Water. Blood. Tears. What does this describe?
There
are sheep beside a stream of water in Psalm 23. It is probably the best known
and loved Psalm and it directly points us to Jesus, but have you read, and considered
the significance of Psalm 22? It is prophetic of Jesus on the cross written
about 1,000 years before His crucifixion. He was the Passover sacrificial lamb
whose blood finally redeemed the sins of all mankind, beginning with Adam and
Eve.
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| Sculpture of Jesus' journey to the Cross Church of Holy Sepulchre Jerusalem, Israel |
Jesus called out to our Heavenly Father while He was on the cross, as recorded in the New Testament book of Matthew.
At about three o'clock, Jesus
called out with a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" which
means "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?" Matthew 27:46
Why? Why
would God Almighty abandon or forsake His own Son? The best answer I’ve heard
is that God didn’t give up on Jesus, He just turned His back on the sin. The
horrific sin of man. God is pure—and it requires purity to be in His presence.
We have the promise of Jesus—in Deuteronomy and repeated in Hebrews that He
will never leave us or forsake us. He won’t abandon us. What an assurance.
Consider how Jesus suffered even
before He was nailed to the cross. He was beaten, spit upon, and humiliated.
That continued on the cross. Read the description in Psalm 22 and compare it with
scripture describing His crucifixion in Matthew 27:27-44; Mark 15:21-32; Luke
23:26-49; and John 19:17-37. Prophecy fulfilled. Different translations finish
off Psalm 22 with various phrases, but look at what is written there…that every
one will hear about what He has done. And in His dying words, Jesus said, “It
is finished.” (John 19:30) He completed what He came to earth to
accomplish.
At
that very time, Jesus cured many people of their diseases, illnesses, and evil
spirits, and he restored sight to many who were blind. Then he told John's
disciples, "Go back to John and tell him what you have seen and heard—the blind
see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to
life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor. And tell him, 'God
blesses those who do not turn away because of me.'" Luke
7:21-23
Jesus came to take away the sins of
the world—and give everlasting life to those who believe in Him. He fulfilled
that on the cross. Have you heard what He has done? Do you believe?
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
you hear my voice, but I find no relief. Yet you are holy, enthroned on the
praises of Israel. ... Everyone who sees me mocks me. They sneer and shake
their heads, saying, "Is this the one who relies on the LORD? Then let the
LORD save him! If the LORD loves him so much, let the LORD rescue him!"
... Do not stay so far from me, for trouble is near, and no one else can help
me. ... 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 has dried up like sunbaked
clay. My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You have laid me in the dust
and left me for dead. My enemies surround me like a pack of dogs; an evil gang
closes in on me. They have pierced my hands and feet. I can count all my bones.
My enemies stare at me and gloat. They divide my garments among themselves and
throw dice for my clothing. O LORD, do not stay far away! You are my strength;
come quickly to my aid! ... 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 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 whole earth will acknowledge the LORD and return
to him. All the families of the nations will bow down before him. For royal
power belongs to the LORD. He rules all the nations. ... His righteous acts
will be told to those not yet born. They will hear about everything he has
done. Psalm
22:1-3, 7-8, 11, 14-19, 23-25, 27-28, 31
Prayer
– Lord Jesus, You are amazing, awesome, and humbly obedient. Thank You. I bow
before You now and always, for You are my God…my Messiah. Savior of the world.
King of kings. Lord of Lords. You are my hope.
Meditate.
Read God’s word and analyze what He is saying. Who? What? Where? When? How?
Verse
of Salvation ~ After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every
nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and
before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in
their hands. And they were shouting with a great roar, "Salvation comes
from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!" Revelation 7:9-10
© 2025 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All
rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless
otherwise noted.
New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale
House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
Books by Mickey M.
Hunacek
Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com
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