·
27:35: The soldiers casting lots for Jesus’
robe. This was common in this
setting. But what is interesting is that
Psalm 22 even mentions this. It is a
somewhat minute detail, but thus a detail that is often characteristic of Bible
prophecy.
·
27:42-43: The point of crucifixion, besides the
pain involved, was to shame the criminal.
The crosses were not terribly high off the ground. Thus those who walked by got a full dose of
the pain and shame of the one lifted up.
Part of the shame for the criminal was hearing the taunts of the
onlookers. The Romans always put crosses
near busy roads to maximize this so people were warned not to violate Roman
law.
·
27:46: These words of Jesus are the opening
words of Psalm 22. It shows that it is
not just Matthew who sees the connection; Jesus, it appears, understood that He
was “living out” Psalm 22 in His crucifixion.
Crucifixion was not only not common in David’s day; it was unheard of. The Persians invented this form of torturous execution hundreds of years after David; and it was the Romans who perfected it and used it widely. If you take the time to study the entire Psalm, and we highly recommend you do that, you will see that 22:1-21 are an accurate description of what the person on a cross experiences, and especially what the Man Jesus experienced.
One consequence of this is that there is no other person in history to whom this Psalm can possibly apply. As John Gill (JG) says, “the Jews would have any rather than the Messiah” as the subject of this Psalm. Some suggest it speaks of Esther but there are things in the Psalm that fit men; and nothing here connects with the Esther story. Some say David or Absalom; but the disjointed bones, piercing of hands and feet, and casting lots for the clothing have no connection with those men. Some suggest it applies to the Nation; but the Psalm is written of one Person. As we have already noted, Christians should have no question but to apply it to Jesus the Christ.
In research for these studies we have noted various current Jewish web pages that seek to specialize in showing that Jesus is not the Jewish Messiah. The arguments show the truth in what Gill said about the Jews wanting to have anyone but Jesus be the fulfillment. The arguments presented against Christ do not stand the test of truth. Let me share some of those for illustration purposes (from a web page called jewsforjudaism.org.
· Jews ask, Why should he have thought of himself
as separated from God at the very moment when, according to
Christian theology, he was fulfilling God’s plan? Answer: The separation of Father
and Son was real. The plan of the Father required something the Son had never experienced. He had never experienced the bearing of
sin. He had never experienced the
separation. It was a major aspect of His
pain.
·
Another objection is this: Luke and John omit
this cry in their crucifixion accounts, and instead, imply that Jesus
himself was in complete control of the event. This control is seen in Jesus’ yielding His
spirit to God. But the answer is, there is no conflict
here. Both are true: the pain of
separation and the trust in His Father.
The fact that the separation is not final does not mean it is not real
in terms of the suffering.
·
One other objection: Jesus’ speaking of the
separation is at odds with the more positive nature of the end of Psalm
22. The answer is, it is true that with the last line
of 22:21 it turns from the agony of crucifixion to the blessing of resurrection. The key phrase is, You have answered Me
(v21). The remainder of the Psalm fits
quite well with the blessings of Jesus’ exaltation when the humiliation was
complete. It is no different than Isaiah
53 which speaks of Jesus’ vicarious suffering, but in the closing verses speaks
of His posterity after death and the blessing of the Father. As we have said, Jesus is the ONLY person in history
who fits Psalm 22. It required One who
truly died and truly was raised from the dead.
Jesus is that One!
Hallelujah!
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