But I'm Not Ready

Psalms 110

"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" The first words out of Jesus mouth after three hours of darkness, yes, they are still quite fresh in my mind after my last meditation. That definitely caught me a bit off guard. I definitely was writing it knowing that was coming, but I wasn't quite ready for it, and there it was. Hopefully now it will stay fresh for a long time to come.

Much more than a year ago God challenged me with seeing every Psalm and asking, Could Jesus have prayed this psalm as a prayer? So often the depths of a man's soul is reflected in the Psalm they wrote, even ones which don't even return to say that God is still his God, the writer being in such anguish. But for me to think of writing on l Psalms 110 I could only think, "I'm not ready yet." Why did I feel this way? Because using this psalm Jesus challenged the Pharisees that were gathered near Him to answer His question about it, and who am I to even consider it. This was the last day of Jesus teaching in the temple before Passover. The Sanhedrin, the large group of Jewish rulers of diverse lines of thought (Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, and others with various lines of thought on the Scriptures) challenged Jesus authority to teach. ((Matthew 21:23-22:14; Mark 11:27-12:12; Luke 20:1-19). Then trying further to find fault and trap Jesus in word and thought the Pharisees and Herodians ask Jesus about paying tribute to Caesar (Matthew 22:15-22; Mark 12:13-17; Luke 20:20-26). The Sadducees try a different tact, asking about the resurrection (which they themselves didn't believe there was one) (Matthew 22:23-33; Mark 12:18-27; Luke 20:27-40). Each of these Jesus answered well. With His answers He caused each to reconsider their own perspective and reason for asking the questions they had asked. In one final attempt a Pharisee, but even more than a typical Pharisee a lawyer, one who knew the Law of Moses very thoroughly asks a specific legal question about God's law given through Moses. When Jesus answered him directly. And the lawyer simply could only repeat that what Jesus had said was in fact right, and beyond right it was much more than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices. Of all the challengers only of this one Jesus said, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And then no one dared to ask any questions after that (Matthew 22:34-40; Mark 12:28-34). Up until that last challenge each group tried one upmanship (I can do better than that, have a harder question), and were glad to see other competitive lines of thought put to shame. But after this last question no more challenges, no more tricks of the theological trade, no more of anything. Of the answers Jesus gave to their questions each one had very much to think about. And in reading these it causes me to consider, Never question God, but always question my understanding about God.

And fair to return a question in all these questions Jesus asked the Pharisees a direct question about Himself, even though they didn't recognize Him as the Christ. Nevertheless it was a question they needed to hear and really take to heart. So not only do I feel not ready to take on this Psalm that they, those deep thinking theologians, those lawyers who dug deeply even into the grammar of the law weren't ready when they were asked for an answer.

And none could answer him a word, neither durst any from that day forth aske him any more questions.

Matthew 22:46 GNV

What was (and is) this question?

While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying,

What think ye of Christ? whose son is he?

They said unto him,

Davids.

He said unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? If then David call him Lord, how is he his son?

Matthew 22:41-45 GNV

So Psalm 110... I have a Jewish friend who once told me that in referencing a part of the Psalm actually in their minds included all the Psalm when they considered what was said. When Jesus said,"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" it meant the whole of Psalms 22 was the thought. Here with Psalms 110 the whole of the Psalm was what was considered, everything about being Lord, about being a king over all kings, about being a priest after the order of Melchizedek, but maybe a challenge they faced was:

Thy people shall come willingly at the time of assembling thine army in holy beauty: the youth of thy womb shall be as the morning dew.

Psalms 110:3 GNV

The people coming willingly, that seemed to fit in the mindset of the Jewish leaders as long as it was how they had learned the Scriptures. They didn't recognize Jesus as the Christ anymore than had the two disciples on the road to Emmaus when Jesus had went through Scripture after Scripture showing how He was indeed the Christ of the Scriptures. Jesus definitely had challenged them that possibly how they thought about the Christ required more thought, and the need to think through the ramifications of that entire Psalm.

And it makes me wonder how much I miss truly knowing Jesus because of how I was taught to think about Him over my years. And so even speaking to others as I do here I may think, "I'm not ready." But Jesus has brought me to where I am now in my journey of life to challenge others to possibly think deeper, and more of who the Christ is. It is what Jesus asked, "What think you of the Christ?"