Title: Why Did Jesus Suffer?
Contents
Isaiah 53:4-9 Why did Jesus suffer?
In Christianity, the week from this week to Easter next week is called Holy Week. This week commemorates the week that Jesus died after being betrayed and abandoned by his disciples, ridiculed and despised, spit upon, punched and whipped, crowned with thorns, crucified, and passed away.
To celebrate this Passion Week, a movie called 'The Passion of the Christ' has been showing at the cinema for some time. Everyone who sees this movie is so intense and desperate that Jesus suffered so much that they turn their heads, sigh, sometimes weep, and even scream.
And watching this movie, people who do not know the truth of Christianity often think like this. "Why is this movie all about depicting the scene of Jesus' suffering so blatantly? Isn't this a very cruel scene? To satisfy the audience by showing such a cruel scene, and how to make money through such a cruel movie Isn't that a bit harsh?"
But those who know the truth of Christianity know what this film is meant to be. The purpose of this movie, that is, the reason why Jesus suffered so terribly, is the same Bible verse that appears in the opening scene of the movie. "He was pierced for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. His discipline gave us peace, and His wounds we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5). That is the purpose of this movie.
In other words, the sufferings of Jesus do not stop at just describing the scene where a righteous man died too unfairly. It's not about the Jews doing such a bad thing. It is not the central idea that the Roman soldiers tormented Jesus so mercilessly. Because Jesus suffered so pitifully, it is not intended to evoke sympathy on the part of the weak who should believe in Jesus.
The main purpose of this movie is to show that Jesus suffered such terrible suffering in order to save me and you. In other words, the purpose is to make people realize the grace of Jesus' atonement, to think about the invisible love of God, and to come to Jesus voluntarily and give thanks, respect, and glory.
However, when many people say, "Jesus suffered and died on the cross for me," they often shake their heads and do not understand well. Furthermore, I say something like this. “No, what did Jesus suffer for me? Who pushed Jesus to suffer instead of me? It's a bit childish! Jesus, you don't have to suffer for me? Even if I'm not Jesus, I'm eating and living well in Canada. So please don't suffer for me.
How would you explain Jesus' suffering and the grace of Jesus' atonement to these people? An American pastor was staying at a farmer's house. However, the farmer not only did not believe in Jesus, but was always displeased with his wife who believed in Jesus. So the woman was always praying for her husband.
The pastor, who was boarding at the farmer's house, was looking for an opportunity to explain to the farmer the meaning of Christ's death on the cross. But one morning, the farmer called the pastor and suggested that we go with the chicken coop. When I went, there was a hen sitting in the nest of the chicken coop, and the chicks were just beeping under their wings, one by one.
It was crawling out.
But when the farmer asked him to touch the hen, he tapped it, and the hen was dead. Then the farmer said, "Look at the wound on that head. A weasel sucked all the blood from this hen's body, and he did not move for fear that it would eat the young and died."
Gentlemen, this is the grace of the ransom. I should have been ridiculed, but Jesus was mocked instead. My body was torn to pieces and I had to die, but Jesus chose to die on the cross for me to save me. Therefore I live and Jesus died. Furthermore, because Jesus suffered curses and sufferings instead of me, we can be freed from curses, set free from disease, escape poverty and enjoy the blessings of wealth.
In other words, if it were not for the suffering and death of Jesus, you and I would have to suffer eternal damnation and punishment for our sins, and we were about to be destroyed forever. , it means that you have become a child of God who lives with wealth and blessings.
If you believe in the suffering of Jesus' atonement, let's say Amen. Then you and I are no longer under the curse. We should rejoice because we have been transferred from death to life, we should be thankful that we have gained health from disease, and we should be happy because we have been transferred from poverty to blessing. This is grace, the gospel.
The drunkard was drunk and was sleeping on the rails. At the same time, the express train is beating and running, but the drunkard is snoring frantically. Then a merciful man sees it and, unable to bear it, shouts, "Hey, there's a train here. Get up quickly," but the drunkard turns around, saying, "What kind of train is that, the underside of our house?"
The merciful man could not stand seeing it and ran, dragged the drunkard's leg, and barely threw him down the iron bank. The drunkard rolled over, but the heartless train could not stop and dragged the rescuer into it. Finally, the merciful man had his neck cut off, his leg cut off, his arm cut off, and his intestines popped out and he died instantly.
The train comes to a stop just then, and the engineer and the conductor rush to collect the cut off hair, broken arms, and legs, and worry. However, the drunken man woke up after a long roll. and speak. "Aha, the train has stopped. Why are there so many people around? Someone else has been hit by a train! Hey, be careful, what do you do? Where should I go and take a look?" He staggered up and said, "What is that?" and went in, and there was a horrific corpse.
"Hey, that's terrible. Why is that person like that?" When I asked, the person next to me slapped his spit with flashes of fire from his eyes. "You bastard! This man has become like this because of you!" Hani, the drunkard rushed in and ran away screaming and screaming at the whale, saying, “Why are you beating a living person?”
"Still, I still can't get my head around me. No matter how much I scream to wake you up, you're drinking and sleeping on the rails of the train, so this person went in to rescue you, but you couldn't avoid the train that was running after you. I mean, I got hit!" OK
The drunkard just woke up.
Ladies and gentlemen, let us come to our senses as we think of Jesus' suffering. As we think of the death of Jesus, let us renew our resolve. Jesus died for me, so let us live for them. Again, let's not live in lust like a drunkard again, but let's be faithful with all our body, mind, and heart to fulfill His will, thinking about the grace of Jesus' ransom.
A statue in the shape of a dog stands in a small town in Italy, and the statue is called Pido. It is said that it was named after the dog who was the main character of the statue. The dog once fell into the water and was rescued from death by a gentleman who took the dog home and raised it.
Although it is only a pet, the dog knew the favor of its master. How well he follows and loves his master. When his master goes to work, he follows him to the bus stop every day and sends him off. When the master finishes his work at work and gets on the bus to go back to work, he goes first and waits at the bus stop and treats him like life. .
However, when World War II broke out, the owner was returning by bus, and the bus was bombed and the owner died. However, the dog named Pido always comes to the bus stop that day and waits for its owner, but the owner does not come. Still, the dog did not leave the place day and night. I haven't left the station for 13 years.
So people brought food and fed it to the dog, but in the end, this dog named Pido, who had been waiting day and night for its owner to return, died at the stop. Moved by the appearance of this loyal dog, the villagers erected a statue in its place. It commemorates the dog that remembered the grace of its owner who saved him from death.
Ladies and gentlemen, let's think about the atoning grace of Jesus, who also saved us from death during this Holy Week. And let us be faithful for Jesus, who suffered and died for me. And let's meet the Lord on the morning of the resurrection and rejoice together.