Psalm 22, 23, and 24

The Cross, the Crook, and the Crown

Psalm 22, 23, and 24

The Cross, the Crook, and the Crown

You cannot break Jesus up. You must take Him all. The gospel is not a menu. You do not get to pick and choose which roles of Christ to accept and which to ignore. We really love the lamb, but we loathe the lion. We want little bitty baby Jesus, but we are not comfortable with King Jesus.

The book of Psalms contains a trilogy that unfolds the mission and identity of Jesus Christ with clarity and divine symmetry. Psalm 22 portrays the suffering Savior. Psalm 23 presents the guiding Shepherd. Psalm 24 proclaims the reigning King. These three psalms must be understood as a theological unit. They show the full scope of God’s redemptive plan through His Son. Each role is essential, and each must be received without reservation. The cross, the crook, and the crown form a singular picture of the Christ whom every soul must know. Psalm 22, Psalm 23, and Psalm 24 each build upon the one before it in sequence. The work of salvation is not complete with suffering alone. Nor can comfort and leadership suffice without sacrifice. Nor is there true glory without obedience and the way of the cross. The whole package must be embraced: the cross that redeems, the crook that guides, and the crown that reigns.

I. The Cross: Psalm 22 and the Suffering Savior

Psalm 22 opens with the anguished cry, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Psalm 22:1). Jesus spoke these words from the cross to call attention to the entire psalm. He was not truly forsaken by God. Rather, He identified with the suffering depicted and affirmed the psalm’s ultimate message: though the situation appeared lost, God had not been defeated, and deliverance would follow (Matthew 27:46). This psalm records the inner voice of the Messiah during His crucifixion. The imagery is not symbolic. The language is precise, prophetic, and unmistakable.

A. The Specificity of the Prophecy

Psalm 22 gives a panoramic view of the crucifixion from the perspective of the Sufferer Himself. Psalm 22:16 reads, “They pierced my hands and my feet.” This detail was written centuries before Roman crucifixion existed as a form of execution. The language is not metaphorical. It is anatomical and violent. Verse 18 states, “They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture.” The Roman soldiers did exactly this at the foot of the cross (John 19:23–24). The predictive precision cannot be attributed to poetic coincidence.

B. The Substitutionary Nature of the Suffering

Psalm 22 presents both the physical agony and the theological burden of Christ's suffering. The mockery, thirst, weakness, and encircling enemies emphasize the injustice endured by the righteous one who bore the iniquity of others, not His own (Isaiah 53:5). This psalm reveals the cost of redemption through penal substitution: the righteous suffers on behalf of the unrighteous. The forsakenness in verse 1 illustrates the anguish of bearing sin, though Christ was not truly abandoned by God. He who trusted in God from the womb now faces the full weight of sin’s consequence in silence, identifying with the suffering depicted in the psalm.

C. The Transition to Praise

The psalm does not end in defeat. Beginning in verse 22, a shift occurs: “I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.” This corresponds with the resurrection. The one who was surrounded by bulls and dogs is now in the assembly proclaiming the name of God. The gospel includes the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1–4). Psalm 22 transitions from the agony of the cross to the triumph of the risen Christ.

Psalm 22 establishes the foundation of the gospel message. No salvation is possible apart from the cross. The imagery must be accepted in its full weight and meaning. It anchors the believer's understanding in the suffering and substitutionary death of Jesus Christ as prophesied and fulfilled in Scripture. The one who looked forsaken now enters into glory.

II. The Crook: Psalm 23 and the Guiding Shepherd

Following the suffering in Psalm 22, Psalm 23 introduces the Shepherd who leads, restores, and defends His people. The Lord is not only the one who died; He is the one who leads. The shepherd’s crook appears in Psalm 23. The crook is an instrument of guidance, discipline, and protection.

A. The Personal Relationship with the Shepherd

Psalm 23:1 begins, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” The imagery is pastoral, but the truth is deeply doctrinal. Jesus Christ identifies Himself as the good shepherd in John 10:11. He does not hire out the care of the sheep. He lays down His life for them and continues to lead them. The believer does not follow an abstract moral figure. The believer follows a present and involved Shepherd who knows His sheep and is known by them (John 10:14).

B. The Providential Leading in Righteousness

Psalm 23:3 states, “He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” The crook guides, but it also disciplines. The shepherd uses it to draw the sheep back from danger and to prod the wanderer into the right path. The Christian walk requires correction (Hebrews 12:6). The crook symbolizes that necessary training. Many desire the peace of the green pastures without the direction of the narrow path. But the shepherd cannot be followed selectively. The sheep must go where He leads.

C. The Comfort Found in Correction and Protection

Psalm 23:4 affirms, “Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” Both instruments are tools of leadership. The rod defends. The staff directs. The rod and the staff comfort because they provide both guidance and protection, assuring the believer of God’s active leadership: “Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” The shepherd does not abandon His sheep in the valley of the shadow of death. He leads through it. The presence of the shepherd does not guarantee absence of danger but ensures deliverance through it. The Christian life is a pilgrimage led by the voice of the Shepherd.

Psalm 23 teaches that salvation involves continued discipleship. The crook represents the call to follow, to learn, and to grow in righteousness after redemption.

III. The Crown: Psalm 24 and the Reigning King

Psalm 24 lifts the eyes from the field to the gates of Heaven. The one who suffered in Psalm 22 and leads in Psalm 23 now reigns in Psalm 24. The crown represents authority, dominion, and glory. Jesus Christ is not awaiting enthronement. He reigns now at the right hand of God (Acts 2:33).

A. The Earth is the Lord’s

Psalm 24:1 declares, “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.” Sovereignty is not bestowed by man. It is inherent in the divine nature. Jesus Christ is not elected to rule; He is exalted by the Father (Philippians 2:9–11). The crown He wears is not ornamental. It is the symbol of victory, conquest, and unassailable right.

B. The Worthiness of the King

Psalm 24:3–4 poses the question, “Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart.” This standard of holiness points directly to Jesus Christ, who alone fulfilled all righteousness. The King is not only mighty but also holy. His kingdom is one of righteousness (Hebrews 1:8). This standard excludes the sinner and exalts the Savior. Only those who are in Christ may enter the presence of the King.

C. The Entry of the King of Glory

Psalm 24:7 states, “Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.” This is royal procession. The image is not symbolic of earthly rule. It reflects the ascension of Jesus Christ after the resurrection. The King enters into the heavenly temple as the victorious Son (Hebrews 9:24). The gates do not resist His entrance. They are commanded to open. Glory belongs to Him. The title “King of glory” is repeated, not as poetic emphasis but as theological assertion. There is no other.

Psalm 24 completes the triad. The Christ who suffered is the Christ who reigns. The Shepherd who leads now stands crowned in glory. His authority is present, not pending. He is Lord of lords and King of kings (Revelation 19:16).

IV. The Whole Christ: A Unified Picture

These three psalms present the whole Christ. The Savior is not to be fragmented. He cannot be selectively followed. Each aspect of His work must be accepted.

A. The Error of Fragmenting Christ

Some attempt to accept Jesus as Savior without submitting to His guidance or recognizing His rule. They want the forgiveness of the cross without the direction of the crook or the demands of the crown. Others desire the comfort of the Shepherd but reject the necessity of the cross or the authority of the King. Still others long for the glory of the crown but ignore the path that leads to it.

To accept the cross but reject the crook is to desire forgiveness without discipleship. To follow the crook while rejecting the crown is to seek comfort without submission. To long for the crown without the cross is to crave glory without atonement. To hold to the crook while denying the crown is to accept guidance without yielding to authority. To speak of the crown while bypassing the cross is to desire exaltation without sacrifice.

None of these fragments provide salvation. Each is an incomplete Christ. The gospel demands the full acceptance of the whole Jesus: crucified, risen, reigning.

B. The Call to Embrace the Whole Christ

Jesus must be believed as the one who bore sin, obeyed as the one who leads, and honored as the one who reigns. His person and His mission are one. No single psalm captures His fullness; each role depends on the others.

Psalm 22 shows what He did. Psalm 23 shows what He does. Psalm 24 shows who He is.

The voice that cried in suffering is the same voice that calls in guidance and commands with authority. The believer must receive the whole Christ: Savior, Shepherd, and King.

Conclusion: The Cross, the Crook, and the Crown

These psalms declare one unified Christ: the suffering Savior, the guiding Shepherd, and the reigning King.

In unison, Psalm 22, Psalm 23, and Psalm 24 reveal the completed work of Christ in redemption, discipleship, and reign. In His suffering, His shepherding, and His reign, the mission of redemption is complete. These three roles must be held together, not parceled out or emphasized selectively. The one who was pierced is the one who leads and reigns. He now enters the gates of Heaven in triumph, crowned with glory.

If you want the crown, you must accept the crook. If you cling to the crook, you must first pass through the cross.

Redemption requires suffering. Discipleship requires guidance. Glory requires submission.

To trust Christ fully is to receive Him in all three roles. The cross redeems. The crook guides. The crown rules.

This is the whole package. No other Christ will do.