Scripture
But I am a worm and not a man. I am scorned and despised by all!
~Psalm 22:6, NLT
Quote
When people reject Christ, they act like animals.
~Max Anders
That Jesus was willing do die for us is one thing but for Him to die an ignominious death is something else. Jesus did not die as a General commanding the field of battle, He died as a criminal on a cross. We are all going to die but our hope is that it will be among friends and family. My mother departed this world with children and grandchildren standing around her bed singing hymns. Jesus died on a cross surrounded by hate filled people who were acting like a pack of wild dogs. Not only did we beat Jesus until He us unrecognizable and then nail him to a rugged cross: we mocked him, insulted him and ridiculed Him while He suffered for our sins. It was not our finest hour. The cross exposed our utter depravity.
We know that Jesus quoted from Psalm 22 while He was on the cross but it is possible that He recited the entire Psalm at least to Himself. This would include verse six, “But I am a worm and not a man. I am scorned and despised by all!” A worm is a low life, a maggot, a dust and dirt dweller. No one loves worms. Do you know anyone who has a pet worm? No one appreciates a worm. No one praises or honors a worm. Worms are defenseless creatures that no one fears. We are afraid of snakes but we do not fear worms. Worms thrive in dark and lowly places. We don’t like to think of ourselves in such a lowly manner but we are the lowest of the low and the cross is proof. Issac Watts wrote a song two centuries ago that goes like this…
Alas! and did my Savior bleed
And did my Sov’reign die?
Would He devote that sacred head
For such a worm as I?
In 1991, the Baptist Hymnal was changed and the word “sinners” replaced the word ‘worm,’ [Would he devote that sacred head, for sinners such as I ]. I understand that some hymnals now read, “Would he devote that sacred head, for such a one as I.” Those who fought for the change said that the word ‘worm’ was too demeaning to be used in reference to a man. I disagree: Watts gave us more credit than we deserve. He could have said, “For such a snake as I.” The point is this: Jesus became the lowest of the low in order to save us. Jesus was despised and treated like a maggot. The fools who crucified Him had no fear of reprisal. The Romans thought they were executing another Jewish low life and the Jewish religious leaders thought Jesus was a Galilean low life. No one valued HIM, no one appreciated HIM and no one feared HIM but that will change. Our behavior at the cross was anything but noble. We acted like a pack of ravenous wolves. I do not think the term worm is too demeaning for us to bear. Jesus bore it for us, the least we can do is bear it for Him.
- Between the arctic weather and the diet, I am on the verge of being depressed. Just kidding, I have it made like a fat rat in a cheese factory.
- Was it just me or was the officiating in the Auburn/Alabama basketball game horrible?
- Fuzz Dobbins in back in the hospital. {Decatur, I think}
- Ole Gregg is having a birthday tomorrow I think: He will be 65. That’s pretty good, I think!