The Suffering of Christ – For You and Your Family!
Part One
For
several weeks now, The Passion of the Christ
by Mel Gibson has been debated by people within and outside the Church. I
was able to view the movie recently at the National Religious Broadcasting Convention.
As I watched the soldiers beating Jesus, I thought, Christ went through that
beating for me so that I, my family and everyone who has ever lived could have
forgiveness and life! Let’s remember the suffering of Christ. It was for you
and your family!
Let’s review some of it. After the Last Supper,
Christ takes Peter, James, and John with Him to pray in the
Jesus knew what was ahead. He knew He would
suffer and die! He asked the Father to take the cup of suffering from Him. But,
He also said, “Yet not as I will, but as Thou will.” It was not the Father’s
will to take the cup of suffering from Christ. It was for this that Christ came
to earth.
Jesus prays three different times. Prayer
strengthened Him, and prepared Him for the suffering ahead. Each time He
finished praying He went to look for His disciples. Three times He finds them
sleeping. He wakes them up each time! They want to please Jesus, but again,
they fall asleep (Matt. 26:41). Their Spirit was willing, but their flesh
was weak. Lord, help us when our spirit is willing but our flesh is weak!
The
culture and our sinful nature (the old Adam) cause us to fail the Lord, too. We
are weak. He is strong. When we fail, we need to remember we have a forgiving
Savior who suffered in our place!
Jesus lived the perfect life we are unable
to live. He never sinned. He didn’t deserve to suffer and die. We deserve God’s
punishment and eternal death! But, instead Christ willingly took our
punishment! He willingly suffered in our place!
Jesus’ suffering and death covers all our
sins; sins of guilt, shame, cursing, idolatry, rebellion, jealousy, gossip,
adultery, murder, stealing, lying, homosexuality, greed, and unbelief. The sins
of the entire world were laid upon Him 2,000 years ago.
Maybe someone reading this article is
thinking, ‘But, I’m not a Christian?’ He didn’t suffer for me! But He did! Why
not confess your sin of unbelief right now? Be washed clean and receive eternal
life!
When the Roman cohort, officers, chief
priests and Pharisees arrived to arrest Jesus in the Garden, an unusual thing
happened. As they approached, Jesus asked them “Whom do you seek?” They
answered, “Jesus the Nazarene.” He said to them, “I am He.” When He said to
them, “I am He,” they drew back, and fell to the ground (John 18:6)!
Why did Roman soldiers and Jews, who did not
believe in Jesus, fall to the ground? It
was because Jesus showed His majesty and power by using the words “I AM!” I AM
was God’s name! Then He says in a little different way, “I told you that I am
He; if therefore you seek Me, let these go their way.”
As the soldiers arrested Jesus, Peter,
thinking he would protect Him, drew his sword, struck the high priest’s slave
and cut off his right ear. The Bible
tells us the slave’s name was Malchus. Jesus tells
Peter to put away the sword. Then He touches the slave (Luke
Soon, all the disciples abandon Him and run
away. (Matt. 26:56) Have you ever suffered pain because someone
you trusted betrayed you? Jesus understands your pain. His friends betrayed Him,
too!
Consider some of the ways Christ suffered
for you. He was treated rudely, mocked, insulted, beaten, slapped, bound,
stripped of His clothes, His beard was pulled, and He was spit upon. A crown of
thorns was put upon His head. His suffering was not only painful physically,
but emotionally as well. Yet, He didn’t fight back, call them names, or sin
even at this difficult time.
Later Jesus was taken to Herod and Pilate.
Then He began the walk to
Jesus spoke seven times from the cross. One of
the two thieves who were also crucified along with Christ spoke to Jesus asking
Him, “Remember me when You come into Your Kingdom.”
Jesus tells Him, “Today you will be with Me in
He places His mother into the care of His
disciple John. Even in the midst of His pain and suffering, He showed concern
for those He loved.
Finally He cries, “It is finished!” The work
He came to accomplish was completed. He dies. Darkness covers the earth,
although it was only
Reflect upon Christ’s suffering for you
during this season of Lent. What does His suffering mean for you and your
family? Then remember John the Baptist’s
words, “Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world.”
(To
be continued in the May 2004 issue.)
Kay L. Meyer is the founder and president of Family
Shield Ministries, Inc. and host of its weekly radio program. The program is heard each Saturday at