Jesus the Suffering King – Psalm 22
Steve Simala Grant – January 5/6, 2002
Intro:
One Solitary Life
“Here is a man who was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another village. He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty. Then for three years He was an itinerant preacher.
He never owned a home. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family. He never went to college. He never put His foot inside a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place He was born. He never did one of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but Himself...
While still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against him. His friends ran away. One of them denied Him. He was turned over to His enemies. He went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed upon a cross between two thieves. While He was dying His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on earth – His coat. When He was dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.
I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, all the navies that were ever built; all the parliaments that ever sat and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as has that one solitary life.”
adapted from a sermon by Dr James Allan Francis in “The Real Jesus and Other Sermons” ©1926 by the Judson Press.
Overview Series “Portraits of Christ”:
Goal – to focus us on Christ, as we lead to and through Easter, and to deepen our love for Him and obedience to Him. Being a Christian is about being in a relationship with God, my goal is that our relationship would deepen as we come to know Him better.
Psalm 22 – A Portrait of the Suffering King.
I want to spend a bit of time in the Old Testament, looking at how this book looks ahead to Jesus and draws us portraits in anticipation of Jesus’ coming. So this week we are going to look at Psalm 22, and next week in the book of Isaiah describing the “suffering servant,” whom Jesus later identified Himself as. Both of these find their fulfillment in Jesus’ death for us, which is the major theme of the OT looking forward to Jesus. The second major theme the OT paints is the prophecies surrounding the birth of Christ, and since we have just come through the Advent season and have touched, at least briefly, on these, we are going to look primarily at the OT portraits of Jesus’ suffering.
I’ve planned this series to carry us to and through the Easter season. And so I think it is fitting that we begin by looking towards the end – focused on the cross. Focused on what Jesus has done for us. And it is also very fitting that we gather around the Lord’s table as we remember the suffering and victory of Jesus on our behalf.
This Psalm provides us with a portrait of Jesus, even though it is in the OT and was written 1000 years before he came. So much so that it has been called “The Fifth Gospel.” No other Psalm is quoted as much in the New Testament, and it is the one on Jesus’ lips as he hung from the cross. So I want to look at this Psalm from 3 perspectives this morning as it paints a picture for us of Jesus The Suffering King: first in its original context, second as it applies directly to Jesus, and third as it speaks to us.
1. Psalm 22 on the lips of the King of Israel:
One of the key principles for understanding Scripture is to attempt to understand it in its original context. It is tempting to start with Jesus on the cross and then interpret the Psalm – and in fact I read a couple of sermons this week that did exactly that – they say for example that the “sword” in verse 20 is the Roman empire, which didn’t even exist when the psalm was written – and yet that is backwards. Of course we find the fulfillment of the prophecy in the Psalm in Jesus, but we can’t read back all the details of Jesus’ crucifixion into the Psalm and make it say things it doesn’t say. So I want to look at it first on the lips of the King of Israel.
As with most of the Psalms, we don’t have an historical situation to place them in – we simply don’t know what was going on that caused the Psalmist to feel the way he does. And since it is poetry, it is somewhat futile to try to re-create a situation from the content of the Psalm. For example this one talks about being surrounded by dogs and lions and bulls – so we could try to find a time in David’s life (the title ascribes the Psalm to David) when he was surrounded by wild animals and attribute the psalm to that experience. But since it is poetry, we should understand these verses as imagery, describing the Psalmist’s feelings of being trapped and in danger.
We also need to know that the book of Psalms is the book of worship for the nation of Israel – almost like a hymnal, or a litany for those of you with more traditional backgrounds. So as they came to worship God at the temple, these were the words they would use to express their praise to God. That is somewhat shocking, especially as we look at the first words: (read vss. 1-2). Can you say such a thing in church? Can you honestly express those feelings, of God being far off, of God being silent? And can you honestly express them in front of everybody?
This is the first jewel I want to pull from the Psalm – it is ok, more than that it is expected or even required, that we be honest before God in worship. That we come before Him and say what is going on. There is no pretending here, no “well Lord, things are looking bleak at the moment but I’m still going to sing “now I am happy all the day.” There is raw truth, and in that truth there is something more…
Look at vs. 3 (read). There is a recognition of who God is, and in that there is submission. That is the second jewel – we are honest before God but we are also aware of who He is, that He is King (“enthroned”) and that He is Holy. The Psalm isn’t an accusation – “God you messed up because I feel forsaken and alone, what is your problem?” It remains focused on who God is.
Most of the first section of Psalm 22 (verses 1-21) takes the form of a lament – it is the Psalmist pouring out his soul, his desperate soul, to God, enumerating all the things he is facing and feeling and all the dangers that surround him. We’ll look at some of those in detail when we see the Psalm on the lips of Jesus in just a moment. But interspersed in there are two prayers or requests: verse 11 and verse 19 (read). I want to point out that the focus in those requests is for the nearness of God. Of course the Psalmist is looking for deliverance, for God to act and change the situation and save him from all the horrible things he is facing. But that isn’t the focus – the main, first, strongest request is for God to be near. There is a jewel here also. In the midst of our trouble, our despair, our exasperation at the trials of life – is our first request for God’s presence or is it for His power? Do we want Him to change things or do we more want Him to be present with us?
I know the answer of that for me – my prayer is usually first that God would change things. That He would solve the problem – like Bill Cosby’s rendition of Noah’s ark:
Noah is loading the animals onto the ark, and God calls out to him: “Noah!” “What!” Cosby has portrayed Noah as kind of frustrated by this whole ark ordeal… God says: “You’ve got to take one of those hippos back and get another one.” “What do you mean? Why do I gotta do that?” “Well you got two males there, you gotta take one back and get a female.” A frustrated Noah replies: “I’m not doing that! You change one of them!”
I’m like that. I want God to often just fix it. I want to call down His power and change it all instantly and miraculously. And sometimes, He does! But Psalm 22 teaches us that our first desire needs to be for God Himself – for His presence. Not for what He can do for us, but for who He is. He’s not the celestial santa claus, on whose knee we sit and ask for all the things we want and then off we go and wait for Him to deliver. Even in the midst of dire trouble, the Psalmist prays first for the nearness of God.
The section of lament ends with verse 21, and the Psalm takes a really sudden and drastic turn in focus and direction. So much so that some have suggested that originally there were two separate psalms that have been combined into one. A better suggestion, I think, is to understand how this Psalm might have been used by Israel in worship. I make a few assumptions here, but my opinion, if I sort of re-create what is going on, is that in the assembly, the king (likely David) would be singing the first part, the lament and the prayer. And then a priest would announce that God has heard the lament and will answer; perhaps he answered specifically, perhaps generically. Because of this, the king can continue his offering of worship, and it takes a drastic turn to praising God for the answer provided. This isn’t really that far off from what we see today in highly structured worship – even in our own celebration of communion, we read a portion of Scripture, pass the first element, read a second, pass the second element, then end with a prayer of thanksgiving.
Regardless of how we interpret the reason for the shift, there is definitely a shift in focus. The last half is full of praise. Full of optimism. Full of witness. Verse 24 expresses it explicitly (read). The Psalm draws to a close with an incredible picture of all people, everywhere, bowing in worship: (read verse 27).
It is quite a journey – from personal depths of despair and feeling forsaken and abandoned by God, to being exuberant and overflowing with worship and seeing that on a global scale. I believe the second part is meant to give hope to the first part. That even as David expressed his feelings of doubt and despair and hopelessness, we know that we can look ahead and see that God will answer.
There is the Psalm on the lips of the king of Israel, in its original context, with some additional background describing the structure and what might be going on around it. Let’s look next at the psalm on the lips of Jesus.
2. Psalm 22 on the lips of Jesus:
This takes us right to the cross. Matthew 27:46 puts the exact words of Psalm 22:1 on Jesus’ lips. This is no accident – no case of Jesus happening to say just what the psalmist had said so long ago. Jesus is without a doubt quoting the words of the Psalm, and by doing so on the cross He makes it clear that the words of Psalm 22 are His words, he claims them for Himself. Scripture only records Jesus quoting verse 1: some interpreters think that Jesus maybe recited the entire Psalm from the cross; I’m not convinced of that because there is no mention in any of the gospels that Jesus quoted more than verse 1. However, I do believe that by quoting verse 1 Jesus was really expressing the whole Psalm – you see we need to understand the context. In Jesus day they didn’t memorize single verses, like we do in Sunday school today. They would have memorized entire passages and books, not single verses. The gospel writers draw the rest of the parallels to the Psalm as they describe the action, giving us more evidence that Psalm 22 is really being acted out. And by doing so, He gives us the right now to look back at the Psalm and see the things that David expressed and how they come to fulfillment in Jesus’ crucifixion. And this gives us the right to see all of Psalm 22 as a portrait of Jesus.
There are numerous, very direct parallels. Very direct evidence of fulfillment of prophecy (as the NT points out). Lets look briefly at the elements of the lament in Psalm 22 that find fulfillment in Jesus’ death:
1. Forsaken by God: David felt forsaken, Jesus was forsaken. The Father God turned His back on His only Son. Jesus had looked for another way the night before in the garden of Gethsemane, but there was no other way. Jesus had to become sin on our behalf in order to save us. (2 Cor. 5:21).
2. Mocked and scorned by man: vs. 6b-8; cf. Matt. 27:39-44.
3. great thirst, vs. 15; cf. John 19:28
4. pieced hands and feet, vs. 16; Luke 24:39
5. humiliated, vs. 17; seen also in the response of people and in the humiliation
6. cast lots for clothing, vs. 18; cf. John 19:23-24.
So what is the portrait of Jesus in Psalm 22? It is the picture of a suffering king. It is significant not because it is unique in its content but because it is a picture painted so far in advance of the event of Jesus’ crucifixion. And as we see how many explicit details – perhaps even originally intended metaphorically by David as he wrote them – are fulfilled in Jesus.
We have just come through the season of Advent, when we marvel at how Jesus would shed His “majestic robes of glorie,” how He would stoop so low as to become completely human. The psalm reminds us that it went further than that. Vs. 6 says (read) – Jesus is expressing how He is being treated not even as a man as He is crucified, but as a worm. Here is our King, the King of Kings in fact, being humiliated on our behalf.
It isn’t a pretty picture. In fact, it is an ugly picture. One of pain and great suffering. Of rejection. The lament of Psalm 22 finds its most perfect fulfillment as expressed by Jesus on the cross.
And yet, that isn’t the whole picture. Psalm 22 has a second part. Jesus certainly knew that, and there is even the possibility that Jesus’ last words, “It is finished,” echo the last words of Psalm 22. This second part of Psalm 22 expresses the triumph of the cross and resurrection – look again at the words of verse 24 – those apply to Jesus. And the entire rest of the Psalm, with all of its global implications of praise, extending even past death (see verse 29b), only really makes sense after Jesus has defeated death.
That is why I say the picture is of a suffering king. Because Jesus emerges through the suffering, through the horror of the cross, to victory.
3. Psalm 22 on our lips:
We’ve seen Psalm 22 on the lips of David, the king of Israel. We’ve seen it on Jesus’ lips. But what does all this mean for you and I today, as we go about life day by day by day? What does it mean for us to voice the words of this Psalm? Let me make a few closing observations.
1. The Psalm calls us to honesty before God. If we are feeling like He is far away, we need to express that. We need to say it. David did, and so did Jesus Himself. The question “where are you Lord?” is acceptable to God – it not a question that is going to get God really mad at us, it is an honest question. God honors our honesty.
2. The Psalm calls us to submission to God. I pointed this out earlier from verse 3 – in our questioning, in our doubt, in our feeling like God is far off, we need to remember that He is God. The Psalmist continues from verse 3 to remind himself of all that God had done in the past – an excellent exercise for us when we feel God is distant. To look back and remind ourselves of all God has done for us previously builds faith, and encourages us.
3. The cross reminds us that Jesus has been there too. When we feel the need to express our despair, frustration even, over God’s apparent silence, we remember that Jesus felt that way also. He understands, He has been there.
4. Finally, the Psalm reminds us to look ahead. To know that God will hear, and God will answer. In the context of the song on David’s lips, it appears that the answer comes immediately. For Jesus, it was at most 3 days before the answer came. Maybe it is longer for you and I, but the point is that there will be an answer. God will come near again, He will save, He will forgive, He will deliver.
I don’t know where you are struggling today, what areas of your life you look at and wonder, with great pain and distress, “Lord where are you? Why are you silent?? Why won’t you come and answer me???” To you I say that He hears your cry. He will answer – hang in there, be patient, be honest before Him. Jesus is King. He is still in control of the universe, and He is still desiring to reach into our lives and bring His presence close. Psalm 22 paints us a picture of a suffering King, one whose suffering and death and resurrection were for us.
Conclusion:
In 1871, tragedy struck Chicago as fire ravaged the city. When it was all over, 300 people were dead and 100,000 were homeless. Horatio Gates Spafford was one of those who tried to help the people of the city get back on their feet. A lawyer who had invested much of his money into the downtown Chicago real estate, he’d lost a great deal to the fire. And his one son (he had four daughters) had died about the same time. Still, for two years Spafford assisted the homeless, impoverished, and grief-stricken ruined by the fire.
After about two years of such work, Spafford and his family decided to take a vacation. They were to go to England to join Moody and Ira Sankey on one of their evangelistic crusades, then travel in Europe. Horatio Spafford was delayed by some business, but sent his family on ahead. He would catch up to them on the other side of the Atlantic.
Their ship, the Ville de Havre, never made it. Off Newfoundland, it collided with an English sailing ship, the Loch Earn, and sank within 20 minutes. Though Horatio’s wife, Anna, was able to cling to a piece of floating wreckage (one of only 47 survivors among hundreds), their four daughters--Maggie, Tanetta, Annie, and Bessie--were killed. Horatio received a horrible telegram from his wife, only two words long: "saved alone."
Spafford boarded the next available ship to be near his grieving wife, and the two finally met up with Dwight Moody. "It is well," Spafford told him quietly. "The will of God be done."
Though reports vary as to when he did so, Spafford was led during those days of surely overwhelming grief to pen the words to one of the most beautiful hymns we know:
When peace like a river, attendeth my way;
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
He lives--oh, the bliss of this glorious thought;
My sin, not in part, but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more.
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, Oh my soul.
And, Lord, haste the day when our faith shall be sight
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll,
The trumpet shall sound, and the Lord shall descend;
Even so, it is well with my soul...
