Isaiah 50:6 I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.
The sufferings of
Jesus cannot be totally comprehended. One thing is clear: Jesus
experienced voluntary suffering. He offered himself as a sacrifice on
behalf of the human race, and it was a volitional act on His part. He
willfully submitted to the will of His heavenly Father, which meant
suffering. His heartache and mistreatment were the will of His heavenly
Father (Mark 8:31-33).
This principle is
hard to process for those who want to enjoy problem-free living. The way
of the cross is not always a smooth road, for it is marked with its own
bumps along the way.
Jesus suffered for
the sake of others, and He calls His followers to be willing to do the
same. The Bible says, “For it has been granted to you on behalf of
Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for
him…”(Philippians 1:29). Suffering leads you to your Savior and Lord,
Jesus Christ.
Jesus offered Himself
to His tormentors as His adversaries plotted and schemed to bring Him
down. They wanted to put Jesus on display as a mad man. If He were truly
God, they reasoned, He would not allow this injustice to occur.
However, the Creator allowed His creation to beat and bludgeon His only
Son. Christ’s back was bruised and beaten for your sake. His ribs were
whipped with sharp bits of rock that dug into His flesh
indiscriminately. These mob-motivated men inflicted inhumane lashes
across His body; facial hair was torn from His flesh. He did not hide
his face or scowl back.
Rather, with a gaze
up to heaven, as if to say, “Father this is for your glory,” He
displayed a grim face of grace. This face of forgiveness was baptized in
the spit of sinful man. They desecrated His friendly face with
determined drool. The frenzy of the crowd took over with verbal lashes.
These ungrateful sinners beat Him down emotionally and mentally, as well
as physically. It was a horrific sight, similar to a one man
concentration camp. But Jesus submitted to this suffering only because
He first submitted to God. Ironically, those committing these hideous
crimes were the very ones who could benefit from its results. They could
have embraced His atonement for sin and received His resurrected life.
Jesus carried this
burden on your behalf and that of all mankind. It was not an exercise in
how much pain could be endured by one person. It was pure love, as
Jesus loved you all the way to the cross. “Greater love has no one than
this, that he lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Without
the love of God, the events at the cross would not have happened. The
dreadful day’s activities would have culminated in the death of just
another good man. Death would have been the end.
But Jesus conquered
death, sin, and Satan so that you could do the same. His pain was your
gain. He bore the cross so you could bear your cross. The way of the
cross is the path to redemption. He bought you from the servitude of
sin. No longer are you bound up in yourself and others, for He has set
you free. You are exonerated by faith because He endured the cross,
despised its shame, and is now interceding on your behalf at the right
hand of His heavenly Father (Hebrews 12:2).
This is cause for
celebration. God really does use all things for His good on behalf of
those who love Him (Romans 8:28). Therefore, allow gratitude to well up
and burst forth from your heart. You can because of the great love of
God exhibited in the sufferings of Christ Jesus. He suffered for you.
Can you do any less? You serve a suffering Savior. You worship a
suffering Savior who rose from the dead so He could save you from the
uttermost punishment. He lives!
