Imitation of Christ (Imitatio Christi)
Psalm 22
October 5, 2025, Stetson
Memorial UMC
Journey to Imitate Jesus
By
your prayers and love, I was able to return safely from Arizona. The night
before I left, my children wrote me cards. One of them wrote, “Mom, please
don’t write too many poems because I need to save my ears.” But I’m sorry to
say, I wrote many poems there!
Together
with 33 Korean pastors, pastors’ wives, and lay leaders, I spent days
worshiping, listening, meditating in silence, attending lectures, and sharing
deeply. Each day flowed so quickly as we met God and one another. During
morning, noon, and evening worship, and especially through Holy Communion, I
felt as though the blocked breath of my soul was finally opened. I wept again
and again as I felt the deep connection restored between God and me.
As I
worshiped, prayed, and listened to the Spirit with people full of God’s
presence, I experienced deep detox and healing. When we shared our silent pain,
we cried and laughed together. I realized that all these experiences—our joy,
pain, silence, and prayer—are part of the journey to become more like Jesus.
Especially through suffering, I could meditate more deeply on the Son of God
who suffered for us.
Psalm 22: The Song of Suffering
The
process of becoming like Christ is beautifully shown in the Psalms. We have
seen how God, the divine Poet, writes His poems in our lives. In Psalm 1, we
learned about the truly blessed person through the wisdom of Torah. In Psalm 2,
we saw the joy of being chosen as God’s royal children. Last week, through
Penny’s story, we saw how God continues to write His story in and through our
lives.
Today,
we turn to Psalm 22—a psalm of lament. More than half of the Psalms are
laments, whether personal or communal. Yet, except for Psalm 88, every lament
begins with pain but ends with trust and praise. The Psalms are divided into
five books, and each book ends with a doxology—a song of praise.
Psalm
22 begins with David’s cry:
“My
God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
David continues:
“Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of
anguish? My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find
no rest.”
David’s pain is deep. He feels hopeless, even near death.
Yet, these words sound familiar—because Jesus used them on the cross.
Jesus and the Cross in Psalm 22
When Jesus hung on the cross, He cried out David’s words:
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”(Eli, Eli, lama
sabachthani).
Psalm 22 is not only David’s lament—it is also a prophetic
song that points to Christ’s suffering. Many verses in this psalm directly
foreshadow the crucifixion.
- Verse
1: Jesus’ cry from the cross (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34).
- Verses
7–8: “All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads.”
This was fulfilled when people mocked Jesus (Matthew 27:39–43).
- Verse
15: “My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the
roof of my mouth.” This describes Jesus’ thirst on the cross (John 19:28).
- Verse
16: “They pierce my hands and my feet.” The Roman soldiers nailed His
hands and feet.
- Verse
18: “They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.” This
was fulfilled when soldiers cast lots for Jesus’ clothing (Matthew 27:35;
John 19:23–24).
David’s own pain prophetically revealed the suffering of
Jesus, and that same psalm now meets us in our own pain. Through our suffering,
we encounter the suffering Christ.
Suffering as the Path to God
Some
people turn away from God when they suffer. But those who hold tighter to God
in their pain are truly blessed. Why? Because in suffering, we discover our
weakness and meet the infinite God in our limits.
The
15th-century theologian Thomas à Kempis wrote "The Imitation of Christ," one of the most widely read Christian books after the Bible. He taught that denying oneself,
living humbly, and seeking God in silence and solitude are the true ways to
imitate Christ. He also said that through Holy Communion, we are most deeply
united with God.
“Imitatio
Dei”—to imitate God; “Imitatio Christi”—to imitate Christ. This is
sanctification—the purpose of our lives. Today, as we come to the Lord’s Table,
may that deep union and transformation take place among us.
Through
Suffering, We Draw Near to God
At
the Spiritual Formation Academy, we shared our stories of pain and brokenness.
In those tears, we found how much of our ego must die before God can fill our
lives. The deeper the valley, the higher the mountain. Every time we kneel
before God, He places an unseen medal of grace on our hearts. The greater the
suffering, the deeper the soul.
Jesus
did not come as a royal prince in luxury but as the poorest and weakest. He,
the Son of God, suffered and died on the cross. That is why, in our suffering,
we can meditate on His.
Like
David, we cry out to God, pray honestly, and leave the judgment of the wicked
to Him. Last week, Victor’s sign at the church deeply touched me. It said, “Let
them. Let me. Let God.” That is the posture of trust. When we trust God like
David, we can even sing praise in our pain.
David
declares,
“I
will declare your name to my people; in the assembly I will praise you” (v.22).
He
does not hide his faith. In front of those who mocked him, he boldly praises
God. And at the end of the psalm, verses 30–31 proclaim that even the unborn
generation will tell of the Lord’s righteousness. What a vision of hope!
Looking Back: My Own Psalm
In
Arizona, I cried a lot—so much that people asked, “Where do all your tears come
from?” I became like a crying baby with endless tears. But through those tears,
I looked back on my forty years of life and thanked God for His unchanging
love.
I
remembered that day three years ago when I went to the Korean pastors’ wives’
retreat—dragging my weary body, like the bleeding woman or Like Hannah, who was
so sorrowful she appeared to be drunk, but praying in the temple. God met me
there, comforted me, and confirmed my calling. Since then, He has opened doors
for me to share the gospel.
During
times of suffering, I often felt God’s silence—as if I were abandoned. But
looking back, I now see that God was always there, right in the middle of my
pain. Through that suffering, I met the suffering Jesus. And slowly, I am
learning to live a life that resembles Him.
When
my children suffer from allergies, or when they fall and bleed, or when they
struggle to make big life decisions, I remind them to pray and reflect on
Jesus’ suffering. Just as David’s pain foretold Christ’s suffering, may our
pain help us understand Jesus more deeply and share His gospel more boldly.
“My
God, like David and like Jesus, I cry out to You in my suffering. At times,
Your silence feels like abandonment. Yet even in the silence, I look to You.
I
look to the Cross, where You suffered for me. I bring my pain to You, Lord,
because only You can heal me and save me.
Let
my lips never cease to praise You. Teach me to live a life that becomes more
like You each day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
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