10-27-19 Sermon Notes
“Overwhelming – Forsaken” Psalm 22:1-18;Matthew 27:35-46; Mark 15:24-34; Luke 23:34-36; and John 19:24-34
Last week we focused on the Davidic Covenant and its fulfillment. This week we will be spending time looking at the details of Christ’s suffering on the cross in both the Old Testament and the New Testament as it pertains to the fulfillment of prophecy.
Introduction
“Forsaken” is a strong expression for personal abandonment.
Have you ever felt forsaken by God?
ReadPsalm 22:1-18 New International Version (NIV)
1 “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? 2 My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest. 3 Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the one Israel praises. 4 In you our ancestors put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. 5 To you they cried out and were saved; in you they trusted and were not put to shame. 6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by everyone, despised by the people. 7 All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads. 8 “He trusts in the LORD,” they say, “let the LORD rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.” 9 Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast. 10 From birth I was cast on you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God. 11 Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help. 12 Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me. 13 Roaring lions that tear their prey open their mouths wide against me. 14 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. 15 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. 16 Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet. 17 All my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over me. 18 They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.”
ReadJohn 19:16-30 New International Version (NIV)
The Crucifixion of Jesus
16 “Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. 17 Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). 18 There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle. 19 Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 20 Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. 21 The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.” 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.” 23 When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. 24 “Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.” This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said, “They divided my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.”So this is what the soldiers did. 25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” 27 and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
The Death of Jesus
28 Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” 29 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. 30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”
Message
Before we begin, let’s take note of who wrote Psalm 22, what was taking place in the life of the psalmist and when it was written. First, it was written by David. Second, he was going through a dark period of his life. Third, it was written as a song to be sung. Fourth, it was written about a thousand years before the birth and death of Jesus and crucifixion was not a form of putting people to death at that time.
And just for a moment, think about the fact that Jesus would have sung this very song!
Realizing that Psalms can be predictive, it is important to note just how predictive Psalm 22 really is of Jesus’ suffering. The Psalm begins:
“My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” (Psalm 22:1).
At the very beginning of this verse we see the very words that the Lord Jesus spoke from the cross; “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” It appears that this was the moment Jesus took the sin of the entire world upon His body and the Father turned away. The Father could not look upon sin. He would have to burn it up. This very well could have been the moment that Jesus had dreaded the most. The terrible physical suffering could not compare to the heart suffering – the abandonment that Jesus must have suffered at that moment that He took upon Himself our sins.
So, we begin with this verse in our prophetic journey as we find the same words cried out by Jesus from the cross, (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34).
Likewise, the Psalmist explains:
“All who see me sneer at me; They separate with the lip, they wag the head, saying, ‘Commit yourself to the Lord; let Him deliver him; Let Him rescue him, because He delights in him,’” (Psalm 22:7-8)
The gospel writers similarly report:
“And the people stood by, looking on. And even the rulers were sneering at Him, saying, ‘He saved others; let Him save Himself if this is the Christ of God, His Chosen One.’ The soldiers also mocked Him, coming up to Him, offering Him sour wine, and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!” (Luke 23:35-36, see also Matthew 27:39-43 and Mark 15:29-32).
The details are different enough that there is no reason to think that Luke or the other Gospel writers are merely copying lines from the Psalm and claiming they happened to Jesus, and yet the parallel is striking.
Continuing on – the process of crucifixion also fits with phrases like:
“I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint,” (Psalm 22:14).
The Psalmist even explains “My tongue cleaves to my jaws,” (Psalm 22:15) while Jesus cries out from the cross, “I am thirsty,” (John 19:28).
The author of the Psalm also exclaims:
“For dogs have surrounded me; a band of evildoers has encompassed me; they pierced my hands and my feet,” (Psalm 22:16).
Although nowhere in the New Testament is Psalm 22:16 quoted, most scholars agree that this passage provides us a preview of Christ’s death on the cross.
Surrounded by hostile gentiles (“dogs” and “evildoers”), Jesus is nailed to a Roman cross through His hands and feet. As one New Testament passage puts it:
“This Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death,” (Acts 2:23).
The Psalmist also cries:
“They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing, they cast lots,” (Psalm 22:18).
During the execution of Jesus, we are told:
“And they crucified Him, and divided up His garments among themselves, casting lots for them to decide what each man should take,” (Mark 15:24, see also Matthew 27:35, Luke 23:34, and John 19:24).
Concluding Remarks and Application
The 22nd Psalm as a whole parallel with Jesus’ own suffering in stunning detail. Simply reading the crucifixion narratives in the Gospels and then this Psalm back to back, it is hard to avoid the conclusion that they are describing the same events.
The ‘forsaken’ part of this psalm and later on the cross is a haunting reminder of the magnitude of the suffering and sacrifice on our behalf. But let us also be reminded that this abandonment did not last forever. Even when we feel abandoned by God, we should always remember, because of this tremendous sacrifice of Jesus, that God will never abandon us.