Suffering Psalm

This lesson explores how Psalm 22:1 connects to Jesus.

📘 Payne ✓📚 Edersheim ✓📖 McDowell ✓

Old Testament

Psalm 22:1

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish?

New Testament

Matthew 27:46

About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" (which means "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?").

Scholar Credits

📘 Payne ✓📚 Edersheim ✓📖 McDowell ✓

J. Barton Payne

Payne #11 — Ps 22:1

My God why have you forsaken me; Payne argues this cry prefigures both the suffering and the ultimate vindication of Ps 22

Alfred Edersheim

The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah • Appendix IX

Opening cry of Psalm 22 applied to Messiah's suffering; entire psalm treated as Messianic in ancient Synagogue

Josh McDowell

The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict • #55 His Forsaken Cry

Double cry 'My God' implies clinging to God while forsaken; Matt 27:46 verbatim

Quick Check

Part 1 - Multiple Choice

Which Old Testament reference connects to this lesson?

Part 2 - Fill In The Blank

Fill in the blank: The New Testament fulfillment for this lesson is ____.

Why This Matters

The opening cry of Psalm 22—'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'—became Jesus' own cry from the cross. This was not despair; it was the deliberate identification of Jesus with the suffering described in the psalm. Every detail of Psalm 22 played out at Calvary, from the mocking crowds to the pierced hands. Jesus lived out David's psalm in his own body.

Reflection

Jesus, thank You for bearing what I could never bear. Through this lesson, grow gratitude that changes how I live.