My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?
2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,
and by night, but I find no rest.
3 Yet you are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.
4 In you our fathers trusted;
they trusted, and you delivered them.
5 To you they cried and were rescued;
in you they trusted and were not put to shame.
6 But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by mankind and despised by the people.
7 All who see me mock me;
they make mouths at me; they wag their heads;
8 “He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him;
let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”
9 Yet you are he who took me from the womb;
you made me trust you at my mother's breasts.
10 On you was I cast from my birth,
and from my mother's womb you have been my God.
11 Be not far from me,
for trouble is near,
and there is none to help.
12 Many bulls encompass me;
strong bulls of Bashan surround me;
13 they open wide their mouths at me,
like a ravening and roaring lion.
14 I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint;
my heart is like wax;
it is melted within my breast;
15 my strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to my jaws;
you lay me in the dust of death.
16 For dogs encompass me;
a company of evildoers encircles me;
they have pierced my hands and feet—
17 I can count all my bones—
they stare and gloat over me;
18 they divide my garments among them,
and for my clothing they cast lots.
19 But you, O Lord, do not be far off!
O you my help, come quickly to my aid!
20 Deliver my soul from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dog!
21 Save me from the mouth of the lion!
You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen!
22 I will tell of your name to my brothers;
in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:
“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Our Lord Jesus Christ uses what's left of His strength to pray the words of our text, Psalm 22. In the Gospel according to St. Mark these are Jesus’ last words. The rejected Christ, God in flesh, is forsaken by God, His Father & He breaths last. In the person of Jesus Christ God suffers, God is forsaken, and God dies.
He dies with Psalm 22 on lips, a psalm that was written by King David over thousand years before Jesus was even born. And yet, as you read it, you get the idea that he's standing right there at Calvary, surveying his own son & Lord as He suffered on the cross.
Our text today is the most visual, the most graphic description of Lord’s suffering. He's alone, surrounded by His enemies, “For dogs encompass Me; a company of evildoers encircles Me” (v. 16) He says.Those who're as strong as bulls surround Him. There's not a friendly face to be found in that crowd on Good Friday .Jesus is alone. All friends have deserted Him, even one of His best friends Peter has denied Him not just once, but three times! And now only those who mock Him, torture Him, and kill remain.
Even His God forsakes Him, as He hangs on the cross with the sin of world lying on His shoulders Jesus’ God leave's Him to die, He cries “O My God, I cry by day, but You do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest… In You our fathers trusted; they trusted and You delivered them. To You they cried and were rescued; in You they trusted and were not put to shame. But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people” (v. 2, 4-6)
The God who saved His people Israel from slavery in Egypt, the God who led the people of Israel through the wilderness and into the Promised Land, the God in whom people trusted save them from sin and death, rejects His own Son. The Son who's become a worm, and so, not worthy of God’s help, but only death and judgment for the sin He bears on the cross. This He must do. This He's driven to do. Though innocent, Jesus must face fullness of God’s wrath against sinful humanity.
So He suffers. So great is His distress that He cries: “I am poured out like water, and all My bones are out of join; My heart is like wax; it is melted within My breast; My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and My tongue sticks to My jaws; You lay me in the dust of death…. I can count all My bones” (v. 14-15, 17) Stripped of His clothes, hanging naked, and stretched out on the cross Jesus can number all His bones as the blood from whips, the crown of thorns, the multiple beatings and His pierced hand & feet run down them all, to fall onto the ground.
All agonies of sin, all torment of hell fell upon your Lord Jesus Christ. He faces it all in order to free all the world from sin, death, and hell.
And the question we come to face is: why? Why did Jesus have do this? Who’s responsible for what amounts to the greatest human rights violation in all of history? Do you remember a decade ago when the Passion of Christ came out? Everyone was complaining that Mel Gibson had made it look like the Jews were responsible killing Jesus. I got news for you--they weren’t. It wasn't the Romans either. They were just instruments in God’s plan.
Who's responsible? You are. I am. It was your sin, my sin, the sin of every sinful human being in world that put Jesus on the cross. It was every hateful thought that's ever gone through your head, every biting word that you've ever spoken behind your neighbour’s back, every time you called God’s Word boring, and not being worth your time so that you can sleep in, or play games.
There on cross all sin my sin is judged. There God reveals exactly what He thinks of your sin and what you deserve for your sin. Not just physical suffering but rejection. The rejection of God Himself to die eternally in hell. The Bible says that the “wages of sin is death” and on the cross I see death that I deserve.
So repent. Repent of your sins, dear saints. Behold the life-giving cross on which hung the salvation of the world! See what your sin has done to Jesus. He's there because of you, because of your sin. How can you possibly continue to live in your sin? Repent.
Repent & believe. Jesus did this for you. Jesus suffered, He was rejected, He was killed for you. Here in the cross behold love of God for you. Here see love of God the Father for you, to send His only Son into suffering & death for the sin of world, for your sin. Here in the cross see love of God the Son, Jesus Christ, for you, to enter into suffering and death to save you from your own sin and the death your sin deserves.
Here in the cross find the holy and innocent God incarnate suffering, being forsaken, and dying in your place. Here find your God who becomes a worm for you, who “For [your] sake He made Him to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Cor 5:21) “But He was pierced for [your] transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought [you] peace, and with his wounds [you] are healed.” (Isa 53:5)
Your Sins are forgiven. The fatal wounds sin has caused you are healed in Christ. His blood has paid for every last sin the devil could ever hold against you. How can I be sure? Hear His Word: “It is finished” It's all done, all paid, for you.
But your Jesus doesn't stop there. Death isn't enough for your Jesus. Note how our text for today ended: “I will tell of Your name to My brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise You.” (v. 22) If Jesus dies on the cross how is going to tell His brothers, the congregation that it's all done? He must rise again. In order to give His people His Word, in order to proclaim in His church that all has been done, in order to feed His church with His very own body and blood given to wash & purify her, Jesus must live, even though He dies. Jesus must rise three days later for you so that the fruit of His sacrifice can be given to you in His Word, at the font, and at His Table.
Here you find the forgiveness of your sins. Here your Lord Jesus leads you away from your sin and into the faithful, God-pleasing life.
Dear saints, behold the suffering of Jesus. Behold His rejection, His humiliation, and His death and find your life, your new life won for you by His death. Behold Jesus hung upon the cross and repent and know He did it for you.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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