Jesus’ Reflections on the Psalms

How the Psalms Shaped the Jesus’s Words and Actions

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

I recently had this vision or thought about Jesus reading the Book of Psalms. He is sitting at this table my grandparents used to own and is reading.

Something about this image in my mind reminds me that the Book of Psalms is incredibly important, and I want to share that with you today.

In the New Testament, Jesus makes multiple allusions to the Book of Psalms, highlighting the importance of the Psalms in His teachings, petitions, and critical junctures in His mission.

Jesus refers to the Psalms in the following noteworthy instances.

The Crucifixion

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Psalm 22:1) is one of the most moving passages that Jesus quotes while hanging on the crucifixion.

This passage, found in Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34, emphasizes Jesus’ intense agony, how prophecy is fulfilled, and how Jesus is identified with the suffering that the Psalm describes.

Jesus’s Lordship

Jesus challenges the Pharisees’ interpretation of the Messiah’s lordship by bringing up Psalm 110:1.