Don't Miss It

Jesus hung on the cross for six agonizing hours.

Then at three o’clock Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (Mark 15:34, NLT)

This passage has incited a lot of debate about what it means for God to have abandoned Jesus.

But what if Jesus wasn’t trying to start a debate? What if Jesus was trying, one last time, to get through to the crowd of onlookers? What if Jesus was trying, one last time, to show them who He was?

Remember, in Jesus’ day, the Jewish people knew their Bibles inside and out. The rabbis could quote a single line and expect their audience to know the rest of passage by heart.

This is what Jesus did. He used His last breath to quote the first line of Psalm 22. This song by King David looked forward to the coming Messiah – the One anointed by God to bring deliverance to Israel.

It’s as if Jesus is crying out, “Don’t miss this! Pay attention to what’s happening here! Everything is unfolding exactly how David predicted it would!”

Listen to just a couple of the parallels between Psalm 22 and the accounts of Jesus’ crucifixion.

David wrote that Jesus would be mocked.

Everyone who sees me mocks me.
    They sneer and shake their heads, saying,

“Is this the one who relies on the Lord?
    Then let the Lord save him!
If the Lord loves him so much,
    let the Lord rescue him!” (Psalm 22:7-8, NLT)

“He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself! So he is the King of Israel, is he? Let him come down from the cross right now, and we will believe in him! He trusted God, so let God rescue him now if he wants him! For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” (Matthew 27:42-43, NLT)

The Roman soldiers would break the legs of their victims to speed up death. But David predicted that none of Jesus’ bones would be broken.

I can count all my bones. (Psalm 22:17, NLT)

So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the two men crucified with Jesus. But when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead, so they didn’t break his legs. (John 19:32-33, NLT)

David said that Jesus’ enemies would gamble for HIs clothing.

 They divide my garments among themselves
    and throw dice for my clothing (Psalm 22:18, NLT)

When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they divided his clothes among the four of them. They also took his robe, but it was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. So they said, “Rather than tearing it apart, let’s throw dice for it.” (John 19:23-24, NLT)

David even predicted the crucifixion six hundred years before crucifixion was invented.

They have pierced my hands and feet. (Psalm 22:16, NLT)

They had nailed him to the cross. (Matthew 27:35, NLT)

Jesus didn’t want anyone to miss what was happening.

He doesn’t want us to miss it either.

So, let’s not. Let’s not miss who Jesus is and what He has done. Let’s not miss His sacrificial love. Let’s not miss His offer of forgiveness.

Let’s not miss it.

Read all of Psalm 22 and consider where else you see it pointing to Jesus.

Legacy

As I mentioned in the previous post, my great-grandmother – Grandma Gertie, as we called her – was one of the godliest women I’ve ever known.

Before she died, my family and I had made the six-hour drive from  St. Louis to her retirement center in North Manchester, Indiana. We had spent the week laughing and talking, playing games and listening to her stories. She had so many stories.

When it was time to go home, I got to stay behind for another week with my great-aunt Judy. We were together when a nurse called late one night to tell us that Grandma Gertie wasn’t going to make it.

I grabbed her Bible off of her nightstand and we hurried to the hospital wing where she had spent her last few days. I wish I could remember what I read to her that night. I know it was from Psalms – she loved that book most. I was holding her hand when she passed.

Gertie knew Jesus. She didn’t just know about Him. She knew Him and loved Him. I watched her take her last breath and realized that there was nothing that she wanted more than to be with Him and, soon, she would be.

I also realized that if I died I wouldn’t be with Him. I wasn’t a Christian. I knew about Jesus, but I didn’t know Jesus and I didn’t love Him.

I wish I could tell you I made the decision to accept the grace of God that night. I wish I could tell you that right then I put my trust in Him. I wish I could tell you from that day forward He was the object of my faith and the reason for my hope. I wish I could tell you all that, but I can’t.

I took her Bible home with me. I began reading the notes she had made in the margins of nearly every page. Then, I started reading the words she had been reflecting on.

I read about the love of God and the grace Jesus offered. I read about forgiveness and hope and joy and peace. Grandma Gertie had all of those things. I wanted them, too. So, after months of God relentlessly drawing me towards Himself – through His Word and through Gertie's example – I finally accepted Christ.

Witnessing her faith encouraged mine. Watching her life changed mine. 

There are people witnessing our faith and watching our lives. We all leave a legacy.

The question is what kind of legacy we will leave. I hope I leave a legacy like Gertie.