Jesus' Greatest Suffering

“Surely has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows…He was wounded for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His stripes we are healed…the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”  Isaiah 53:4-5, ESV

            “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree…” 1 Peter 2:24, ESV

            “For our sake [God] made Him to be sin who knew no sin…” 2 Corinthians 5:21

            Do you remember the 2004 film “The Passion of the Christ?” It was released about 4 months after I arrived at Denbigh as pastor.  I remember taking our young people to view it.  I remember weeping throughout the showing of the incredible torture that was depicted.  I remember being stunned at the incredible length Jesus went to secure my freedom from the penalty and power of sin.  My continual thought as I watched was; “He did this for me!”  That thought is borne out by the verses written at the beginning of these musings.  I hope that it gave me a little better picture of what happened.

But my attention has been drawn again as I sit to work on this post, to something quite beyond my ability to comprehend.  Jesus endured unimaginable physical pain and suffering.  Without a doubt, I should spend the rest of my days in grateful service to the one who loved me enough to do that in my place.

            The additional thought that strikes me as I contemplate the images I saw is this:  The primary horror and suffering that Jesus endured was not physical.  Jesus, the sinless, Holy Son of God was taking upon Himself my sin…and your sin…and the sin of the entire world.  I think it quite impossible for us to imagine the horror of this thought.  We are so accustomed to sin being a part of our experience that, however we seek to avoid it by the grace of God, we are not surprised at it’s presence in our being.  Jesus, throughout all of time and eternity past, never had any connection or association with sin.  Don’t misunderstand me; Jesus was not a sinner when He died.  He was the perfect, holy, spotless Lamb of God, being sacrificed for you and me.  But he was bearing the weight of our sin in his own body.

            This horrific reality was worsened by the fact that the Father in Heaven turned His back, as it were, on Jesus when He was on the cross.  We’ll never know the true depth of suffering behind Jesus' words; “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”  He had always enjoyed perfect communion with the Father.  For this period of time, Jesus endured the agony of separation from the Father.

            I thank God for the opportunity to see a graphic depiction of the physical torture Jesus endured.  It was painful and heartbreaking to watch.  But I must remember that, with all the “magic” of Hollywood, no one can truly depict the depth of suffering that Jesus endured for me.  He bore my sins.  He paid my penalty.  He died my death.  He endured my separation so that I could live with God forever.

            It is my great desire, and I hope yours as well, to spend my days in grateful service to Jesus who loved me so.