“Man Of Sorrows”
Scripture references: Psalm 22:1, 7, 8, 16, 18, 30-31. Matthew 27:33, 35, 39, 46. Matthew 26:39, John 19:30, Colossians 2:11-15
Introduction:
I came across a video this week that caught my attention. In this video, a street preacher was having a discussion with a man passing by. The man challenged the preacher on Jesus, arguing that Jesus made mistakes. He elaborated by saying that Jesus forgot things…specifically citing Matthew 27:46
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?” – Matt 27:46 ESV
The man ultimately concludes by saying that if Jesus is supposedly God, then He should know His divine mission. There should be no need to ask God why He has been forsaken…this is something He should have known. In other words, in this moment…Jesus forgot His divine mission.
The preacher’s response to this was spot on. He says: “It’s funny that you say He forgot His divine mission, when Jesus is quoting a Psalm that points to His divine mission”.
So, what Psalm was Jesus quoting?
Devotional:
Why Have You Forsaken Me?
To the choirmaster: according to The Doe of the Dawn. A Psalm of David.
22 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? -Psalm 22:1 ESV
This Psalm leads off with the exact words Jesus will cry out as he suffers on the cross. What is so profound about this connection, is that it doesn’t stop with this one quote. The Psalm is littered with parallels between David’s suffering and Jesus’ suffering…the ‘Son of David’. Theologians and Scholars have long noted this, and the ESV study Bible from Crossway provides a convenient table for comparison:1
| Psalm 22 | Matthew 27 |
| My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? – Ps 22:1 | 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?” -Matt 27:46 |
| All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads. -Ps 22:7 | And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads. -Matt 27:39 |
| “He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!” -Ps 22:8 | He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, “I am the Son of God.” -Matt 27:33 |
| They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots. -Ps 22:18 | And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots. -Matt 27:35 |
The crucifixion connections in Psalm 22 don’t stop there…
For dogs encompass me;
a company of evildoers encircles me;
they have pierced my hands and feet -Psalm 22:16 ESV
Posterity shall serve him;
it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation;
31 they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn,
that he has done it. -Psalm 22:30-31
Verses 30-31 is how Psalm 22 ends…with the phrase: “He has done it” …isn’t it fitting that Jesus’ final words from the cross are:
When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. -John 19:30 ESV
Did Jesus forget His divine mission? Quite the opposite! He was pointing to His divine mission.
On this Resurrection Sunday, we will be singing these words from the song: ‘Man of Sorrows’…
“Silent as He stood accused
Beaten, mocked and scorned
Bowing to the Father’s will
He took a crown of thorns” – Man of Sorrows
“Bowing to the Father’s will”. This line encapsulates what we’re talking about. Jesus understood His mission. Despite the beating, the mocking, the pain…He submitted to the will of the Father. We see this in Jesus’ prayer in the garden…
And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” -Matt 26:39 ESV
Both Jesus’ humanity and divinity are on full display. As a human, He suffered…He felt severe distress. Yet He never strayed from His mission, from the will of the Father.
This song takes us from the cross on Good Friday…to the empty tomb on Sunday:
“See the stone is rolled away
Behold the empty tomb
Hallelujah God be praised
He’s risen from the grave” -Man of Sorrows
I can’t possibly provide any more profound words to shout with triumph going into this weekend than the words of Paul:
In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities[b] and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. -Colossians 2:11-15 ESV
Amen.
Sean Wagner
- “The Use of Psalm 22 in Matthew 27.” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 16 Apr, 2025. <https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv-study-bible/old-testament/charts/the-use-of-psalm-twenty-two-in-matthew-twenty-seven.cfm>. ↩︎