Psalm of the Cross – Time in the Chapel

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Jesus on the Road to Emmaus by Gebhard Fugel
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Psalm 22 Part 2

Bible scholars don’t always get it right. Just because they went to a top notch seminary or Bible College or Christian university doesn’t mean they’re infallible. No one is infallible. No one. Case in point, Bible scholars have unofficially titled Psalm 22 as “The Psalm of the Cross”. Well, as I argued in the last episode and I’ll demonstrate in this one, that moniker sells this beauty short. I mean, if all we had was the Cross, we’d be no better off than we were before Jesus came to the earth and, frankly, neither would God. Let’s just say it. If all Jesus had to look forward to was the Cross then I don’t believe he would have ever shed His Heavenly Glory and “took upon Him the form of a servant” and “the likeness of men”.

(Heb 12:2) …Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Jesus endured the cross; part 1, because joy lay ahead; part 2. If you were with us for our first installment in this series then I have no doubt that you were astounded by the accuracy of Psalm 22 in its prediction of the thoughts of the Man dying on the Cross. It is that startling exactness that, no doubt, motivated the scholars to label this the “Psalm of the Cross”. However, as incredible as the description of the cross is in this Hebrew Hymn so is the prediction of the aftermath of the cross. The JOY that motivated Jesus to endure His grisly Death is also found in Psalm 22. Hebrews 12:2, as quoted above, shows us that the joy that was set before Him included Jesus sitting down (the more modern way to put it) at the right hand of the throne of God. Well, how did Jesus get from the Cross to the right hand of the throne of God? Resurrection! Jesus rose and Psalm 22 is so wonderful, it tells us about that experience too!

Join us for this, the second part of our Psalm 22 series. We purposely split it up because there are two distinct themes: the Crucifixion and the Resurrection. This section of God’s Word is a very big challenge to Bible critics and those that deny that Jesus is the Messiah. If you find it more comfortable to doubt that God exists or that Jesus is His Son or that the Bible is a true and reliable book then I suggest you skip this episode because all it’s going to do is make you uncomfortable by throwing a very serious challenge at your doubt. On the other hand, if you are truly interested in knowing whether or not what God says in Scripture is something you can hang your eternal soul on then I encourage you to listen in. But before you do I want to suggest you take a few minutes and go to God in prayer and ask Him to open your heart to Truth. Ask Him to help you put away old prejudices and the strong delusion of the world so that you can see clearly what is real and right. If your spirit longs for answers ask God to take you by the hand and lead you to His Wisdom.

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Manuscript Leaf With The Crucifixion
From a Missal_ca 1270–80
Image in the Public Domain

Psalm 22 Part 1 with Communion

The thing I hear most often from my friends and acquaintances who do not fully agree with my views is that we shouldn’t take the Bible too seriously. I’ve never really heard anyone “denounce” the Bible or call for the end of the use of the Bible in society; at least not anyone most of us would take seriously. With only a few exceptions, perhaps, some lonely, attention-starved Internet trolls, most people are polite in their rejection of what the church still considers (for the time being) its most important document. Most people I encounter…especially those who know what I do with my life are civil, albeit a bit condescending. I often hear things like, “Well, it’s just a bunch of stories” or “It’s not perfect because it’s just a book written by men” or “Society has evolved since it was written. It’s no longer relevant.” The interesting thing about those who make these and similarly dismissive comments is that it is unlikely that any of them have spent more than 5 hours of their lives studying that which they criticize. It’s actually quite unique in the human social experience, I believe. In most other subject areas it would be considered rude to comment on the value or validity of something before having, at least, some knowledge of it. Although, I do admit, with the rise of social media more and more seem to willingly and actively participate in discussions on just about any topic regardless of their fitness to do so.

Despite the fact there is a fairly sizable proportion of Biblical critics who refuse to change their position on the truth of Scripture, I believe there are still quite a few who just need to take a closer look. Today (and next time) we are talking about Psalm 22. This is where staying “on the fence” gets really tough. You see, besides just being one of the finest of the Hebrew worship songs, Psalm 22 is a remarkably accurate prophecy. Perhaps you didn’t know that the Psalms aren’t just a collection of Jewish hymns but that they’re also rich in prophetic imagery especially as it relates to the coming Messiah. In fact, Jesus Himself once said:

(Luk 24:44) …all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.

Jesus said the psalms, along with other Old Testament Scripture, spoke of Him. Join us for this episode as we begin to unpack the remarkably prophetic Psalm 22. I especially encourage those of you who are still not sure if the Bible is sent from God Himself to have a listen. BUT if you are one of those who are not yet convinced that Scripture is “inspired” I’m going to ask you to withhold judgment until you have fully examined this startling example of God’s Holy Spirit working through the pens of men. It may take more than just our little two part series to get you all the information you need on this topic. Like every subject we teach on, I encourage all of you to do your own research. I never want you to solely rely on our teaching as you pursue a better understanding of God through His Word but I believe this is a good place to start. We do our best to strip away the tradition and religion and get to the heart of what the Bible is really saying. Psalm 22 was written for YOU. Psalm 22 was written with a purpose in mind. God is reaching His Hand out to you, grab it and let Him draw you closer through what He has said in Scripture.

In this episode we also celebrate a Communion. If you’ve never done that with us before I would encourage you to pay as close attention as you can to the first 20 minutes or so of the program. It is in that segment where we cover some of the more important aspects of “Going to the Table of the Lord”. (If this is not the first time you’ve celebrated the Communion with us on a podcast then you’ve probably heard that first part already. If you prefer to skip ahead to the message just go to the 22 minute, 27 second mark of the podcast. That’s where the new content begins.)

Just as a reminder, let me suggest that before you start the podcast that you take a few minutes and go to the Lord in prayer. We discuss eternal things on this program and the best way to get the most out of it is to have the Holy Spirit “alongside” assisting your understanding. Jesus is standing by, waiting for your prayers. Go to the Father and ask Him to open your heart and mind so that you can grow ever closer to Him.