Psalm 22: The Messianic Song

The most misunderstood sentence Jesus speaks from the cross might be the one that carries the most hope. When Jesus cries, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” he is not improvising a moment of defeat. He is quoting Psalm 22, a famous song in Israel, and the first line is meant to pull the whole psalm into view.

We walk through Psalm 22 as a Messianic Psalm and show why its imagery sounds so familiar to anyone who has read the crucifixion accounts: the mocking crowd, the challenge to “let God rescue him,” the piercing of hands and feet, and even the dividing of garments. Then we slow down at the turning point, where lament becomes confidence and praise. The psalm insists God has not ignored suffering, has not turned his back, and will be praised in the assembly. That changes how we hear Jesus: not as someone losing faith, but as the King announcing that the mission is still on track.

If you are searching for a Christian devotional, Bible study on Psalm 22, or a deeper understanding of Jesus on the cross, this conversation connects theology to real life. We end with a simple reminder for the worst moments: Jesus is still in control, he is with you in the dark, and you do not have to give up. Subscribe for daily Bible breakdowns, share this with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

Transcript

Welcome And How This Podcast Works

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Hey everyone and welcome to the Bible Breakdown Podcast. In this podcast, we will be breaking down the Bible one chapter a day. Whether you are a new believer or have been following Christ for a while, we believe that you will learn something new and fresh every single day. So thank you for joining us and let's get into breaking down the Bible together.

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Well, hello everybody. Welcome back to the Bible Breakdown Podcast with your host, Pastor Brandon. Today, Psalm 22. And today's title is The Messianic Song. The Messianic Song. It is the King's Song. And this is one of the most powerful songs in the entire Bible. And it has an amazing meaning that I don't know if you've ever heard before. I hadn't heard of it until not that long ago. And it absolutely changed the way I saw Jesus on the cross. And I cannot wait to share it with you, but it's going to take a little bit of explaining. And we'll get into all that in just a moment. So if you got your Bibles, got your Bible journals, we're going to be jumping right into God's word. Make sure you get ready, but also make sure you take just a moment to like, share, and subscribe to the YouTube channel and the podcast. Make sure you leave us a five-star view on the podcast. It really does help. And make sure you're going to the Bible breakdown discussion on Facebook. There's an amazing group of people doing a wonderful job. And as always, you can get all that information by going to the Biblebreakdown.com.

Why Psalm 22 Is Famous

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Well, if you've been with us for a while now, we've been going through the book of Psalms one chapter at a time, and we're calling it the Soundtrack for Life because this is a collection of 150 of the greatest hits of God's people. From the time of Moses all the way to the time of Malachi, these were the songs that the nation would sing as they were going through the ebbs and flows of their different, you know, lifetimes of good things, bad things, everything in between. And as they were learning how to relate to God in their life, they wrote them down in songs. And the greatest hits, inspired of the Holy Spirit, rose to the top, and we have them now. And today is one of the greatest hits ever because of what it means. So let me kind of give you some idea here of what I'm talking about. Now, there were some songs in the 150 songs that stood out even over all the rest. There were some that they would sing on certain holidays and different things, and they were just like the greatest hits of the greatest hits, right? For different reasons. Like, for instance, there's a whole lot of songs, but did you know that one of the most popular songs in history is a song that says, I'm dreaming of a future, you would why Christmas? It's one of the most famous songs in the in the history of songs. There's other ones that if I were to tell you the first line, depending on if you like the genre, you would know. Like, for instance, if I said, I like friends in, if you're a country fan, you would say low places, you know. If you know, if you're a queen fan, if I were to say bohemian, you would say rhapsody, exactly. And same thing for Queen, if I would say we will, we will, you would say rock you, right? You you you get you hear part of the song, you know the rest of the whole song, right? You just sing the whole thing. One of them for me is if I hear a bass guitar starting to play uh the Eye of the Tiger, you know, I can sing you almost the entire song, you know, because I just was a Rocky fan when it first came out, or when it first came out for me. Well, the nation of Israel was just like that. And there were some songs that would speak about things that you just could say the first line, and it represented the whole message of the song. And one of those was Psalm 22, because even though David wrote this psalm, he wrote it, but it was almost very quickly thought of as David's writing this, but he's

Jesus’ Quote And The Hidden Meaning

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having a vision of something that he isn't seeing with his eyes, he's seeing with his spirit. This is a messianic song. This is a song of the king that's gonna come one day. And it appears as though the king is gonna go through something very difficult and very hard, but God is gonna deliver him on the other side. And so this song, what it represented was a story of someone going through something terrible, but God was gonna use it to do something amazing on the other side. So when they would hear the first line of this song, they would go, Oh man, the journey, the journey of something terrible, but God was in control and that something beautiful was gonna happen on the other side. That's immediately what they would think of. And so Jesus, so many years later, is on the cross. And as he is on the cross, he is saying different things and he's talking to different ones, and at some point he says a phrase. And when he says a phrase, if you're unaware of this psalm we're gonna read today, and if you're unaware of the context of the Old Testament, then it sounds like he's saying that his heavenly father has walked away from him. But if you don't understand the psalm, that is not what this song means at all. This song means, God, it feels like I am forsaken. It feels like my enemies are winning, but then the end of it says, But I know they're not winning. I know that this is all part of your plan and that you have already overcome. And the thing is, is when Jesus says the first line of this psalm, which is verse 22 and 1, My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Or in another translation would say, Why have you forsaken me? He was saying the first line of one of the most famous psalms in the nation of Israel, and they would have immediately realized the rest of it. And so I want to read this, but we're gonna read the whole thing and realize what Jesus was saying when he

Psalm 22 Read With The Cross

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was on the cross. If you're ready, Psalm 22, verse 1 says this, My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help? Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer. Every night I lift my voice, but I find no relief. Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. Our ancestors, look at this, trusted in you, and you rescued them. They cried out to you and were saved. They trusted in you and were never disgraced. But I am a worm and not a man. I am scorned and despised by all. Everyone who sees me mocks me. They sneer and shake their heads, saying, Is this the one who relies on the Lord? Let the Lord save him. If the Lord loves him so much, let the Lord rescue him. Now pause. That is almost word for word what they said to Jesus on the cross. Verse 9, yet you brought me safely from my mother's womb, and let me trust you for my mother's breast. I was thrust into your arms at my birth, and you have been my God from the moment I was born. Do not stay far away from me, for trouble is near, and no one else can help me. My enemies surround me like a herd of bulls. Fierce bulls of Bishon have hemmed me in. Like lions they open their jaws against me, roaring and tearing their prey. My life is poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax melting within me. My strength is dried up like sun-baked clay. My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth, and you have led me, laid me in the dust and left me for dead. My eyes surround me like a pack of dogs, and evil gangs close gaze close in on me. They have pierced my hands and my feet. I count all my bones, my enemies stare at me at gloat. They divide my garments among themselves and throw dice for my clothing. All these things are things that happen to Jesus on the cross. Verse 19, O Lord, do not stay far away. You are my strength, come quickly to my aid, save me from the sword, spare my precious life from these dogs, snatch me from the lion's jaws and from the horns of these wild oxen pots. So, in other words, what he is saying is, God, I need you more than ever. God, this is hard, this is difficult, and it looks like to them they think that they are winning. Nothing wrong with any of that. But then watch what happens. This is the part that's amazing. He says, But here's the thing: I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters. I will praise you among your assembled people. Praise the Lord, all you who fear him, honor him, all you descendants of Jacob. Show him reverence, all you descendants of Israel. For he has not ignored or belittled the suffering of the needy. He has not turned his back on them, but he has listened to their cries for help. I will praise you in the great assembly. I will fulfill my vows in the presence of those who worship you. The poor will eat and be satisfied. All who seek the Lord will praise him. Their hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy. The whole earth will acknowledge the Lord and return to him. All the families and nations will bow down before the Lord, for royal power belongs to the Lord. He rules all the nations. Let the rich of the earth feast and worship, bow before him, all who are mortal, all whose lives will end as dust. Our children will also serve him. Future generations will hear about the wonders of the Lord. And they will hear about everything he has done. So, in other words, when Jesus is on the cross and he says, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? He is saying the open, opening verse of this famous messianic song that they would have known. That's why, once again, they get so angry at Jesus, is even on the cross, he's saying, I'm still the guy. I'm still the one. I'm the one you heard about, I'm the one I wrote about. And this song is what's going on. And that is that this is hard, this is difficult, and all my enemies think they've won. But God is still in control. The plan is still going forward. I love how it says, and future generations will hear about the wonders of the Lord. And so Jesus wasn't saying, I think I'm about to lose. He was saying, mission complete.

Hope, Prayer, And Closing Blessing

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Everything is still on track, everything is still good, and I am still the Messiah. I love that so much. It brings me so much joy to realize that in the moment of the worst day imaginable, Jesus is reminding everybody, I'm still in control. And I wonder if maybe that would be helpful for some of us today. You realize that in the worst moments of our lives, Jesus is still in control. That when everything's falling apart and people are walking away and difficulty is happening, and we're wondering what's going on, Jesus is still in control. He is with you in the darkest moments. And he looks at you with a smile on his face and he says, I know it's hard, and I know it's difficult, and I know you don't want to be here, and I wish you didn't have to be here, but I want you to know this. I'm with you in this moment. I'm still in control, and everything is going according to plan. All you gotta do is turn into me and not give up. Let's pray together right now. God, thank you so much that you are in control, and that Lord, you are honest with us and tell us difficult times will come, but none of them will win. That you are bigger and stronger than everything we go through. And I love you today. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. And amen. Well, God's word says in Psalm 34, verse 1, say it with me. I will bless the Lord at all times. He will his praise will continually be in my mouth. I love you. I'll see you tomorrow for Psalm chapter 23.