Matthew 4 and Psalm 49

Thursday morning for Matins, one of our psalms was 49. That same morning, as I was editing Bible stories from Luke, I ran across the story of the temptation of Jesus. And thus I noticed something cool about "Passion" that I hadn't noticed before. Wow -- the theologians who consulted on that movie sure were something! Always something new to find!

Pastor Koch had pointed out before I ever saw the movie that, in the Garden, Jesus was praying the psalms. I still don't know what psalms. The subtitles in the movie aren't in NKJV. Besides that, I just don't know the psalms as well as I wish I did. So I still don't know what psalms were being prayed in the Garden in the movie. But Thursday I realized where some of Satan's lines in that scene came from.

In Matthew 4, Satan quoted the Psalms (out of context!) to tempt Jesus. That's not unlike what he did to Eve, quoting the Lord, but not quite right. Likewise, in the movie, Satan's scheme in the Garden was to quote the psalms. In Psalm 49, Satan pulled out "none can redeem his brother" and "the redemption of their souls is costly." And he left it stand: "It's too hard. You can't do it." Satan never wants to quote the whole thing in context: "But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave."

Seek whom ye may to be your stay; none can redeem his brother. All helpers failed, this Man prevailed, the God-man and none other. Our Servant-Lord did help afford. We're justified for He hath died, the Guiltless for the guilty.