The Three Sufferings and Victories of Jesus on the Cross

Did you know that one of the most remarkable prophecies in the Bible describes in detail the crucifixion of Jesus Christ? What also makes this prophecy particularly remarkable is that it was written more than 1,000 years before Jesus was born, and more than 700 years before the Romans perfected crucifixion as a method of execution! You can find this prophecy in Psalm 22—a psalm written by King David and recited by Jesus as He hung on the cross.

Suffering #1 – Spiritual Suffering (Psalm 22:1-5)

Psalm 22 begins with an agonizing cry of despair:

My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Far from my salvation are the words of my groaning. O my God, I call by day, but You do not answer; and by night, but I have no rest. (vv. 1-2 LSB)

David bemoans the fact that although he has been seeking the Lord’s help both day and night, all he has received so far in response is silence. This type of statement is not evidence of a loss of faith, rather it is more an expression of impatience and desperation.

Likewise, as Jesus hung on the cross and darkness descended upon all the land, the Suffering Servant cried out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” which translated means, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:45-46). For the first time in Christ’s eternal existence, as He became a living offering for mankind’s sins (2 Corinthians 5:21), the Son found Himself cut off from the Trinity. Because the holiness of God cannot countenance sin, God the Father had to, in effect, turn His back on His Son. Much like enduring an amputation without anesthesia, Jesus cried out from the depths of His soul.

Though enduring immense physical suffering, such spiritual suffering resulted in far greater pain. And yet, to preserve his sanity, the psalmist reminds himself of God’s faithfulness:

Yet You are holy, enthroned upon the praises of Israel. In You our fathers trusted; they trusted and You rescued them. To You they cried out and were granted escape; in You they trusted and were not disappointed. (vv. 3-5)

Suffering #2 – Emotional Suffering (Psalm 22:6-13)

Not only did Jesus suffer terribly spiritually, but He was under tremendous emotional distress as well. Though not recorded in completion in Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, and John 19, many theologians believe that Jesus continued to quote Psalm 22 as He hung on the cross.

But I am a worm and not a man, a reproach of men and despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they smack their lip, they wag their head, saying, “Commit yourself to Yahweh; let Him rescue him; let Him deliver him, because He delights in him.” (vv. 6-8)

The Hebrew word translated as “worm” in verse 6 is tola, also the word for crimson. In this context, it’s most likely referring to the bloody red condition of the Messiah after His flogging. Jesus would have been so mutilated and swollen that He would scarcely resemble a man.

While this passage describes the intense physical suffering of the Messiah, it is also combined with the emotional suffering Jesus was experiencing as onlookers sneered and taunted Him. Those who passed by blasphemed Him, shook their heads at Him, and mocked Him saying, “He saved others, but He cannot save Himself” (Matthew 27:42).

Even as Jesus endured the taunts from the very people He was suffering for, the psalmist has the Messiah yet again affirm His faith:

Yet You are He who brought me out of the womb; You made me trust when upon my mother’s breasts. Upon You I was cast from birth; You have been my God from my mother’s womb. (vv. 9-10)

This reaffirmation of faith is an incredible act of will. Even as Jesus was suffering in solitude with “none to help” (v. 11), having been abandoned by all His disciples the night before, the Messiah remained faithful throughout His sufferings.

The psalmist next resorts to symbolic language when describing the spiritual attack the Messiah would experience during His passion:

Many bulls have surrounded me; strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me. They open wide their mouth at me, as a lion that tears and roars. (vv. 12-13)

What human eyes failed to see were the demonic hordes surrounding the cross, gloating over the Messiah’s approaching death. As the apostle Peter revealed, Satan is like “a roaring lion seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Jesus with His spiritual eyes undoubtedly saw the demonic realm dancing around the cross and gloating over their “victory” in orchestrating the murder of God’s Son.

So, not only was the realm of man mocking Christ in His sufferings, but the spiritual realm as well.

Suffering #3 – Physical Suffering (Psalm 22:14-21)

Jesus was being crucified—one of the most horrible deaths ever devised by the depraved mind of man—so clearly, Jesus suffered intense physical pain as well. The psalmist describes the Messiah’s physical suffering in all its gory detail:

I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue cleaves to my jaws; and You lay me in the dust of death. (vv. 14-15)

Before being crucified, Pilate had Jesus scourged. Roman soldiers then twisted a crown of thorns and crushed it upon Jesus’ brow as they beat His head with a reed and spit on Him. John’s gospel adds how Jesus suffered extreme thirst as He hung on the cross, even crying out, “I am thirsty,” only to receive a sponge full of sour wine. Christ’s bones had been pushed out of joint. He was suffering from extreme thirst. His heart was stressed to the point of bursting. Death hovered over Him.

We next encounter one of the most remarkable prophecies in the Hebrew Scriptures:

For dogs have surrounded me; a band of evildoers has encompassed me; they pierced my hands and my feet. (v. 16)

Keep in mind, as stated, these words were written 1,000 years before Christ’s birth. The Romans had refined crucifixion as a method of execution only 300 years earlier. And yet, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, David prophesied that the Messiah would die by having His hands and feet pierced. The Jewish method of execution was by stoning, but capital punishment under Roman rule was by crucifixion. The Gospel of Mark confirms that the soldiers marched Jesus to Golgotha—the “Place of a Skull”—where they did not stone but crucified Him.

The psalmist concludes his observations about the physical suffering of the Messiah:

I count all my bones. They look, they stare at me; they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots. (vv. 17-18)

Crucifixion causes its victims to gasp for air when hanging heavy on the executioner’s stake. All the Messiah’s ribs had been laid bare. And, as Christ’s lifeblood ebbed away, one more act of cruelty played out by His feet—the soldiers gambled for His clothes (Matthew 27:35).

As the demons danced in glee before Christ in His sufferings and the soldiers gambled for the only thing Jesus ever owned, the psalmist records a final prayer uttered by the Messiah—a plea for deliverance from Satan:

But You, O Yahweh, be not far off; O my Strength, hasten to my help. Deliver my soul from the sword, My only life from the power of the dog. Save me from the mouth of the lion; from the horns of the wild oxen You have answered me. (vv. 19-21)

While none of the Gospels record Jesus uttering such a prayer on the cross, He undoubtedly must have done so, perhaps silently or in a whisper. He ends the prayer by asking for deliverance from Satan (the lion) and his demonic hordes (the wild oxen).

Victory #1 – Salvation (Psalm 22:22-26)

The last six verses in Psalm 22 present the glorious victories achieved due to the Messiah’s sufferings. For, nestled in between verses 21 and 22, the greatest miracle in history occurs—the resurrection of the Messiah! The miracle is not specifically stated, but it is certainly inferred. We know this because verse 22 begins with a song of celebration thanking God for His deliverance:

I will surely recount Your name to my brothers; in the midst of the assembly I will praise You. You who fear Yahweh, praise Him; all you seed of Jacob, glorify Him, and stand in awe of Him, all you seed of Israel. For He has not despised and He has not abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; and He has not hidden His face from him; but when he cried to Him for help, He heard. Of You is my praise in the great assembly; I shall pay my vows before those who fear Him. (vv. 22-25)

In the days leading up to the Passion, Jesus had repeatedly told His disciples that He would be killed and then resurrected. Not only did God prophesy through David the Messiah’s crucifixion, but His resurrection as well. Jesus would fulfill both prophecies.

The first victory Christ achieved through His sacrificial death and resurrection is the most important—salvation to all who put their faith and trust in Jesus as Savior.

The afflicted will eat and be satisfied; those who seek Him will praise Yahweh. May your heart live forever! (v. 26)

Peter explained the meaning of this verse. “Who Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that having died to sin, we might live to righteousness; by His wounds you were healed” (1 Peter 2:24).

Victory #2 – Exaltation (Psalm 22:27-29)

The second victory Jesus achieved through His sacrificial death and resurrection centers on the obedience of the Messiah. Christ’s submission to the humiliation of the cross would transform into His exaltation before all nations upon His return to reign over the earth.

All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to Yahweh, and all the families of the nations will worship before You. For the kingdom is Yahweh’s and He rules over the nations. (vv. 27-28)

Once the Lord’s glorious reign commences, all who are saved will worship before their King, and so prosper. In contrast, those who are condemned due to their unbelief will also bow before Jesus and confess Him as King before being consigned to Hell.

All the prosperous of the earth will eat and worship, all those who go down to the dust will bow before Him, even he who cannot keep his soul alive. (v. 29)

The prophet Isaiah foretold, and Romans 14 and Philippians 2 affirm, that every knee will indeed bow, and every tongue will confess, that Jesus, He is Lord.

Victory #3 – Proclamation (Psalm 22:30-31)

The third victory due to the sacrificial death and resurrection of the Messiah that Psalm 22 reveals involves the proclamation of Christ’s legacy. During the millennial reign of Jesus, the resurrected redeemed in their glorified bodies will teach those who will be born during that time about the righteousness and all-sufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.

Their seed will serve Him; it will be recounted about the Lord to the coming generation. They will come and will declare His righteousness to a people who will be born, that He has done it. (vv. 30-31)

Notice in particular the concluding phrase, “He has done it.” Literally, in Hebrew, this means, “It is finished.” The Gospel of John describes how just before Jesus bowed His head and gave up His spirit, He cried out, “It is finished!” Jesus had completed His recitation of Psalm 22; His sacrifice was now complete.

One thing is certain, the fulfillment of the prophecies found in Psalm 22 concerning the sufferings and victories of Jesus Christ on the cross confirms that He is indeed the promised Messiah. Only by the shed blood of the Suffering Servant can mankind find salvation from the just penalty of Hell brought on by our rebellion against God (Ephesians 1:7; 1 John 1:7). Only in the name of Jesus Christ can each of us be saved and receive eternal life (John 14:6; Acts 4:12).

(Note: This article is an adaptation from a teaching Dr. Nathan E. Jones and Dr. David R. Reagan presented in an earlier episode of Christ in Prophecy.)