Psalm 22:12-18, describes the mental and spiritual sufferings of Christduring the three hours of darkness as the devil and the demons of hellattempted to destroy Him and God turned His back on His Son. David wrote, "Manybulls have surrounded Me. The strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me. Theygape upon Me with their mouths like a raging and a roaring lion. I'm poured outlike water. All My bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax. It is meltedwithin Me." When you understand what took place in the crucifixion,literally the bones of Christ, when they put that cross into the ground with athud and He's hanging there, it's like it put all His bones out of joint. Hisheart is poured out like wax as He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. AndHe says in verse 16, "For dogs have surrounded Me. The congregation ofthe wicked has enclosed Me. They pierce My hands and My feet. I can count allMy bones. They look and stare at Me." Jesus was flogged before thecross. And literally His bones actually could be seen as He was hanging on thecross. In verse 18 we read: "They divided My garments among them andfor My clothing they cast lots."  Jesus hung naked on the cross in shame andsuffering. Oh,my friend, some believe that Jesus possibly quoted this entire psalm on thecross at some time when He cried out, "My God, My God, why have Youforsaken Me?" Yes, we see both the darkness of the cross and the glory ofthe cross, the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow. I alsoencourage you to read Hebrews 2:9-18. It begins with: "But we see Jesuswho is made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death."Psalm 22 is quoted in Hebrews 2:12.  Hebrews2:14-15 describes the purpose of Christ death and suffering: “Inasmuch thenas the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared inthe same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death,that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all theirlifetime subject to bondage.” Todaywe should be so thankful for a Savior who suffered so much for you and I thatwe could be set free from the guilt and the penalty of our sins. Please meditateon these things. Godbless!