Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Today's Psalm from the Treasury (Psalm 41:7-12) is a prophecy and prayer of Christ himself. Here is the text:
7 All who hate me whisper together about me;
they imagine the worst for me.
8 They say, "A deadly thing is poured out on him;
he will not rise again from where he lies."
9 Even my close friend in whom I trusted,
who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.
10 But you, O LORD, be gracious to me,
and raise me up, that I may repay them!
11 By this I know that you delight in me:
my enemy will not shout in triumph over me.
12 But you have upheld me because of my integrity,
and set me in your presence forever.
The context of this Psalm is Christ's passion, specifically, his betrayal by Judas Iscariot. Those who hated Christ whispered, plotted and planned, imagining that this "blasphemer" had to be stopped. They imagined the worst for him. They thought that they could snuff out his life, put him to an end, that he would no longer survive to preach and teach the truth. Even his close friend, Judas, who ate the bread of Christ's last will and testament with him, has lifted up his heels, and would seal his betrayal later that night with a kiss.
Everything seemed to be against him. And yet, Christ prays to the Father what he knows to be true. He prays for a resurrection, a victory that is the repayment that his enemies could have never imagined. Because the Father accepts his offering, having fulled the law on behalf of sinful man, the enemies will not have the last word. They will not shout in triumph over him, but the disciples, the apostles, and the whole Christian Church will continue to sing and shout the victorious song of Jesus Christ's resurrection.
And this victory, this psalm, has become your victory and your song, for you have been baptized into the Christ who suffered all, and rose victorious. His death and resurrection are yours, and therefore, so is his prayer and song. Amen.
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