Wounded and Rejoicing Saviour

A Reflection on the Psalm for April 2, 2023:
Passion (Palm) Sunday

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Psalm 22

R. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

All who see me mock at me; they make mouths at me, they shake their heads; “Commit your cause to the Lord; let him deliver; let him rescue the one in whom he delights!” 

R. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

For dogs are all around me; a company of evildoers encircles me. My hands and feet have shrivelled; I can count all my bones. 

R. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

They divide my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots. But you, O Lord, do not be far away! O my help, come quickly to my aid!

R. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

I will tell of your name to my brothers and sisters; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you: You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him; stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel! 

​R. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

The readings for this weekend contain so much of the drama and conflict of Christ’s life. He is celebrated in the streets by the faithful as they wave palms. He enters Jerusalem as a King. Then, in the Passion reading, Christ is taken out of Jerusalem’s walls, where He is mockingly dressed in a King’s colours and made to wear a crown of thorns. He is acknowledged by some and mocked by others. But in neither circumstance did they know the nature and heart of the King who entered triumphantly and left humbly from the gates of Jerusalem. 

This Psalm helps us see the shift in the narrative. He is not a triumphant King come to conquer. He is not a pretender to the throne being rightfully shamed. He is the truest King who comes not to conquer kingdoms, but to save souls. But the cost. Oh, the cost! As the song goes, sometimes it causes me to tremble. 

The crucifixion is unlike any death in human history. Crucifixion is designed for slow, painful, and shameful death. A death that is public, visible from a distance. One that internally drowns the crucified, while causing immense physical stress and pain. But for Christ, the crucifixion has extra layers of torture. They draw lots for His clothes. Feed Him bitter wine. The crown of thorns and the flagellation beforehand. The verbal abuse and the mocking signage of “King of the Jews.” He took on our flesh and experienced the most humiliating, horrifying, painful death. For us. He did it for us. Without fighting. Without escaping.

By taking on our humanity and paying for our sins, Christ is one not with kings and rulers, but with those who suffer. He accepts the slander, the physical and psychological pain, the attempts to steal His dignity. But through all of it, Christ’s dignity remains – it is unassailable. Even in the most shameful, grotesque circumstances, Christ is King. Through the prophetic words of the Psalms, we see that the attempts to steal His dignity fail, and that in His mouth are words of praise. Christ belongs to His Father and His Father belongs to Him.

Christ gives us a beautiful and challenging pattern to imitate in the face of our own suffering. By His stripes, we are healed. Through His example, we can face our suffering with new eyes. 

When the world hates us. When we experience pain. When we feel our dignity is under attack. We can lament. We can acknowledge the suffering. But we can also praise God, our Good, Good Father, in the face of our own cross. Even when everything we’re experiencing seems designed to break us down, we can rest in the knowledge that our Saviour has walked this via dolorosa. Christ has experienced suffering beyond our imagining and sends the Holy Spirit to comfort and console us. Christ was wounded for us and gives us the strength to rejoice with Him. The love He poured out through life, death, and Resurrection is for us, with us, and in us.




Stephanie Potter

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