But I am a worm, and no man;
A reproach of men, and despised by the people.
Psalm 22:6
“A worm and no man” – how can this be a proper title for the Lord of lords? It seems all wrong until we realize that Christ took this title for Himself in the Old Testament prophecy. By doing so, He let us know the depth of humiliation He encountered at the cross.
Rejection by those one loves is a devastating experience. The anguish of abandonment produces a pain that is difficult to talk about for those who experience it.
Forsaken by the Father, deserted by His closest friends and ridiculed by those He came to save, Jesus felt ultimate rejection. The altogether lovely one was deemed as unattractive as a slimy worm. We esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted (Isaiah 53:4). The Creator was humiliated more than the creature will ever understand.
Is it any wonder that “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble?” (1 Peter 5:5). He who called Himself a Worm and No Man can lift up the dejected soul and elevate him to heavenly places. The poor in spirit will discover that the Lord will never leave them or forsake them (Hebrews 13:5), but Christ-rejecters will be separated from God forever.
Alas! and did my Savior bleed
And did my Sovereign die?
Would He devote that sacred head
For such a worm as I?
– Isaac Watts (1674-1748)
July 12
