Friday — No Wonder We Call It Good

Psalm 22 (various verses) (NRSV)
1a My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? … 7 All who see me mock at me; they make mouths at me, they shake their heads; … 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 mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; … 16b My hands and feet have shriveled; [KJV they pierced my hands and my feet.] 17 I can count all my bones. They stare and gloat over me; 18 they divide my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots. … 23 You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him; stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel! … 27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him. … 30b future generations will be told about the Lord, 31 and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn, saying that he has done it [or literally, "it is finished"].

It is Friday at 3:00 in the afternoon. The midday sun has mysteriously, ominously been shrouded in darkness since noon. Our Savior, hanging on a cross, speaks in Aramaic the first few words of this Psalm. The Jews within earshot surely know the rest of the words by heart. The melody of this thousand-year-old song of David plays through their heads and the words sting like arrows. How odd this song sounded until today!

Jesus' bones are all out of joint from hanging from His pierced hands. His heart, once muscular, now soft like melted wax struggles to pump blood through His dying body. He can count all His ribs with each labored breath. The soldiers have long since cast lots and divided his clothing among them. His thirst is so intense that His tongue sticks to his jaws.

Stand in awe of the Lord, all you offspring of Israel! All the ends of the earth shall remember what happened on this day and turn to the Lord and worship before Him. For He became flesh and dwelt among us. He loved us so much that He died a most horrific death announcing to all humanity for all time with His last breath that "it is finished."

The rest is up to us.