“"Why Have You Forsaken Me?”

Sunday, December 11, 2022

Psalm 22 is one of the richest chapters in the Old Testament, in terms of its messianic prophecies.  Nearly everyone will recognize the first line, and many can even quote it in Aramaic, because that’s how Matthew and Mark record it for us:

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27.46)

He’s deliberately quoting Psalm 22. There’s debate whether the sentiment expressed is an accurate representation of what was happening between Jesus and his Father at that moment, or only a reference to a psalm full of prophecies; there’s an answer available to that debate, but it’s not our purpose at present.  Whatever Jesus felt at that time, he surely said this at least partly to direct the minds of those who stood there, watching him die, to the prophecies he was fulfilling.

It’s sad to say, by and large they didn’t get it.  “And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, ‘This man is calling Elijah’” (Mt 27.47).  He was not calling Elijah.  Elijah had nothing to do with it.  Their idea wasn’t totally baseless—the final two sentences of the Old Testament promise, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes” (Mal 4.5), and as the populace wanted for the Son of David to come and save them, this messianic prophecy had taken center stage.  Needless to say, they were a bit confused about what it meant, though.  And even while they misapplied one messianic prophecy, they completely missed the one Jesus actually meant.

But Psalm 22 is among the most powerful prophecies in the Bible!  It didn’t only predict that Jesus would feel forsaken by God; there’s so much more! 

“All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads…” (Psalm 22.7)

The sign placed above Jesus on the cross read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews” (Jn 19.19).  The bystanders, including the chief priests, scribes, and elders, and even the thieves crucified alongside Jesus “derided him, wagging their heads.”  But it gets even more specific.  In Psalm 22, the mockers say, “He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!” (v8).  What did the religious authorities say about Jesus?

“He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” (Matthew 27.42-43)

These are the people whose job it is to know the Scriptures!  Do they hear themselves quoting Psalm 22 to their own detriment?  Apparently not.

I am poured out like water,

        and all my bones are out of joint… (Psalm 22.14a)

Part of this is metaphor, but part of it is not.  Victims of crucifixion had their entire bodyweight suspended by their outstretched arms at an awkward angle, putting enormous tension on the joints.  Their shoulders, at least, were usually dislocated.

…my heart is like wax;

        it is melted within my breast… (Psalm 22.14b)

Crucifixion is a convoluted method of execution, because it’s not blood loss or direct disruption of the nervous system that brings on death.  Instead, the awkward position diminishes lung capacity and makes it progressively difficult to breathe, slowly suffocating the victim over a period of several, miserable hours.  This naturally leads to heart trouble, as it races to compensate for decreased oxygen in the blood, and meanwhile isn’t getting enough oxygen itself.

…my strength is dried up like a potsherd,

        and my tongue sticks to my jaws;

        you lay me in the dust of death. (Psalm 22.15)

One of the few things Jesus said from the cross was very simple: “I thirst” (Jn 19.28).

For dogs encompass me;

        a company of evildoers encircles me;

        they have pierced my hands and feet… (Psalm 22.16)

Presumably this needs little explanation.  It’s one more in a long string of fulfillments, and is among the most alarmingly precise of all the messianic prophecies.

…they divide my garments among them,

        and for my clothing they cast lots. (Psalm 22.18)

It’s not always acknowledged that victims of crucifixion weren’t generally given any provision for modesty.  Their clothes were removed when they were put on the cross.  What did the soldiers do with the clothes?  “And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots” (Mt 27.35).

There are more of these to be found in Psalm 22, but those are the most obvious, and it forms an astonishing picture.  When David composed Psalm 22, he didn’t know the importance of what he was writing; but in retrospect, now that we know its fulfillment, it’s impossible to read without seeing Jesus in every line!  Apart from a testament to God’s foreknowledge and the surety of his prophecies, what does it matter?  Well, the Psalm doesn’t end with its protagonist being stripped of his clothes; in the face of certain death, he still looks forward to life—to being rescued!  And what would be the effect?  Let’s give the last word to the Psalm:

All the ends of the earth shall remember

                       and turn to the Lord,

        and all the families of the nations

                       shall worship before you.

For kingship belongs to the Lord,

        and he rules over the nations. (Psalm 22.27-28)

Jeremy Nettles

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