Luke 24:46 NKJV — Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day.
Synonyms for suffering
Suffering has to do with pain. Some words that are often used to describe suffering are DISTRESS, SUFFERING, MISERY, and AGONY. Obviously the Lord suffered. He agonized in the Garden of Gethsemane as He anticipated HIs suffering on the cross. The anticipation was so bad that He sweat as it were great drops of blood (Luke 22:42). I don’t think we (perhaps I should say I) have even a little understanding of the agony that the Lord passed through on the cross.
I Wonder
We tend to make decisions in the spur of the moment without thinking of the long-term consequences of those decisions. I wonder if Eve realized that when she disobeyed God and listened to the subtle lie of the Serpent, that she would unleash suffering and agony and misery and distress on this world. She had lived in paradise and had never experienced pain. So likely she did not consider that one bite of a piece of forbidden fruit would cause her own offspring to commit murder. She likely didn’t understand that the present problems in our current world are all because of that one act of disobedience. She unleashed plagues, racism, natural disasters, murderers, drug use, wars and all the other things that Satan convinces people to do. Satan is a liar and a murderer and Eve bought into his lies. I wonder what she thinks about the evil that she unleashed now. Yes, I believe the Lord loved her and forgave her, but I also believe that she caused her husband out of love for her to do wrong as well. Now we have the mess we are currently facing in the world today.
Recently I had to have a knee operation after foolishly jumping from a raised platform to a paved parking lot. I tore my quadriceps. I was thinking I would be a big boy after the operation and try not to take the pain pills prescribed. As I lay on my couch the afternoon after the operation, my pain level went from about a three to about a twelve. I took the pain medication even though it took awhile for it to kick in. But I got to thinking of the pain that the Lord passed through on the cross. He was crucified at 9 am and didn’t die until about 3 pm. And he didn’t take his pain medication. For six hours, he suffered.
Why Did He do That
Sin is disobedience. It is rebellion against God. Sin must be judged by a Holy God. When Eve sinned, we would probably have thought love would cause God to look the other way and say, “That’s all right, I will give you another chance.” But another chance would probably have had the same result. So God found a way to righteously judge the sin of this world and at the same time save the sinner. But the plan required HIs Son to suffer. I am just now beginning to understand the suffering that the Lord passed through. If you don’t understand you might want to watch the movie, “The Passion of the Christ” directed by Mel Gibson. I don’t really recommend watching it since it’s realism will give you sleepless nights. And it is not totally consistent with the Biblical narrative. But it vividly shows what the Lord suffered. 1 Peter 3:18 says, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.”
The Lord didn’t just die for us, He suffered for us. My suffering was limited to one afternoon. The Lord’s was limited to the six hours. But for those who reject the love of God in allowing His Son to bear the consequences of our sins, their potion will be eternal pain. I cannot solve the problems of this world and the pain and suffering that sin has caused. When the Lord comes to set up HIs earthly Kingdom, He will be able to do that. But I have solved my own personal problem of sin. I am trusting in the suffering Savior who loved me enough to not only died for me but to suffer for me and I hope all of my readers have trusted Him as well
Bruce Collins
Meditation for the week of June 7, 2020
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