Eloi, Eloi lema Sabachthani - The Soundtrack of Christ's Crucifixion

Mark 14
45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. 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?”).
47 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.”
48 Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. 49 The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”
50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

What do you think that sounded like?

You know, A soundtrack can really make or break a movie.

The music playing in the background in any given scene directs our emotional response to the events we’re watching – and becomes a very important part of the message or effect that a film delivers

You can imagine how miserable it would be to get the soundtrack wrong to some of our favorite movie scenes

What if “Acuna-Matata” was playing when Mufassa died?
What if Sarah McLachlan’s “I Will Remember You” was playing while Rocky was training instead of “Eye of the Tiger”?
What if – as the words scrolled over the screen at the beginning of each Star Wars movie – we were listing to “Forever in Love” by Kenny G?

Those would be tragedies! It would also be a tragedy if we got the soundtrack to the crucifixion wrong.

O – wait – didn’t you know that Christ’s death has a soundtrack?

Haven’t you heard the song?

It’s not “Reckless Love” It’s not even “O Sacred Head Now Wounded.” Though those are great songs, they are not the melodies that should ring in your ears when you look toward the cross

Jesus picked the music for that moment at three in the afternoon when he cried out in a loud voice “Eloi Eloi Lama Sabactini” or “my God, my God why have you forsaken me”

Now too many people have spent time wondering what that phrase means. They would ask questions like, “was there some sort of cosmic crack in the trinity?” “Was the union between father and son somehow severed?” But these words are not just* fodder for 5th-century councils and the like. These are the first words in a SONG – a musical song.

We know it as Psalm 22, and there, we’re even told what musical tune it was written to

“For the director of music. To the tune of “The Doe of the Morning.” A psalm of David.”

– it was a SONG!

And here is Jesus, on the cross, invoking this song, written to music

Thus Jesus is not lamenting his being betrayed somehow by his father – that is nonsense. He is providing the soundtrack for what is taking place at that moment, and if you sing the song of Psalm 22 when you’re looking at the cross, your understanding will become much, much clearer

The song starts off with those words,

“my god my god why have your forsaken me”

And we hear the lamenting of a servant of God who is suffering. There are words there that are so clearly pointed to this moment on the cross, like in verse 8:

8 “He trusts in the Lord,” they say,
“let the Lord rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
since he delights in him.”

starting in verse 15

15 My mouth is dried up like a potsherd,
    and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
    you lay me in the dust of death.
16 Dogs surround me,
    a pack of villains encircles me;
    they pierce my hands and my feet.
17 All my bones are on display;
    people stare and gloat over me.
18 They divide my clothes among them
    and cast lots for my garment.

But the song changes dramatically right there with an impassioned plea for rescue

19 But you, Lord, do not be far from me.
    You are my strength; come quickly to help me.
20 Deliver me from the sword,
    my precious life from the power of the dogs.
21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
    save me from the horns of the wild oxen.

Then – before this song is over – a tremendous refrain of triumph and victory rings out from the Psalmist

22 I will declare your name to my people;
    in the assembly I will praise you.
23 You who fear the Lord, praise him!
    All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
    Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
24 For he *has not* despised or scorned
    the suffering of the afflicted one;
he *has not* hidden his face from him
    but has listened to his cry for help.
25 From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
    before those who fear you I will fulfill my vows.
26 The poor will eat and be satisfied;
    those who seek the Lord will praise him—
    may your hearts live forever!
27 All the ends of the earth
    will remember and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations
    will bow down before him,
28 for dominion belongs to the Lord
    and he rules over the nations.
29 All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
    all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
    those who cannot keep themselves alive.
30 Posterity will serve him;
    future generations will be told about the Lord.
31 They will proclaim his righteousness,
    declaring to a people yet unborn:
    He has done it!

This song is about triumph, about the certain victory of the Lord and the incredible consequences that it will have all the way to the ends of the earth and to generations unto the end of timE!

That is the record to which Jesus puts down the needle at 3:00 PM when he says

“Eloi Eloi lama Sabactini”

AND YOU HAVE TO HEAR THE MUSIC when you’re watching – or it will make so little sense to you

You have to
see Jesus’ cries of anguish on the cross,
and imagine the blood dripping down from his wounds, not least his thorny crown.
you have to visualize the spear piercing his side,
and envision the sky turning black,
*WITH* this irrepressible soundtrack of triumph playing behind it!
*WITH* the deafening song of the victory of God over the powers of darkness and sin at that moment!

As in any great movie, the soundtrack is serving as our emotional guide or lens through which to view the scene. And when you *listen to the music* of Psalm 22 instead of trying to wrap your head around the theological implcaions of Mark 15:34 you should have the opposite reaction of how we’re used to reacting to these words.

The music tells us *DO NOT* cast your head down when Jesus breaths his last

instead the melody wants you to lift up your head and attune your ears to the long-awaited accomplishment of God.

“HE HAS DONE IT,” and today, with our eyes and our ears fixed on the cross, we bear witness to it all.

This Good Friday. When you look towards Jesus on the cross, hear this music

27 All the ends of the earth
    will remember and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations
    will bow down before him,
28 for dominion belongs to the Lord
    and he rules over the nations. (Psalm 22)

Joel NielsenApril 6, 2023