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The Suffering of Christ Words For Life
The Suffering of Christ ”And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, After the resurrection of Christ, two of His followers were walking along the road to Emmaus when Jesus appeared to them. They did not recognize Him. As they walked toward their destination, their “walking companion” explained Jesus’ life’s mission – from the fulfillment of prophecies to the Savior’s necessary suffering on the cross and resurrection on the third day. When they arrived at their destination, the two travelers invited their new companion to dinner. When the stranger broke bread with them, He revealed himself as the resurrected Christ. All day, despite the wisdom and enlightenment pouring forth from Jesus, the two men did not fully recognize Him until He broke the bread, an act that symbolized His suffering and brokenness for the sin of the world. There is an aspect of Christ’s life that is often overlooked in many of today’s evangelical churches. Yet every Christian needs to grasp its importance and depth. It is the suffering of Jesus Christ. Why did Christ suffer? How did He suffer? Was it necessary for Christ to suffer? The answers to these questions unlock much of the great mystery of salvation. The reasons behind His suffering illustrate the wickedness of our sins and the compassion of our Savior. When that aspect of Jesus’ life becomes as real as our own lives, then numerous things happen. Once we understand His suffering on our behalf, we realize that whatever sorrows we endure in our own lives pale in comparison to His sacrifice. Conversely, when we suffer unnecessarily on this earth, particularly in our emotions, we can learn to willingly cast our cares upon Him, since He has already taken them upon Himself. When we harbor our own pain, we deny Him the burden that only He can carry and, consequently, deny ourselves the joy that only He can give. There is a film opening this week that illustrates Christ’s suffering more powerfully than anything I have ever experienced. It is the so-called “controversial” story of Jesus’ last 12 hours on this earth in human form. It is Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ.
Radio commentator Paul Harvey called the film, “a kind of art that is a rarity in life, the kind that makes heaven touch earth.” Indeed, this movie is much more than an exercise in entertainment. In the same way that holocaust victims and their families were impacted by Steven Spielberg’s war drama Schindler’s List, Christians discover that The Passion is a more personal experience than any movie ever made. How can a movie carry such weight? Because it vividly and graphically focuses on the anguish that Jesus Christ endured in order to atone for the sin of the world. I have been around the church all of my life. As you might imagine, I have heard the Gospel in my home as long as I can remember. Yet, I had never contemplated the depth of the emotional, psychological, physical and spiritual pain that my Lord carried for me —until now. Isaiah 53:5-6 says that “he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” Like the travelers along the road to Emmaus, many Christians know about Jesus Christ, but have yet to see with their own eyes the Savior who walks and talks with them. But when the truth of His brokenness is revealed to us, we can see Him for who He truly is. Of course, the entire life of Christ is significant. Certainly, the resurrection is the most monumental event since creation. But remember the pain that He endured, for in His suffering, we come to understand more about who Jesus Christ is – as well as who we are in Him. To receive "Words For Life" every week via e-mail, sign up here. |
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