Living a life we find it filled with happiness and sufferings, the two sides in the coin of any life. So Jesus, the word that became flesh and dwelt amongst us, lived His life like us all, in happiness and pain.
Jesus suffering is to reveal His love for humanity as Jesus, lived a human life, minus the majesties of originally being the Kings of Kings and God of Gods.
What is Jesus Suffering
The son of God, Jesus, the word in the beginning (John 1:1) had loved humanity from its very inception, that God had created in His own image and likeness (Genesis 1:27).
The love of Jesus for humanity was unconditional and highly intense. Jesus had seen the human race drifting away from His Father’s spiritual presence, human beings inclined towards sinfulness and immoral waywardness.
The hand of God that held His beloved from being lost, the man had instead pulled away to live in freewill and self-living, choosing self and earthly fellow beings over God. Thus chose to walk by himself, his own life.
Now the below is just a contemplation or hypothetical, but only emphasizes Jesus’ love for us.
The wound of Jesus suffering had begun there in Heaven.
The bruise of parting from the one who was made in His own image and likeness and made to head over all of God’s creation. (Genesis 1:26).
Sinfulness of Man had widened the gap, a crater was now existing between the Creator and the Creation.
The crater that the humans had created in this divine relation between God and Man was much wider and deeper and would be filled only after the restart of the whole process of creation again, for the tech generation it would mean rebooting the process of creation again.
God had to re-do (Ctrl + Z) the whole Creation.
Thus repeating on Earth, Sodom and Gomorrah or Noah’s Ark minus any Noah, just pairs of other creation of God to reproduce and thrive, post the new Earth.
But there was a protest, a formal oppose to a maybe above plans, and the differing view came from God’s only begotten son, Jesus.
Jesus must have revolted, “I love them each and will not let them perish, I will bring them all back, all the lost, just give me a chance, a one chance”.
The cause of Jesus suffering was set rather chosen by Jesus Himself.
The suffering plan to save humanity was not temporal but Jesus wished it for eternity.
God had warned the task would involve replacing to be the very human race and take upon itself all its sinfulness.
The consequence further would extend to being separated from the divine presence of God Himself.
The act of human sinfulness in its entirety of the human race in reference of time and generations of the past and of the future till the very end of humanity and all their sinfulness be borne on thyself.
Death that was never a trait to Jesus as He now lived with His Father would come to Him as the final sign of completion of the spiritual sacrifice to save humanity.
Bringing humanity in unison with God in eternity. (John 19:30)
A moment of even a single second to think over it was not chosen by Jesus, as the love for humanity was enormous then for Jesus suffering that would be the result.
The Bible reveals that Jesus suffering was with a cause, it carried a divine purpose.
Through His pain, God accomplished the salvation of humankind.
Unconditional love for the humanity and to save and bring them all to be in His Father’s Kingdom in eternity is all that is the sum or cause of Jesus suffering.
“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” (1 Peter 3:18)
Jesus Suffering: Fulfillment of the Prophecies
The suffering of Jesus Christ stands at the center of the Christian faith.
It is the greatest act of love the world has ever known, where heaven touched the earth, and the sinless Son of God took upon Himself the pain, rejection, judgement, and punishment meant for humanity.
Jesus suffering was not an historic event alone, rather every lash, thorn, and nail was foretold by God through the prophets as written in the Old Testament.
Jesus suffering was a fulfillment of a divine promise, the reason for Jesus’ birth that happened for our very salvation.
- The Suffering Servant Foretold in the Old Testament
Centuries before Jesus came, the prophets spoke of a Messiah who would suffer for the sins of the world. One of the most striking prophecies comes from Isaiah 53, often called “The Song of the Suffering Servant.”
Isaiah wrote…
“He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain… He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed.” — Isaiah 53:3, 5
This prophecy gives a vivid picture of Jesus suffering that He endured, from the rejection by men, the physical pain, and the spiritual weight of bearing humanity’s sin.
Jesus fulfilled this prophecy in His crucifixion.
Around a thousand years before Jesus’ birth, David also spoke of the Messiah’s pain
“They pierce my hands and my feet… they divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.” — Psalm 22:16, 18
When Jesus hung on the cross, the Roman soldiers unknowingly fulfilled this verse (John 19:23-24)
- Prophecies Fulfilled in His Passion
“Even my close friend, someone I trusted, one who shared my bread, has turned against me.” — Psalm 41:9
Betrayed by a friend: (The Betrayal by Judas)
“So they paid me thirty pieces of silver.” — Zechariah 11:12
Judas is paid 30 silver coins for betraying Jesus
“He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth.” — Isaiah 53:7
Jesus remained silent before Pontius Pilate
“They pierced my hands and my feet.” — Psalm 22:16
Jesus shows His wounds after resurrection
Every fulfilled prophecy that we find in the Old Testament, a thousand years before Jesus’ birth is an evidence of Jesus suffering, as the work of God’s eternal redemption plan.
Jesus Suffering and Our Living in Gratitude
“You will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will You let Your faithful one see decay.” (Psalm 16:10)
This verse, written by King David, is understood by Christians to be a prophecy about Jesus Christ’s resurrection, as Jesus was raised from the dead without His body decaying.
Jesus’ resurrection is the assurance that suffering is never the end for those who believe. Just as His pain led to glory, our trials, too, will give way to victory when we remain faithful.
The Resurrection of Jesus is a promise to us that the way the Lord was resurrected, we too are given the gift of resurrection all by the suffering of Jesus.
Jesus suffering is a reminder of the depth of God’s love and the certainty of His promise to humanity.
We need not only remember Jesus suffering, but live in its power and protection.
We as true Christians need to participate in Jesus suffering.
Jesus suffering teaches us obedience, humility, and endurance when living our lives, our faith and devotion towards Christ.
They should be for us a guiding light, anchoring an unshakable truth that Jesus’ love and sacrifice has purchased us eternal salvation, thus we need to trust and hope in its power and eternity.
When praying before the Crucifix, it should be for us the centerpiece of His redemptive story and sacrifice.
Jesus suffering is the tale of the “Lamb of God who took away the sins of the world.”
Through the Lord’s suffering, we are healed.
Through His pain, we find peace.
And through His death and resurrection, we have life in eternity.
When we look at the cross, we see in Jesus suffering, prophecy fulfilled, love demonstrated, and the promise of salvation for humanity accomplished.
