Title: The Spiritual Suffering of Jesus
Davis vividly describes Jesus' physical suffering on the cross:
As soon as the soldiers, at their command, had Simon put down the mold, they knocked Jesus down so that his back and arms touched the tree. A soldier in the legion made a depression in the front of Jesus' wrist. He began to drive a heavy, square wrought iron nail into his wrist and drove it deep into the tree. Quickly he went to the other side and drove another nail, so that he did not spread Jesus' arms as wide as he could, but rather let his body hang loosely so that he could move. I narrowed the gap between my hands and nailed it. Then they set up the form in a suitable place on "stem-like posts," or vertical beams.
The soldier pushes his left foot behind his right foot, stretches both feet so that the toes are down, and then drives the nail into the center of both feet so that the knee sags slightly. Now Jesus has been completely crucified. As he slowly drooped down, more weight was placed on the nails in both hands. At that time, the nails in his wrists put pressure on the median nerve, causing an excruciating pain that could not be tolerated, starting in the fingers, riding up into both arms, and entering his brain suffered from As he pushed himself up to avoid this stretching pain, his whole weight was caught on the nails in his feet. Also, because of the nails in the feet, the nerves between the ulna of both feet suffered from paralysis.
Another thing happened at this point. As the strength of both arms was lost, the muscles had a great wave of convulsions, which caused them to vibrate incessantly and suffer deep pain. Because of these convulsions, he couldn't push himself up---. Air could enter the lungs, but could not be exhaled. Jesus tried to lift himself up so that he could exhale even just a small amount of breath. Eventually, carbon dioxide accumulated in the lungs and bloodstream, and the spasms partially subsided. For a moment, he lifted himself up and exhaled, barely breathing in the life-giving oxygen.
Periodic twitching and tearing joints, intermittent partial suffocation, and the tingling pain caused by flesh peeling off his torn back as he moved up and down as his back rested against a rough cross-wood this never-ending pain. After some time passed, another pain started again. The pericardium slowly fills with serum and begins to compress the heart. Deep in his chest, a ripping pain rushed over him.
Now all the suffering has come to an end. The secretory fluid of the cell tissue flowed fatally, and the heart under pressure tried to pump the thick, heavy blood into the cell tissue, but it was not done actively. And the lungs crushed by the barrel tried desperately to breathe even the slightest bit of air.
Now Jesus' body had reached its extreme, and he felt death coldly seep into his cells. His atoning mission was completed. In the end, he was able to surrender his body to death. (All this is very simply expressed in the Bible as "crucifixion").
But today, I would like to look back on the pain Jesus suffered in spirit.
1. Disputes among the disciples (Matthew 20:20-28)
As Jesus was going to Jerusalem, he told his disciples that if he went to Jerusalem this time, he would be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, humiliated and whipped, and crucified on the cross.
But the mother of John and James came to Jesus and asked him to have his two sons, one on the right and the other on the left, in the Lord's kingdom. When the ten disciples heard this, they were angry with James and John (verse 24).
At this time, the Lord must not have been at ease. Even the twelve disciples, who should understand them better than anyone else in this world, did not understand the cross that the Lord would face and knew that they would achieve the kingdom of this world.
How are we today?
Are you seeking a position to take up the cross of sacrifice for the gospel of the Lord and the church? Are you seeking a position for my honor?
The Lord is still suffering in spirit today because of the unripe saints who do not think of the cross and seek only the left, right, and the right.
2. The betrayal of the crowd (Matthew 27:22-23)
Another psychological suffering of Jesus was the suffering of betrayal. He was betrayed by a large crowd who followed him, who was healed by Jesus, demons came out, those who were made whole, who gave bread when he was hungry, and who was being taught in the synagogue.
In Matthew 27, we see Jesus being tried in Pilate's court. When the governor Pilate was asking what to do with Jesus, the high priests and elders persuaded the crowd, "Release Barabbas the robber and let Jesus be crucified," and the immature crowds shouted to kill Jesus.
It's not just the crowds of the past. The same is true of present-day humans. There is a saying, ?쏥race is engraved on water, and resentment is engraved on stone.??The famous English preacher Spurgeon said, "Give grace and forget. That would be the right view of man." Rather, it is human beings to betray those who have given them grace.
How distressed must you have been while watching the irresponsible trial of Pilate and the screaming crowd?
3. Judas Iscariot who sold Jesus (Matthew 26:48-56)
It was when Jesus was praying with blood and sweat in the Garden of Gethsemane after sharing the Last Supper with his disciples.
Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, offered 30 silver from the Roman soldiers and chief priests to arrest Jesus, and he formed an army and sold Jesus. All the disciples who were praying ran away, and Jesus was tried in the court of Caiaphas, and finally taken to Pilate's court, where he was tried and sentenced to death.
Judas was clever and trusted, and he was in charge of the household of the disciples by taking charge of the money transfer. Jesus chose twelve disciples from among many, and although he trusted and loved Judas Iscariot among them, he was sold by his hand. Can we really measure the pain of that betrayed heart?
The physical pain of Jesus who was crucified was great, but the heartache he suffered because of human betrayal was really great.
4. The pain of being abandoned by God (Matthew 27:45-46)
In verse 46, about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out and said, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani." This is the cry of my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Matthew Henry commented that when Jesus bore the sins of mankind, even God turned his face of justice away from him.
Being abandoned by humans is painful, but I couldn't bear the pain of being abandoned by God, so the Lord said, "Eli Eli Lama Sabachthani."
Dear saints,
As we face the Holy Week, we must repent deeply of our ignorance of the Lord's love, betrayal of Jesus' grace, and our transgressions and sins of selling Jesus' body and Jesus' name.
We must never again tread on the cross. Let's not lead a life that pierces the heart of the Lord. In the name of the Lord, I ask that you and I be the ones who carry the sufferings of the Lord on my body for the rest of my life.