Our children will also serve him. Future generations will hear about the wonders of the Lord-Ps. 22.30 Promises sealed by 1 who was forsaken

The day this picture was ‘snapped’ now seems to be an eternity ago. We are in Uganda, my father stands with my wife and our six children, all of whom are now adults, most of whom are now married, one who has a child of his own.

How does this happen? How do two people, once disconnected from God’s grace begin a legacy of Christ-followers that now affects two continents and infects the lives of thirteen people? What did my dad and mom ‘get rolling’ when they repeated the mercy which was declared to them?

The answer is found in Psalm 22. Jesus quoted the first line as he suffered the cross. There is a lot of speculation as to exactly what Jesus meant by doing so. Many stop with just the spoken line; I think Jesus intended the whole song.

It seems to me that Jesus’ confession of the crucifixion in Matthew’s account of the Gospel does not pause at the cross, it boldly proclaims the resurrection. While it may be the correct that Jesus cried out that the fellowship with the Father was severed under the weight of sin, I am not convinced that this is indeed the case. I am more inclined to be confident that the same Jesus who set his face to do “not my will but Thine” saw clearly the fulfillment of the promise of His advent and obedience. It is the guarantee of a family the size of the number of stars in the sky or the sand on the sea-shore. A family procured by His own immaculate act of love.

The Psalmist’s lament foreshadows several of the details of Jesus’ death experience:

The mocking: All who see me sneer at me; They separate with the lip, they wag the head…(22:7, NASB)

The state of his body: I am poured out like water, And all my bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It is melted within me…(22:14, NASB)

The manner of his death: A band of evildoers has encompassed me; They pierced my hands and my feet…(22:16, NASB)

The behavior of the crowd: They divide my garments among them, And for my clothing they cast lots…(22:18, NASB)

And, perhaps, the response of the Father: For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; Neither has He hidden His face from him; But when he cried to Him for help, He heard…(22:24, NASB)

If the proper perspective on ‘My God, my God, why has thou forsaken me?’ is to be drawn into the full text of the song, then the promise held in the final lines is precious and compelling to every generation as they expectantly hope for the generation next.

They will come and will declare His righteousness To a people who will be born, that He has performed it. (22:31, NASB)

May we never ever, ever, ever, stop singing this song.