One of my favorite games to play with young children is “How many ribs do you have?”. This is a game of my own invention. I “count” their ribs by gently pressing my finger along their rib cages solely for the purpose that it an extremely ticklish spot for them. I have yet to play the game with any niece, nephew, or friend’s child who did not end up giggling and laughing so hard they can barely breathe. It makes me laugh because there is hardly a better sound than a child’s laughter. It is just a fun and silly game that always leaves everyone laughing.
However, in Psalm 22 as David writes about counting his bones, it is not quite the same joyous, silly game. David feels completely surrounded by his enemies. He is tired, hungry, and probably sore from running and hiding in caves. He can count his bones from the weariness and soreness each individual bone causes him in his current situation. Then as you hear Jesus quote Psalm 22 from the cross these words get even further away from a silly game. As Jesus quotes verse 1 of Psalm 22 from the cross, it is most commonly understood that He is referring to the entire psalm. So as you see Jesus referencing these words of David, Jesus means that he is so beaten, so dehydrated, so famished, and so exhausted that He can (most likely literally) count all His bones as they sorely press against His tender, bleeding, and bruised flesh. The nails pressing again his wrist bones, most likely cutting off circulation to his fingers and hands; his own weight causing his elbows and shoulders to feel like the tendons are going to rip off the bones; his ribs trying to keep the weight of his tired, sagging body from crushing his lungs; his spine trying to hold him as upright as possible; his neck bones struggling to hold up his own head; his skull pounding from the pressure points of the thorns and the previous blows; his legs, already too sore to carry his own cross up the hill, now using every ounce of strength he has left, pushing up off the nail through his feet to still stand up. Our suffering, dying Savior can count his bones from the excruciating pain each one is causing Him upon that cross. This is not a silly game. He is not laughing as He counts His bones.
And yet, His pain is our gain. His counting those bones just before His death, is our joy that gives us the freedom to laugh at silly games in this life. As Scripture says:
“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21
“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” 1 Peter 2:24
We can still play silly games, we can still thoroughly enjoy the beautiful sound of a child’s laughter, but we have these joys of life only because our Lord and Savior was willing to experience such horrible pain, such horrific torture, and such a miserable death so that He could grant you His righteousness and eternal life. He counted His bones in the pain of that cross, so that He could count Your bones as redeemed. Praise be to Christ, that we can laugh, play, and rejoice in the fact that we are forgiven, we are counted as righteous because of Him, and have eternal life in His name. Amen.
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