3 Apr 2026
Journey Toward the Cross - Psalm 22:27-31
Today is Good Friday and perhaps you're wondering, why is it called Good Friday? Because by all worldly standards, it would seem like it's a very bad thing that this perfect man is being murdered. But it's good. Number one, because God is a good God and he sent his perfect Son to die for undeserving sinners. Then, number two, it's a good Friday because the cross was our only way to be made right with a holy God.
Psalm 22:27-31, the last part of the Psalm, moves out to the nations. In the previous verses, we see David referring to his people — Israel — the congregation. Now we move out to a bigger picture of the nations and how the nations will come and bow before him. They will serve him, the ruling and reigning King.
All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. For kingship belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations. All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, even the one who could not keep himself alive. Posterity shall serve him; it shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation; they shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that he has done it.
- Psalm 22:27-31
All Will Bow
The psalmist says, “Before him, all will bow down.” It says, “Those who bow down in the dust”. In other words, those who will die, which is all of us. Even those who could not keep themselves alive. This is us. We could not keep ourselves alive. When we think Good Friday, we realize we cannot rescue ourselves. We cannot keep ourselves alive. We need the cross. We need to sit with Good Friday before we can appreciate Holy Saturday and Resurrection Sunday.
The last couple of verses in this psalm to me are just a perfect and beautiful summary of Christ's sufferings and his subsequent glories. Listen to what it says here in the last couple of verses. It says, “Posterity shall serve him. It shall be told of the Lord to the coming generation. They shall come and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn, that he has done it.”
Finished
I love that last line: he has done it. What is so amazing about this final phrase, “He has done it.” is it’s the same word in the Hebrew that is used in Genesis 2:1-2. He finished the work he completed at creation. Fast forward to the cross and we see Jesus finishing it. It is finished. He completed what we could not do. We could not keep ourselves alive. God did it for us in his Son, Jesus Christ. That is why it's called Good Fridaу.
Think about this, as we come into this weekend, Holy Saturday, and we sit in this pain and this uncertainty that the disciples experienced. On Holy Saturday all is silent, he remains in the grave. A lot is going on, but he remains in the grave and they are confused. They don't know where to turn. They're scared. So we also sit with Holy Saturday in the silence. Soon we will experience resurrection morning and a new creation because it is finished and he has done it.
So tomorrow, take time to sit in that silence. Reflect on what the disciples must have felt—the confusion, the sorrow, the waiting. In many ways, we sit there with them in the quiet, in the waiting, in the unknown. We cannot fully appreciate the joy of the resurrection unless we first sit in the stillness of Holy Saturday.
Thank you so much for listening and following along on this journey toward the cross through Psalm 22. I hope you've enjoyed this series during Holy Week. I hope it has been something that ministered to your heart and has helped you fix your eyes on Christ as you approach Easter. May Resurrection Sunday be all the more sweeter.
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