Christian Reflection and Prayer

Read John 19:23-24.

TEXT: They divide my garments among them, and
for my clothing they cast lots (Psalm 22:18).

Now David takes us to the moment when Jesus was
stripped naked and hung on the cross. It is a small detail
that takes on prophetic proportions when the Roman
soldiers use two different methods to divide His clothes
among them.

Four soldiers were assigned to guard each crucified
criminal. They divided between themselves the condemned
man's earthly possessions at the time of his crucifixion. In
Jesus' case it simply involved His clothing and His
seamless tunic. The clothing was easily divided into four
piles, but the tunic was a different matter. They could have
ripped it into four equal pieces of cloth, but all agreed it was
more valuable left in one piece. It would be better to cast
lots to see who would get the whole tunic rather than lose
its value by ripping it into four parts.

When you look at the specific details predicted in this psalm
it is nothing short of remarkable. Jesus writhed like an injured
worm on the cross (verse 6); He was mocked with virtually the
same words as the psalm quotes (verse 8); Jesus' lifeblood
poured out of His wounds like water pouring out of a broken
clay pot (verse 14); His hands and feet were pierced with nails
(verse 16); and finally His clothes were divided and gambled
over.

When you add to that the knowledge King David had never
seen a crucifixion before, it is a marvel. The fulfillment of these
details in Jesus' passion and death proves without a doubt the
Holy Spirit was guiding David through these predictions. And
these prophecies prove without a doubt that Jesus of Nazareth
was the long-promised Savior, David's Son and David's Lord.

THE PRAYER:

Lord Jesus Christ, the Old Testament prophecies prove without
a doubt You are the Son of God, our Savior, God's own Messiah.
Make my faith firm until I see You face to face. Amen.

(Lenten Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries)

Read Psalm 6.

TEXT: I can count all my bones -- they stare
and gloat over me (Psalm 22:17).

One of the most painful aspects of crucifixion was having
your entire weight hanging from your hands. Your whole
body was stretched by the weight, which shot intense pain
through every joint, muscle and bone. The stretching also
caused the bones to stand out, which is why Jesus is able
to count all of them.
 
As David couples together Jesus' ability to see and count
all His bones, with His enemies staring and gloating over
Him we are reminded that crucified criminals were hung
naked. This removal of clothing served the purpose of
making crucifixion as great a deterrent as possible by
adding the shame of public nudity to the excruciating pain.
In Jesus' case, His enemies look on Him in hatred, and
take great pleasure in seeing His protruding bones and
watching Him writhe in agony.
 
What incredible love our Savior shows! He well might pray
for His Father to strike down such evildoers who take
pleasure in seeing their Lord and Christ suffering. Instead,
He prays "Father, forgive them, for they know not what
they do." Even though to forgive them, He is taking their
punishment upon Himself.

That also brings us back to the prayer that echoes over
and over again throughout this psalm: "My God, My God,
why have You forsaken Me." Repeatedly, Jesus points out
His enemies' cruelty and savagery, their shameless
mockery, ridicule and torment. He asks His Father how
long He will continue to forsake Him, and pour out upon
Him such wrath and fury.

THE PRAYER:

Lord Jesus Christ, Your love and grace is impossible to
measure. You endured such scorn and agony out of love
for the whole human race. Help me share that love with
everyone I meet. Amen.

(Lenten Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries)

Read Zechariah 12:1-13:1.

TEXT: They have pierced my hands and feet
(see Psalm 22:16).

King David knew nothing of crucifixion in his day, but
he prophesied it in exacting detail in Psalm 22. In
yesterday's devotion he compared Jesus' enemies to
a pack of wild dogs, encircling its prey. It paints a vivid
picture of Jesus' crucifixion. His hands and feet are
pierced as the Roman soldiers nail Him to the cross.
His enemies encircle Him to taunt and ridicule Him,
as if they were barking loudly against Him. No wonder
He cries out, "My God, My God, why have You
forsaken Me?"

Aside from the Gospel accounts where Jesus is
nailed to the cross, this nail piercing of our Savior is
mentioned in two other places in Scripture. The first is
in the prophet Zechariah, "And I will pour out on the
house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit
of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look
on Me, on Him whom they have pierced, they shall
mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only child, and
weep bitterly over Him, as one weeps over a firstborn"
(Zechariah 12:10).

The last book of the New Testament, Revelation,
includes these words in its first chapter, "Behold, He
is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him,
even those who pierced Him, and all tribes of the earth
will wail on account of Him. Even so. Amen."
(Revelation 1:7).
 
Today is the day to recognize it was our sins that led
Him to the cross, our curse He took upon Himself.
Today is the day to weep and mourn for how we
contributed to His sufferings. Today is the day to trust
in Him and rejoice that He willingly humbled Himself
and endured such suffering to save us from eternal death.

THE PRAYER:

Lord Jesus Christ, our sins are serious indeed. Thank
You for taking their terrible punishment upon Yourself to
save us all. Amen.

(Lenten Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries)