Burning Bush Blogs
Equipping Men with Biblical Knowledge and Leadership Skills
Category: Personal Study
Thread: How the OT reveals Jesus
Post Topic: Prophecy – Excruciating Death
Post in Thread: #4
Previous: Prophecy – the Donkey
Scripture: Psalm 22:13-18
John 19:23-24; John 19:28-30
Roaring lions that tear their prey open their mouths wide against me. 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.
Psalm 22:13-18
Observations
Context
- King David, known as both a warrior and poet/musician, wrote this Psalm.
- Aside from the prophecies, the Psalm is an expression of the distress of anyone who feels abandoned by God.
- David live a thousand years before Christ. Before crucifixion had been invented.
The Psalm
- The Psalm foreshadows many things about Jesus’ death, including:
- Evil-doers surrounding and mocking Jesus
- The piercing of Jesus’ hands and feet
- The agony of his bones stretching (part of the horror of crucifixion)
- His intense thirst
- The dividing and casting lots for his garments
Fulfillment
- John watches the fulfillment of these Old Testament prophecies with his own eyes
- Verses 23 and 24 describe casting lots for garments
- Verses 28-30 describe his thirst and his death
Dig Deeper (practice your observation skills)
If you have time, read all of Psalm 22. Make a list of every statement that could be about Jesus. You’ll be amazed at how many you find.
When you have a little more time, try your hand at correlation. Search the accounts of the crucifixion for a match to each of your notes and jot down the verse reference in a side-by-side chart.
Interpretation
Setting/Author – David
- David reigned as king for forty years, from 1010-970 BCE.
- David is known for playing the harp and composing 73-75 psalms.
Setting/Author – John
- Jesus’ crucifixion happened on a hill just outside the city walls of Jerusalem. The site today is marked by the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
- John is the only disciple at the crucifixion. The others were afraid to be seen.
- His gospel relates seven miracles, which he declares to be signs to give us confidence in Jesus’ sacrificial mission of love (John 20:31).
Genre
- Psalms – prophetic poetry
- John – Historical Narrative
Imagine
You’re John. Last night in Gethsemane, you heard your Lord praying for strength, and you saw great drops of blood on his brow. He pleaded with you, and Peter, and James to stay awake and pray with him. From a groggy, foggy state, you heard him say, “The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak,” and then Peter’s snores lulled you, and you drifted off. That was hours ago, before the traitor brought the soldiers, and now it’s near the ninth hour on Friday. The world is dark and there he is–mocked, beaten, pierced, dying. Even Peter is nowhere to be found, but thankfully, the soldiers seem to be ignoring you.
Jesus struggles to lift his eyes. First toward you, then to his quivering mother Mary. He speaks. Raspy, but clear. “Woman, here is your son.” She leans into you.
Then to you: “Here is your mother.”
He is entrusting her to you. This is really happening. You pull her closer. Nothing can be said.
Takeaways
- David lived a thousand years before the crucifixion.
- David experienced enemies surrounding him many times as Saul’s men hounded him; also, he was a military man, who fought many battles. But he must never experienced piercings of hands and feet. It wasn’t a part of ancient warfare.
- The men who put those rusty spikes in our Savior’s flesh did so like a pack of wild dogs, voraciously eager for the kill.
- Many other prophecies were fulfilled on that cross. At one point, Jesus cries out “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” This is a direct quote from Psalm 22:1.
Correlation
- The Messiah’s suffering would include thirst (Psalm 22:15; John 19:28)
- The Messiah would be mocked and rejected (Psalm 22:8; Isaiah 53:3; Matthew 27:39, 43).
- Soldiers would cast lots for his robe (Psalm 22:18; Matthew 27:35; Luke 23:34).
- The Messiah would cry to the Father (Psalm 22:1; Matthew 27:46).
- He would be pierced (Zechariah 12:10; Luke 23:33).
Application
Generic Applications
- Old Testament writers who described details about Jesus’ death couldn’t have made up this brutal execution. The Holy Spirt guided their words.
Personalize it
- When distressed like David was when he wrote Psalm 22, I can take comfort in the cross. Nails did not keep Jesus there; his love for me did.
- How much do I walk and talk with the same commitment shown by David and John? Would I have been scared to show my face like Peter and the other disciples?
Bible study methodology adapted from Searching the Scriptures with permission from Tyndale House:
Swindoll, Charles, Searching the Scriptures. Tyndale House Publishers, 2016.