Psalms of suffering, faith, and hope

Greetings, St. Bartholomew’s.  Thank you for inviting me back again for Palm Sunday.

The last two times I’ve been here with you on Palm Sunday, we’ve reflection on the Gospel readings and Passion narrative.  Two years ago we considered ‘who abandoned whom’ and examined our own lives with Jesus.  Last year we got into the narratives, imagining ourselves part of the scene on during the procession into Jerusalem and then during the Passion to discover what we see and feel that is still influencing our faith and action today. 

This morning I want to focus in on two of the Psalms.

Jesus’s final words from the cross (according to the synoptic Gospels), at the ninth hour, and the Psalms from which they come…

Citing opening words from a sacred text (like using the first verse of Psalm 22 or the fifth verse of Psalm 31) was a way of referencing or invoking the whole reading.

In the Passion narratives, most of the quotes from, and allusions to, the writings from the Old Testament come from the Psalms, specifically from these Psalms of gut-wrenching lament, hope-filled petition, and faith-filled declaration.   This was a way of interpreting and understanding current experiences in context of tradition.  In this sense, we’re being invited to hear and see something about Jesus (as he suffers and faces death) and the meaning of this experience in light of the tradition of these Psalms.

The Deposition from the Cross
Carravaggio 1600-1604

These Psalms address our fears of loss – of physical vitality (and death itself), of fellowship (friends and family relationships), and of faith and trust in our creator – as well as powerlessness and apparent abandonment.

Often we resist entering into the darkness (of this week and of trouble in our lives) because we fear we’ll never find our way our or escape from it.

Let’s take a closer look at Psalm 22 and 31 and discover what the Spirit is inviting us to grapple with this Holy Week – both the reality of our suffering and the promise that there’s more to the story.

[distribute hand-out with Psalm 22 on one side and Psalm 31 on the other; refer to BCP if not enough hand-outs]

[Q’s: What stands out/ what do you notice?  What meaning to you hear?  What might be Spirit calling you to do?]

[use notes below as needed]

Psalm 22 – verse 1 “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

• Matthew 27:46
• Mark 15:34 
• Excerpts from this Psalm are also used elsewhere in the Gospel stories: 
• v7 (they mock me) in Mark 15:29 and Matt 27:39
• v8 (commit your cause to Lord – let him rescue) in Matt 27:43
• v15 (mouth is dry – lay me in the dust) in John 19:28 
• v18 (dividing clothes and casting lots) in Mark 15:24, Matt 27:35, Luke 23:34, and John 19:24
• You will receipt the Psalm in its entirety on Good Friday
• a prayer for deliverance from threatening trouble (though attributed to King David, interpreted to apply not a specific time and event, but a condition of need in general)
• dangerous and vicious images of encircling throngs of evildoers and powerful animals that will prey on the weak 
• “My” inferring an intimate, personal experience that heightens the pain (of very personal loss/abandonment/betrayal) 
• “be not far” (vv. 11 and 19) – speaking to the distance being felt painfully as well as the faith that in these times of attack when death is imminent, “my God” can come closer to relief the situation
• Movement from being mocked and apparently cursed because of commitment to God, to celebration and reverence because of the author’s faithfulness 
• A prophetic and eschatological prayer for help as well as a prayer of praise for help delivered 
• v26 – “the poor shall eat and be satisfied” – sacred sustenance provided; manna; justice; our sacrament of bread/body and wine/blood 
• the language refers to a communal / fraternal group (adamah / humanity) who will share in this celebration of deliverance, culminating in all end of the earth and all families as well as future generations (verses 27 & 30) 

Psalm 31 – verse 5 “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”

• Luke 23:46 
• Verses 9-13 profound sorry and grief (physical and psychological suffering) 
• Verse 14 begins a confident prayer for refuge under the protection of a protective parent 
• anticipation of deliverance from persecution, tribulation, long-suffering, and grief 
• concluding with praise and call to the faithful to love and trust in God 
• a declaration of trust in giving one’s life up to God (not just turning over one’s soul at the end) 
• “but” in verse 14 – the great ‘however’ / ‘despite all this’ 
• some say an ultimate expression of dependence, surrender, and trust in God’s will, E.g., verse 15 “my times are in your hand” 
• invoked by other believers at the hour of their death (E.g., Stephen in Acts 7:59; Luther also)
• verse 5 as a statement of faithful resignation at death.. verses 14-15 a statement of faithful living in the meantime. 

Summary suggestions [depending on what has come up in discussion]:

Jesus stood up for justice, compassion, and charitable love in a political and social context that was so threatened by what he was demonstrating that they wanted him dead rather than overturn the system of rules and entitlements.  Jesus suffered as a result of his stand and was snuffed out by those in earthly power.  And, God does not let that suffering and death stand as the final word.

Jesus is invoking wisdom from the Psalms to say that we can and will bare suffering and death…and that it’s not the end of the story.  We can trust that God ultimately delivers.

Jesus joins with us in suffering – crying out in the vivid imagery of Psalms as his ancestors had in times of trouble and as we still do in our current moment of anguish.

He encourages us to model his faithful examples of crying out in prayer in our times of trouble.

Our perspective on pain, suffering, and apparent separation should also include promise of ultimate protection and redemption.  Even in the face of a horrific death, God doesn’t actually abandon.  Death will not have the final word – God will deliver the dying and the afflicted.

 “Lord of the swaying palms, the stones of earth and the beasts of burden bear witness to your coming: lead us from the violence of empire and the collusion of crowds to a heart of flesh, a world re-made and new song for all creation; through Jesus Christ, the Crucified God.”  (Shakespeare, Steven. Prayers for an Inclusive Church. 2009: Church Publishing, NYC)

AMEN