A Reflection on Psalm 116

As the service on Maundy Thursday draws to a conclusion, the altar is stripped and Psalm 22 is read. Psalm 22 becomes the voice of Christ at the crucifixion. So much of Psalm 22 is quoted by our Lord that, as I believe Fr. Matt pointed out, many believe our Lord recited the entire Psalm as he hung on the cross. Just as Psalm 22 is the voice of Christ during the crucifixion, I believe Psalm 116 is the voice of our Lord after Easter morning. I believe that is why the church places it soon after Easter in the lectionary.

One can hear Christ proclaiming his joy in verses 8 and 9, “For you, Lord, rescued me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling. I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living!” In verse 16 the author proclaims that he is the Lord’s servant, “Lord, I am indeed your servant; I am indeed your servant, the son of your female servant.” No one fits the description of the suffering servant of God in Isaiah better than Jesus. So much of Psalm 116b is echoed in Isaiah 52:13 – 53’ “See, My Servant will be raised up and greatly exalted…He was pierced for our transgressions, crushed because of our iniquities, punishment for our peace was upon him, and we are healed by his wounds…After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied!”

When the religious leaders demanded that Jesus give them a sign that he was the Messiah, he responded that the only sign he would give them would be the sign of Jonah. Of course, he was referring to Jonah being cast alive onto the shore after having been in the belly of the whale for three days. Christ gave the sign of Jonah when he rose from the grave after being buried in the belly of the tomb for three days. It is fascinating to read Psalm 116 and then read Jonah 2:2-9 to see the direct parallels to the thoughts of Jonah regarding the Lord’s deliverance and the thoughts of Jesus as inspired by the Holy Spirit in Psalm 116. “I called out to the Lord in my distress, and he answered me. I cried out for help in the belly of Sheol; You heard my voice.” —Jonah 2:2

The author of the Psalm asks the question in 116:12, “How can I repay the Lord for all his goodness to me?” He then answers  by saying, “I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.” When we hear of the “cup of salvation” this close to Holy Week we are reminded of Jesus asking that the cup be taken from him if possible, but not his will be done, but thine be done. We are also reminded of the institution of the Lord’s Supper. By his death and resurrection, Jesus transformed the cup of the Lord’s wrath into the cup of our salvation. He did so by transforming our act of unjust hatred toward him into an act of obedient worship and perfect love toward the Father. He “fulfilled his vows,” he loved us to the end.

There is a fascinating discussion that takes place in Matthew 20:17-23. Getting near Jerusalem, Jesus once again proclaims that he will be “betrayed, condemned, mocked, flogged, and crucified, but on the third day he will be raised to life.” The disciples only hear that they will soon arrive in Jerusalem and James and John ask to be seated at his right and left hand in Christ’s kingdom. The Lord asks if they can drink the cup he is about to drink. They proclaim they can, not having any idea what that might entail. The Lord informs them that one day they will indeed drink from his cup, “but to sit at his right and left is not for him to grant.” We are reminded that the cost of being a disciple is to take up one’s cross and follow the Lord.

So many of Christ’s followers have paid the ultimate price. They have followed him to the cross. They have drunk from the cup. Psalm 116 reminds us that the Lord does not take the offering of these martyrs lightly, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of  his saints.” —Psalm 116:15. While the cost of following the Lord is to drink from his cup, we should never lose sight that he has transformed the cup into the cup of salvation, the cup of new life. Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” —John 6:53-54

While it is clear to me that Psalm 116 is a hymn of joy reflecting the joy of God raising him to life after his work on the cross, I read the Psalm initially from a very subjective perspective. As I read of one who had been rescued from the snares of death and being set free from chains I thought of all the suffering and death going on in the world around us. The Psalm actually made me very joyful. I am thankful that the Lord has heard my voice and that I and my family have not been struck down by this virus. For those who have lost loved ones, I take comfort that, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” The message of this Psalm, the sign of Jonah, and the blessing of Easter is that even if a believer dies – that is not the end. For those of us who believe, for those who drink his cup, shall be raised. Death and the belly of the whale cannot hold us.

Psalm 116 is a song of thanksgiving and celebration. It celebrates the salvation our Lord bought for us upon the cross. But it is also a call to action for his disciples. In verse 13 it asks, “How can we repay the Lord for all his goodness?” It then lays out what the life of a disciple should look like. We are called to “Lift the cup of salvation.” I believe we do so in participating in the Lord’s Supper and by so doing we “Proclaim his death and resurrection until he comes again.” We are called to “fulfill our vows to the Lord.” We do so by honoring our baptismal vows and our marriage vows. In essence, we have sworn to Love the Lord with our whole heart and to love our neighbors as ourselves, and to love our spouses until we are parted by death.

We are called to be the “servants of the Lord.” Jesus reminds us that he who would be greatest in the Kingdom of God must be the servant of all. In verse 17 we are called to “offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving and to call upon the name of the Lord.” Clearly, we are to be a people who worship God with our praises and who calls upon his name in Thanksgiving and prayer.

Psalm 116 speaks of one saved by God. That salvation gave the person a new life. That new life totally transformed the way the person lived from then on. They became a true disciple of King Jesus. They drank from the cup of salvation. May we all.

Yours in Christ,

† Mark

Bp. Mark Zimmerman
Bishop in Residence / Interim Rector