“And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus
it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise
from the dead the third day.” (Luke 24:46)

The sufferings of Jesus Christ occupy a large portion of the New Testament Gospels. The death of Christ on the Cross at Calvary was unlike any other in all of human history, for on the Cross man pleased God. The God man was wounded. He suffered and He died according to the Scriptures. Christians would do well to meditate often on the death of Christ and the ordeal of the sufferings of the Savior.

Consider first that the sufferings of Christ were free and voluntary. The Lord was not constrained, or forced, into accomplishing the great work of redemption. In John 6:38 Jesus said, “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me” (John 10:17). Jesus said in John 10:18, “No man taketh it [my life] from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.”

Christ’s suffering arose from a glad obedience to the Father. The Divine decree was that a sacrifice was needed to atone for sin. The Father appointed the Son to be the Sacrifice, and the Savior of the world. Speaking to the Jews one day Jesus said “This commandment have I received of my Father” (John 10:18). On the night before His arrest Jesus asked the disciples, “the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?” (John 18:11). He would drink the cup. Freely and without constraint would the Lord drink of the bitter cup of death.

Besides obedience to the will of the Father, Jesus was motivated by love to freely suffer. The apostle Paul writes of Christ “who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20). Any person who has received Christ as personal Savior can say the same. Jesus “loved me and gave Himself for me.”

According to an old legend, a man became lost in his travels and wandered into a bed of quicksand. Confucius saw the man’s predicament and said, “It is evident that men should stay out of places such as this.” Next, Buddha observed the situation and said, “Let that man’s plight be a lesson to the rest of the world.” Then Muhammad came by and said to the sinking man, “Alas, it is the will of Allah.” Finally, Jesus appeared. “I will save you,” He said, and reached down to pull the man out of the miry pit.

’Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For, O my God, it found out me.”

Had the sufferings of Christ not been voluntary then He could not have perfectly obeyed the Father nor loved so completely. Thomas Brooks wrote, “Nothing could fasten Christ to the cross but the golden link of free love.”

“He left His Father’s throne above,
So free, so infinite His grace!
Emptied Himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam’s helpless race!”

Second, the sufferings of Christ were constant. According to the prophecy of Isaiah the Messiah would be a man of sorrow and acquainted with grief. All of His life Jesus knew the sound of the barking hounds of hell snapping at His heels. As a baby, King Herod tried to kill the Christ child. As an adult, the King of Glory was subject to ridicule and scorn during a time of deliberate misunderstanding and mockery.

Jesus was called a glutton and a drunkard. Slander was cast upon His birth. Nothing is ever said in the Bible about the Lord laughing. Jesus entered a vale of tears after leaving the glories of heaven. He came to walk through the valley of the shadow of death. During the days of humiliation, the sufferings of Christ were constant.

Then third, the sufferings of Christ were specific. Christ suffered an assault on all of His offices as Prophet, Priest, and King. To mock His kingly office following His arrest soldiers put a scepter in His hand. They bowed their knees saying, “Hail, king of the Jews” (Matt. 27:29, Luke 23:11). While the angels wept the demons of darkness shrieked with delight. In disrespect to His priestly office a robe was draped around His shoulders. Luke 23:11 “And Herod with his men of war set him at nought, and mocked him, and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to Pilate.”

To mock His prophetic office the Lord was blindfolded. “And when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face, and asked him, saying, Prophesy, who is it that smote thee?” (Luke 22:64). Once more the sons of Satan laughed. As Christ suffered in His holy offices and innate dignity so He suffered in His bodily senses.

Jesus heard the chilling chant, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” He saw the scorn on the faces of the mob and their violent gestures. The smell of blood and death was in His nostrils. Jesus would taste the vinegar mingled with gall given Him to drink.

The Lord felt acutely the sharp thorns piecing the skin of His scalp. He felt the punches to His face. The pounding of the spikes into His hands and feet sent spasms of shock
throughout His quivering body. From every nerve ending in His body came messages of violent pain. Behold the Suffering Savior!

“Look closely and see His head before
which angels cast themselves down in worship.
Peer into those eyes that were brighter than
the sun, about to be put out by the darkness of death.
Notice the ears of the Lord which once heard only the
praises of saints and angels. Now they hear the sirens of Satan.
Seven times the lips of Christ moved at Calvary.
The lips of the Lord spoke as never man spake before.

With those lips Jesus had
comforted the broken hearted,
healed the sick,
forgiven sins,
and called disciples to follow.”

Not only were the sufferings of Christ specific, they were shameful. Natural modesty was stripped from the Lord as soldier took His garments and gambled for His clothing. Gambling is never presented in a positive light in Scripture. Moreover, the Bible says that individuals spit on His face (Matt. 26:67). Among the Jews spitting in the face was a sign of utter contempt. The greatest disgrace that a person could show for another was to spit on them. To further put shame on Christ he was hung between two thieves as if He was the principle offender and the greatest of criminals (Mark 27:38). Tradition records that the names of the two thieves were Demas and Gestos. Demas want to Paradise while Gusto’s went to eternal judgment.

Not only did Jesus suffer in His body He suffered in His soul. Isaiah 53:10 “Yet it pleased the LORD [The Father] to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin…” Jesus said, “Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour” (John 12:27). The agony of soul made Christ cry out, “Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass.” According to Hebrews 5:7 Jesus offered repeated prayers along this line with strong crying and tears and with good reason. For the first time the sweet eternal fellowship between the Father and the Son was broken. It was of little consequence the ordeal of suffering was to last but a few hours. When judgment is concentrated the pain is more acute and time stands still. On the Cross Jesus would cry out, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”

Had the Father answered He would have said, “I must forsake you that the penalty of sin might be paid and souls might be saved.” Jesus Christ had to die to become the sin bearer of all who will be saved. All the sins of the elect and only the elect met like a huge army in the soul of Christ so that “by the obedience of one many shall be made righteous” (Rom. 5:19). Where the First Adam failed the Last Adam succeeded. Because of that success let the word go forth near and far that Christ did not die in vain. Christ did not die to make men savable, He died to save. Jesus actually stood in the stead of elect sinners. Christ literally suffered on behalf of His own so that redemption accomplished can be applied. Christ gave Himself for His people’s sins.

“Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father” (Gal. 1:4).

“Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” (Titus 2:14).

“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it” (Eph. 5:25).

In light of the Savior’s great sufferings let Christians do the following.

Never forget the high price that was paid in order to secure salvation. Christians owe Christ an eternal debt of gratitude for the sufferings He bore on their behalf. Isaac Watts wrote,

“When I survey the wondrous cross,
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it Lord that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God;
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.

See, from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down;
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.”

Never cease to mediate on the sufferings of the Savior. Cherish the old rugged cross with George Bernard.

“On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
The emblem of suffering and shame;
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain.

Oh, that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
Has a wondrous attraction for me;
For the dear Lamb of God left His glory above,
To bear it to dark Calvary.

In the old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
Such a wonderful beauty I see;
For ‘twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
To pardon and sanctify me.

To the old rugged cross I will ever be true,
Its shame and reproach gladly bear;
Then He’ll call me some day to my home far way,
Where His glory forever I’ll share.

So, I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
Till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross
And exchange it someday for a crown.”

Never forget that only the death of deaths in the death of Christ can atone for sins through His blood. Concerning the blood of Christ the Bible teaches the following.

The blood of Christ justifies and saves. Romans 5:9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. The word justify speaks of being free from blame. It means to be clear of guilt. All who believe in Christ are said to be justified in the sight of God.

The blood of Christ purges the conscience. Hebrews 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

The blood of Christ redeems. 1 Peter 1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: The word “redeem” means to buy back. Because of sin man had to be recovered, redeemed, and bought back from the slave market of sin by the blood of Christ.

In his book, Written in Blood, Robert Coleman tells the story of a little boy whose sister needed a blood transfusion. The doctor had explained that she had the same disease the boy had recovered from two years earlier. Her only chance for recovery was a transfusion from someone who had previously conquered the disease. Since the two children had the same rare blood type, the boy was the ideal donor.

“Would you give your blood to Mary?” the doctor asked. Johnny hesitated. His lower lip started to tremble. Then he smiled and said, “Sure, for my sister.” Soon the two children were wheeled into the hospital room—Mary, pale and thin; Johnny, robust and healthy. Neither spoke, but when their eyes met, Johnny grinned. As the nurse inserted the needle into his arm, Johnny’s smile faded. He watched the blood flow through the tube.

With the ordeal almost over, his voice slightly shaky, broke the silence. “Doctor, when do I die?” Only then did the doctor realize why Johnny had hesitated, why his lip had trembled when he’d agreed to donate his blood. He’d thought giving his blood to his sister meant giving up his life. In that moment, he’d made his great decision. Johnny, fortunately, didn’t have to die to save his sister.

Each of us however, has a condition more serious than Mary’s, and it required Jesus to give not just his blood, but his life. Here then are the gospel truths we proclaim trusting that the Lord will make Himself known by them so that Christians might appreciate the suffering, Savior.