Jesus and the Psalms Part 2

That much of the Psalms concerns “the Christ” was (and is) commonly accepted; the New Testament’s glorious proclamation is that Jesus is this Christ, the long-expected “Anointed One” of whom these Scriptures speak. At Pentecost Peter, who, after quoting two psalms, declared to the crowds, “God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ” (Acts.2:36). We read of Paul, who reasoning from the Scriptures (again, the Psalms), demonstrated that the Christ had to suffer and rise again, saying, “This Jesus, whom I preach to you, is the Christ” (Acts.17:2-3). The book of Hebrews, for example, is woven together by psalms, showing us that Jesus is the “son of man” of Psalm 8 who was made “for a little while lower than the angels” through the incarnation but now has been crowned “with glory and honor” through his resurrection and ascension (Heb.2:5-9). Matthew’s gospel unveils the Psalms as key to Jesus’ own self-understanding, satan quoting Psalm 91 to him in the wilderness (Matt.4:6). Jesus summarized his suffering and exaltation with the lines of Psalm 118:22: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone” (Matt.21:42; c.f. Acts.4:11 and 1Pet.2:7).

The psalms have led us repeatedly to the sufferings of Christ. They have also led us to His great exaltation that begins with His resurrection, then to His ascension and coronation. Psalm 16 was used by Peter at Pentecost to prove this (Acts.2:25-31). He then moves to Psalm.110.(Acts.2:34-36) 
Much of the New Testament’s teaching on Christ’s continued work as our Prophet, Priest, and King in his state of exaltation is founded firmly upon the book of Psalms. Paul in Eph.4:7-16 even explains the gifts of the Spirit from the ascended Christ to his church through the lens of Psalm 68:18. The NT continually uses the book of Psalms to fix our gaze upon the excellency of Christ, upon the majesty, beauty, and glory of the One who through his humiliation and exaltation reigns over the nations, leading them to the heavenly Mount Zion so that, lost in wonder, love, and praise, they may proclaim eternally the glory of the thrice Holy God.