SPIRITUAL SUFFERING
Christ’s spiritual suffering began in the Garden, continue in His being arrayed as a pseudo King (twice [first by Herod, then by the Roman soldiers]), and terminated with the Father turning away from the Son while He hung upon the Cross.
In the Garden, anticipating that which lay ahead, Christ requested three times of the Father that “this cup” might pass from Him; but the prayer was always followed by the statement, “Nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt” (Matt. 26:39, 42, 44).
The “cup” which Jesus had to drink should be understood in the light of His present spiritual sufferings. Drinking this cup could have had no reference to the events of Calvary per se, for Jesus - in view of the purpose for man’s creation in the beginning and the necessity for redemption’s price being paid - could never have made such a request. But the sufferings which Jesus began to endure in the Garden, anticipating the events of Calvary, were another matter.
Jesus requested of the Father that these sufferings be allowed to pass, but such was not to be. And, resultingly, Jesus “being in an agony…prayed more earnestly: and His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke 22:44).
Then, shortly thereafter, following Jesus being delivered to Pilate by the Jewish religious leaders, the nation of Israel sank to the new low. Pilate, after interrogating Jesus, sending Him to Herod, and having Him returned by Herod, sought to release Jesus; but the Jewish religious leaders persuaded the multitude to ask for the release of Barabbas (an insurrectionist, robber, and murderer) instead and insist on Jesus’ crucifixion. Pilate, seeing that “he could prevail nothing, ” finally “gave sentence that it should be as they requested.” He released Barabbas and had Jesus scourged. And following the scourging the Roman soldiers arrayed Jesus as a pseudo King, which, along with the humiliation, involved further beatings.
Then Pilate, making one last attempt to save Jesus from crucifixion, brought Him forth in the mutilated condition described in Isa. 52:14 and presented Him to “the chief priests and the rulers and the people” with the words, “Behold your King!” But the Jewish people which were present would still have nothing to do with Christ. They cried out to Pilate, “Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him.” Then, in response to Pilate’s question, “Shall I crucify your King?” the chief priests climaxed the whole matter by stating, “We have no king but Caesar.” Jesus was then led away to be crucified (Matt. 27:15-31; Mark 15:7-20; Luke 23:13-26; John 18:39-19:16).
It was through all this, preceding the Cross; that Jesus not only suffered physically but spiritually as well. The Jewish religious leaders had persuaded the people to ask for the release of the notorious imprisoned criminal rather than Israel’s King; then Christ was again arrayed and mocked as a pseudo King. He had previously been arrayed, treated with contempt, and mocked in Herod’s presence; but this time, following His arrayal, Christ was not only repeatedly mocked but He was also repeatedly spat upon and beaten.
And to bring the whole matter to a close, preceding the crucifixion (where mocking and expressions of contempt continued with Christ’s hanging on the Cross [Mark 15:24-32]), the Jewish religious leaders echoed the ultimate insult when Pilate brought Jesus forth to them. They not only rejected their true King, calling for His crucifixion, but they pledged allegiance to a pagan Gentile king (cf. Mark 15:16-20; Luke 23:6-11).
(The Jewish religious leaders, through this act, placed the nation of Israel in a position diametrically opposed to the reason for the nation’s very existence. Israel had been called into existence –as God’s first born son – to be the ruling nation on the earth, within a theocracy. Israel was to be the nation through whom God would rule and bless all the Gentile nations [cf. Gen. 12:1-3; 22:17, 18; Exo. 4:22, 23; 19:5, 6; Deut. 7:6].
However, the religious leaders in Israel had placed the nation in subjection to a pagan Gentile power, rejecting their true King and, in His stead, claiming allegiance to a pagan Gentile king. Such an act not only removed the One Who must reside in Israel’s midst at the time those blessings would be realized [Joel 2:27-32; Acts 2:16-21; 3:14, 15, 19-23; 7:54-56] – affixing Him to the Cross rather than seeing Him seated on the Throne – but it also placed both nations in completely opposite positions from the respective positions which they were to occupy for their well-being in God’s plans and purposes, proving detrimental to both nations.)
Then at Calvary there was both a climax and conclusion to Christ’s physical and spiritual sufferings. He had already been physically beaten to the point that those who looked upon Him were astonished, but now He must suffer something far worse. He must now suffer after an entirely different fashion. He must now take upon Himself the sins of the whole world, and He must perform this act alone.
Christ took upon Himself the sins of the world during the last three of the six hours He hung on the Cross. God caused darkness to envelop all the land, and He then turned away from His Son while redemption’s price was being paid. And this resulted in the cry from the Cross, “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:45, 46).
(Though the Father turned from the Son at this point, leaving the Son to act alone, the Son remained just as much fully God as He had always been and would always be; and m resultingly, it was the blood of God which was shed at Calvary.)
But at the end of those three hours it was all over. The Son’s work of redemption had been accomplished. God had “laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isa. 53:6); and the Son could then cry out, “It is finished [lit. ‘it has been finished’]” (John 19:30).
Things have remained exactly that way until today. Because of the Son’s finished work, a finished salvation is available to fallen man. God’s Son has paid the price, and all man has to do – all he can do – is receive that which has already been accomplished on his behalf. A Barabbas can be set free, for the Just One has died in his stead.
(The same perfect tense is used in the Greek text relative to both Christ’s finished work and man’s salvation. The perfect tense refers to action completed in past time with the results of that action existing during the present time in a finished state. This is the tense used in John 19:30, recording Christ’s cry from the Cross, “It is finished”; and this is the tense used in Eph. 2:8, referring to man’s salvation by grace through faith, “For by grace are ye saved [lit. ‘you have been saved’] through faith….”
Both acts involve, in their entirety, Divinely finished work; the latter work [man’s salvation] is based on the former [Christ’s work at Calvary]; and in so far as the state of redeemed man is concerned, one work is just as finished, complete, and secure as the other. Thank God for completing this work some two thousand years ago, that we now can be the recipients of His salvation. I hope you have received it, if not you can believe now and receive Him as your Saviour and thereafter seek His Kingdom (Matt. 6:33); that He can become your King so you can reign with Him in that coming Kingdom.
Christ’s spiritual suffering began in the Garden, continue in His being arrayed as a pseudo King (twice [first by Herod, then by the Roman soldiers]), and terminated with the Father turning away from the Son while He hung upon the Cross.
In the Garden, anticipating that which lay ahead, Christ requested three times of the Father that “this cup” might pass from Him; but the prayer was always followed by the statement, “Nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt” (Matt. 26:39, 42, 44).
The “cup” which Jesus had to drink should be understood in the light of His present spiritual sufferings. Drinking this cup could have had no reference to the events of Calvary per se, for Jesus - in view of the purpose for man’s creation in the beginning and the necessity for redemption’s price being paid - could never have made such a request. But the sufferings which Jesus began to endure in the Garden, anticipating the events of Calvary, were another matter.
Jesus requested of the Father that these sufferings be allowed to pass, but such was not to be. And, resultingly, Jesus “being in an agony…prayed more earnestly: and His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke 22:44).
Then, shortly thereafter, following Jesus being delivered to Pilate by the Jewish religious leaders, the nation of Israel sank to the new low. Pilate, after interrogating Jesus, sending Him to Herod, and having Him returned by Herod, sought to release Jesus; but the Jewish religious leaders persuaded the multitude to ask for the release of Barabbas (an insurrectionist, robber, and murderer) instead and insist on Jesus’ crucifixion. Pilate, seeing that “he could prevail nothing, ” finally “gave sentence that it should be as they requested.” He released Barabbas and had Jesus scourged. And following the scourging the Roman soldiers arrayed Jesus as a pseudo King, which, along with the humiliation, involved further beatings.
Then Pilate, making one last attempt to save Jesus from crucifixion, brought Him forth in the mutilated condition described in Isa. 52:14 and presented Him to “the chief priests and the rulers and the people” with the words, “Behold your King!” But the Jewish people which were present would still have nothing to do with Christ. They cried out to Pilate, “Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him.” Then, in response to Pilate’s question, “Shall I crucify your King?” the chief priests climaxed the whole matter by stating, “We have no king but Caesar.” Jesus was then led away to be crucified (Matt. 27:15-31; Mark 15:7-20; Luke 23:13-26; John 18:39-19:16).
It was through all this, preceding the Cross; that Jesus not only suffered physically but spiritually as well. The Jewish religious leaders had persuaded the people to ask for the release of the notorious imprisoned criminal rather than Israel’s King; then Christ was again arrayed and mocked as a pseudo King. He had previously been arrayed, treated with contempt, and mocked in Herod’s presence; but this time, following His arrayal, Christ was not only repeatedly mocked but He was also repeatedly spat upon and beaten.
And to bring the whole matter to a close, preceding the crucifixion (where mocking and expressions of contempt continued with Christ’s hanging on the Cross [Mark 15:24-32]), the Jewish religious leaders echoed the ultimate insult when Pilate brought Jesus forth to them. They not only rejected their true King, calling for His crucifixion, but they pledged allegiance to a pagan Gentile king (cf. Mark 15:16-20; Luke 23:6-11).
(The Jewish religious leaders, through this act, placed the nation of Israel in a position diametrically opposed to the reason for the nation’s very existence. Israel had been called into existence –as God’s first born son – to be the ruling nation on the earth, within a theocracy. Israel was to be the nation through whom God would rule and bless all the Gentile nations [cf. Gen. 12:1-3; 22:17, 18; Exo. 4:22, 23; 19:5, 6; Deut. 7:6].
However, the religious leaders in Israel had placed the nation in subjection to a pagan Gentile power, rejecting their true King and, in His stead, claiming allegiance to a pagan Gentile king. Such an act not only removed the One Who must reside in Israel’s midst at the time those blessings would be realized [Joel 2:27-32; Acts 2:16-21; 3:14, 15, 19-23; 7:54-56] – affixing Him to the Cross rather than seeing Him seated on the Throne – but it also placed both nations in completely opposite positions from the respective positions which they were to occupy for their well-being in God’s plans and purposes, proving detrimental to both nations.)
Then at Calvary there was both a climax and conclusion to Christ’s physical and spiritual sufferings. He had already been physically beaten to the point that those who looked upon Him were astonished, but now He must suffer something far worse. He must now suffer after an entirely different fashion. He must now take upon Himself the sins of the whole world, and He must perform this act alone.
Christ took upon Himself the sins of the world during the last three of the six hours He hung on the Cross. God caused darkness to envelop all the land, and He then turned away from His Son while redemption’s price was being paid. And this resulted in the cry from the Cross, “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:45, 46).
(Though the Father turned from the Son at this point, leaving the Son to act alone, the Son remained just as much fully God as He had always been and would always be; and m resultingly, it was the blood of God which was shed at Calvary.)
But at the end of those three hours it was all over. The Son’s work of redemption had been accomplished. God had “laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isa. 53:6); and the Son could then cry out, “It is finished [lit. ‘it has been finished’]” (John 19:30).
Things have remained exactly that way until today. Because of the Son’s finished work, a finished salvation is available to fallen man. God’s Son has paid the price, and all man has to do – all he can do – is receive that which has already been accomplished on his behalf. A Barabbas can be set free, for the Just One has died in his stead.
(The same perfect tense is used in the Greek text relative to both Christ’s finished work and man’s salvation. The perfect tense refers to action completed in past time with the results of that action existing during the present time in a finished state. This is the tense used in John 19:30, recording Christ’s cry from the Cross, “It is finished”; and this is the tense used in Eph. 2:8, referring to man’s salvation by grace through faith, “For by grace are ye saved [lit. ‘you have been saved’] through faith….”
Both acts involve, in their entirety, Divinely finished work; the latter work [man’s salvation] is based on the former [Christ’s work at Calvary]; and in so far as the state of redeemed man is concerned, one work is just as finished, complete, and secure as the other. Thank God for completing this work some two thousand years ago, that we now can be the recipients of His salvation. I hope you have received it, if not you can believe now and receive Him as your Saviour and thereafter seek His Kingdom (Matt. 6:33); that He can become your King so you can reign with Him in that coming Kingdom.
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