Jesus acts out Psalm 23 at the feeding of the five thousand. When he sees that the crowds are “like sheep without a shepherd,” he feeds them spiritually by “teach[ing] them many things.” Then he has them “sit down … on the green grass” and feeds them with so much food that their baskets overflow (Mark 6:34-44). Jesus meditates on Psalm 22 to prepare for his death. On the cross, overwhelmed by evil, he recites Psalm 22:1: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” In the darkness, Jesus doesn’t analyze what he doesn’t know. He clings to what he knows.
