A few years before I became a Christian, I was watching a play made for TV on Christmas Eve. The scene was a Jewish family in Israel and they were in an uproar.
The family’s only son had gone to the United states to study and came back a Christian. In the midst of the turmoil, the son begged his father to read Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53. I ran to get a Bible and although I was somewhat familiar with parts of Isaiah 53 I had never read Psalm 22.
I will never forget the shock when I read the first sentence “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” I had always wondered why Jesus said those words. Surely He must have known the outcome of that day?
Soon after, I learned that those words were first spoken by Israel’s King David 1000 years before Jesus was born:
- That from David’s lineage the Messiah would come (Psalm 132:11)
- That Jesus had been made sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21) and the Father cannot look upon sin (Habakkuk 1:13)
Jesus was fulfilling Biblical prophecy and it was staring me in the face. As I read the rest of the Psalm, the horror of the crucifixion came to life:
Verses 12-13: “Many bulls have surrounded Me;
Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled Me.
They gape at Me with their mouths,
Like a raging and roaring lion.
Verse 16:“For dogs have surrounded Me;
The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me.
They pierced My hands and My feet
Verses 17-18 “I can count all My bones.
They look and stare at Me.
They divide My garments among them,
And for My clothing they cast lots”
Every time I read those words my passion for Bible prophecy jumps. You see, there was no crucifixion at the time of David when he wrote those words. That would not come for another 500 years.
That day, death died so that we could live.
Watch Good Friday events hour by hour here and our Passover post at sundown today.
