“When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives” (Mark 14:26). As noted in Christian Worship: Psalter, the Passover meal was concluded with singing Psalms 115–118, psalms which remind believers of the Lord’s love, faithfulness, and deliverance for his people (p. 592).
These psalms were quite possibly the last songs and prayers our Savior sang with his disciples before the events in the Garden of Gethsemane. What comfort is now ours because he has fulfilled these songs of deliverance for us? This blog series offers some answers to that question based on the biblical truths found in Psalms 115–118. (You can read the previous post here.)
Psalm 118
[It might be helpful to go through Psalm 118 before reading this post.]
If Psalm 118 was indeed the final psalm that Jesus sang with his disciples before the events in the Garden of Gethsemane on Holy Thursday, what better way for our Savior to focus his thoughts and head into the final hours of his earthly ministry upon which the fate of humanity itself rests?
What better way for us to head into Holy Week, starting with Palm Sunday?
The past 33 years of our Savior’s life have all been leading up to this week. From the newborn’s first cry in a lowly Bethlehem stable up until now, every second of every day has been building toward this: the next seven days, the next 168 hours—but it’s more than that.
Everything from humankind’s fall into sin—all of human history—has been building toward this week. The stakes couldn’t be higher. Success? Eternal life for all who believe in Jesus. Defeat? Eternal death for all people. And yet . . . our Savior’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem doesn’t seem all that triumphant. It doesn’t seem all that impressive—all that kingly—no, it seems . . . ordinary.
Is it any wonder that the Pharisees, chief priests, and elders rejected Jesus? He wasn’t the Savior they were looking for. He wasn’t the Savior they wanted. They wanted the Messiah to drive out their Roman oppressors and re-establish the line and throne of King David.
Is it any wonder that so many people reject Jesus today? People want solutions to their physical, temporal, and earthly problems . . . but God doesn’t promise that he’ll take those problems away. People want to be loved and accepted . . . but God’s stance on sin is unwavering, his call to repentance is urgent, and his children are often hated because of him. People want easy, carefree lives . . . but God promises that to follow him is to live a life of denial and cross-carrying.
This image of a humble carpenter turned gospel preacher from Nazareth riding on a lowly donkey whilst crowds wave palm branches and throw down their cloaks in front of him doesn’t seem to fit the narrative—the picture that so many people have in their heads—for how the mighty Son of God who comes to rescue his people should look and act. But in his earthly ministry, when did Jesus ever act in the way we’d expect?
When has God, for that matter? So often he does the exact opposite! He doesn’t treat us as our sins deserve but shows us time and time again that he loves us with an everlasting love that knows no bounds. And he goes to lengths that only he can go to ensure that Christ’s victory is our victory over sin, death, and the devil.
Starting with Palm Sunday, the next 168 hours of Holy Week that we’ll spend walking alongside our Savior on his agonizing road to the cross don’t look like victory. They look like the exact opposite of victory—they look like defeat. A defeat that ends in death.
And yet take heart! There are words spoken before, behind, and throughout the events of our Savior’s Passion story. Words of the unbreakable promises made by the almighty God. Words long-written down that Christians cling to with a white-knuckled grip as we whisper the words of God’s people echoed throughout the ages, “Lord, save us!”
Dear Christian, God’s answer to that desperate can be heard on Calvary. They’re not found in any of the songs of deliverance we’ve looked at in Psalms 115-118. But they’re the words of deliverance that cause our hearts to leap with joy and songs of praise to burst forth from our lips. They’re a victory cry. “It is finished!”
This Holy Week does end in defeat. It does end in death. But not for our Savior. Not for you and me. Our Savior-King has delivered us. This Holy Week ends in defeat for our enemies. Sin. Death. The Devil. This week ends in the death of death itself. The Lord himself is the one who has done this, and it is marvelous in our sight!
The last three psalms we’ve looked at in this series all ended with the phrase “Praise the Lord.” Psalm 118 beautifully weaves everything together by ending with this powerful encouragement:
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever” (Psalm 118:29).
For more devotional material on the Psalms, check out John F. Brug’s The People’s Bible: Psalms 1-72 (and73-150). Another great resource for devotions on what the Christian life is all about is Pastor Mark Paustian’s Our Worth to Him: Devotions for Christian Worship.
Alex Brown is the marketing and content copywriter at Northwestern Publishing House. He has his Master of Divinity degree from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary and enjoys reading, writing, and spending time in God’s creation.