Isaiah 52:13-53:12                  Psalm 22                     Hebrews 10:16-25                   John 18:1-19:42

            “They divided my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots.”  We just recited this verse from Psalm 22, and we just hear it read in the passion narrative.  We, of course don’t know when Jesus knew he was the Son of God, but we do know he studied the scriptures as a child.  We know he amazed those in the temple with his understanding, and we know he read and taught from the scriptures. 

            Psalm 22 was among the psalms he heard recited as a child, so we know he was familiar with this verse as well as the other verses in this psalm which describe the suffering experienced by a faithful servant of God.  It’s a sobering thought, for me to consider what Jesus knew and when he knew it.  He did not, after all enter the world as a full grown man – but as a child that grew and learned.  As a child he was comforted by this mother and father.  And as a child he studied, he learned and he planned for his future. 

The prayer for help, the suffering, and the triumph in this psalm mirrors the passion, the crucifixion, and resurrection of Christ.  In both Matthew and Mark, Jesus’ cries out the beginning of this psalm from the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 

            Do you not think, therefore, that Jesus knew before he started his ministry, before his baptism by John the Baptist, before his days in the desert – that the cross was to be his fate?  “All who see me mock me,” the psalm says, “many bulls (bulls being a metaphor for enemies) encircle me . . . my mouth is dried up like a potsherd and my tongues sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death . . . a company of evildoers encircle me . . . they stare and gloat over me; they divide my clothes among themselves and for my clothing they cast lots.”  From the cross, Jesus begins this psalm, a psalm familiar to the Jews gathered – and they know now it ends:

To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the

earth bow down;

before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,

            and I shall live for him;

Posterity will serve him;

future generations will be told about

the Lord, 

and proclaim his deliverance to a people

yet unborn,

saying that he has done it.

Risking one’s life to save another is a popular theme played out over and over again in the movies, in literature, and in real life.  We are inspired by stories about the soldier that dives onto the grenade to save the others in his company, the firefighter that rushes in to a burning building to rescue a child trapped inside, and the helicopter pilot that lands in hostile territory to rescue the wounded. 

Acting heroically, making a split second decision to sacrifice one’s self for others, taking a life-threatening risk to save another life is worthy of everyone’s respect and praise  –  but to begin a ministry of teaching and healing, to be present with others, to care and love them, all the while knowing his life would be cut short because to save the people he would have to voluntarily enter into Jerusalem for the Passover feast in which he was to be the paschal lamb – slaughtered for our sins – that is different.  It was not a miscalculation of the jealousy of the Pharisees that led to his crucifixion; it was not a spontaneous act of selfless love – but a planned act of self sacrifice for you and for me.  Jesus began his ministry with one thing in mind – the salvation of the human race.  He began knowing a company of evildoers would encircle him. . . they would stare and gloat over him; they would divide his clothes among themselves and for his clothing they would cast lots.

Let us pray.

Silence

            Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified:  Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord.  Amen.