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Why Christ Suffered
There has been much interest and attention drawn to the suffering, death, and resurrection of our blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This interest will increase as more and more people read, see, or hear about the suffering of the Christ. This most important event in all of human history, however, should command our attention 24/7, because answering the question ‘why Christ suffered’ answers the question how we can be saved (from eternal suffering in the lake of flames). The familiar verses of Isaiah 53:3-5 are read often and which give a poignant reminder of the suffering He endured for us. "We despised him and rejected him; he endured suffering and pain. No one would even look at him-- we ignored him as if he were nothing. 4 But he endured the suffering that should have been ours, the pain that we should have borne. All the while we thought that his suffering was punishment sent by God. 5 But because of our sins he was wounded, beaten because of the evil we did. We are healed by the punishment he suffered, made whole by the blows he received." Let us then, consider the answer to the question, ‘Why did Christ suffer?’ Although the blame has often been placed on specific groups of people, we now know that since everyone has sinned, everyone is to blame (in part). And, taking that a little further, it was (actually) not anyone’s fault, but it was God’s plan of salvation. Vs 10, "It was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer." The New Testament reiterates the same truth. Romans 3:25, "God offered him, so that by his blood [or by His sacrificial death] he should become the means by which people's sins are forgiven through their faith in him." God’s divine plan was carried out by the wicked actions of sinful men. In Acts 4 the Apostles Peter and John were speaking to the people and telling them (vs 12) that "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." Then after the council of religious leaders released them (this was after the healing of the crippled man), all the believers were assembled so they lifted their voices in prayer to God. (Acts 4:27-28), "Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen." That is the key to the invitation everyone is given for the salvation of their own soul. God planned it and (through the actions of wicked men), great good would come from it. In the words of Joseph to his brothers (Genesis 50:20), ‘what they meant for evil, God meant for good.’ Since God meant it for good, we must move beyond the question of human cause to divine purpose. The religious leaders had their own reasons for wanting Jesus out of the way, but God had designed it for the good of the world. This divine plan would, however, include a choice (and a very important one at that). The word passion comes from Latin meaning suffering (so the two words are often interchanged). Jesus suffered and was executed because He was seen as a threat to the Roman government and the religious leaders of that day. The suffering of Christ was unique because He was more than a human. He was in very nature, God. That is the testimony of those who knew Him personally, and who were inspired to proclaim who He was to the world. The Apostle John wrote (John 1:1-3), "In the beginning the Word already existed; the Word was with God, and the Word was God. From the very beginning the Word was with God. Through him God made all things; not one thing in all creation was made without him. (14) The Word became a human being and, full of grace and truth, lived among us." We can add to the deity of Christ, the fact that He was totally innocent (not only of blasphemy), but innocent of any sin. One of His closest friends said (1 Peter 2:22), "He [the Lord Jesus] committed no sin, and no one ever heard a lie come from his lips." Then we can include the fact that He willingly went to the cross to pay the penalty for everyone’s sin, (John 10:18). "No one takes my life away from me. I give it up of my own free will. I have the right to give it up, and I have the right to take it back. This is what my Father has commanded me to do." Who is to blame for the suffering of the Christ, is a passing footnote. He chose to suffer and die. His Father planned it and He agreed to it. Three days later, He rose from the dead and appeared many times to His disciples for forty days before ascending into heaven (Acts 1:3). The disciples had a difficult time understanding all that was happening, but many times we don’t fully comprehend God’s plan. To prove that He was actually there in a physical body, Jesus ate some fish (Luke 24), and saying, "Look at my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it’s really me." It was the resurrected Savior! The early church proclaimed Him Lord of heaven and earth. "After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven," (Hebrews 1:3). Jesus had finished the work God gave Him to do, and His resurrection to life was the proof that God fully approved of the sacrifice. The suffering of Christ on the cross is a serious reminder of the deadliness of human sin. Why did Christ suffer? He had to (in order to pay the price for the serious wrongs). The fact that He died because of our sin, is a humbling thought and should definitely have an impact on our life. Let us not think cause or blame, but think of meaning and hope. There are many in the world who cause suffering for others, but we keep coming back to the fact that Christ suffered to save a lost world. Christ suffered because a price had to be paid, a salvation plan had to be in place, and a choice had to be given to everyone (of every race, nation, and people). Jesus died because we are rebellious and sinful, and because God is righteous and just. Christ bore all that suffering for us, because we need to be humbled and changed and forgiven. Jesus suffered and died to absorb the divine wrath of God. (Romans 3:25-26), "God presented him [Jesus] as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished--he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus." If God were not just, there would have been no demand for the suffering of Christ, and if God were not loving, there would be no willingness for a sacrifice. God, however, is both just and loving, so His love met the demands of His justice. (1 John 4:10), "This is what love is: it is not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the means by which our sins are forgiven." God’s law demanded (Deuteronomy 6:5), "Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength." But we love any thing and every thing [except] God. It is a sin to place some one or some thing ahead of God. Satan makes it easy for us to have an idol in our life, so we have to be aware. Romans 3:23 says, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Sin is not small because God is not small. The seriousness of the insult increases with the dignity of the one insulted. The Creator of the universe is infinitely worthy of love, respect, and loyalty. Our failure to love Him supremely must be considered treason. Since God is just, He cannot sweep our crimes against Him under the rug. They deserved to be punished and He makes that very clear. (Romans 6:23), "The wages of sin is death." And (Ezekiel 18:4), "The soul who sins is the one who will die." There is a penalty that has to be paid for all sin. Not to punish some one, would be unjust. God demands justice, so He says in Deuteronomy 27:26, "God's curse on anyone who does not obey all of God's laws and teachings.'" Galatians 3:10, "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law." The love God has for us designed a plan whereby His Son would absorb His wrath. Christ would bear the curse of the law for all who would trust Him. (Galatians 3:13), "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us." The word propitiation means taking our place. Romans 3:25 uses the word sacrifice and they all mean the removal of God’s anger by providing a substitute. The substitute was provided by God Himself, and it would be His Son. Christ did not just divert God’s wrath, He absorbed it. That is why Christ had to suffer. We will never really understand God’s love for us and be able to stand in awe of Him until we understand the seriousness of our sin. The suffering of Christ will not really have an impact on our life, until we fully understand the justice of God. If Jesus didn’t die, we would have to because "The soul who sins is the one who will die." When we partake of the Bread and the Cup in remembrance of Christ’s suffering for us, let us thank Him from the bottom of our heart, and let us pledge our allegiance to the Lamb of God for the sacrifice that He made for us. (1 John 4:10), "This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins." ***
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Century Gospel Church © 2010 |
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