Why did Christ have to suffer and die such an ignominious death? It is His blood that has the ability to wash away our sins, could that not have been accomplished without the excruciating pain that Jesus went through?
What was the purpose of Jesus having to go through this?
1 Peter 2:21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:
1 Peter 2:22 “WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH”;
1 Peter 2:23 who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously;
1 Peter 2:24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.
It is at this time of the year, in particularly, that we revisit this and think on these things.
Symbolism of Bread
Matthew 26:26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”
This is the beginning of Passover, that night, when he was betrayed. Jesus blessed, special blessing to them and for us today as well. He broke the unleavened bread (symbol of His sinlessness) into smaller finer parts. Then He gave a piece to each of them (because we all have a part in this). They ate it – needed ingested and absorbed (but not in just a physical manner). Jesus defined it at as His body.
Broken
1 Corinthians 11:23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread;
1 Corinthians 11:24 and when He had given thanks, He brokeG2806 it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is brokenG2806 for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
He is saying that He suffered for our benefit to bring a blessing on us.
But His body was not broken in the way that we may think it was.
John 19:33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.
John 19:34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.
John 19:35 And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe.
John 19:36 For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, “NOT ONE OF HIS BONES SHALL BE BROKEN.”
How was his body broken if no bones were?
It was part of a plan put into motion much longer ago than we may realize.
1 Peter 1:19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
1 Peter 1:20 He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you
Meaning of the Word broken
Isaiah 53:5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised [crushed] for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace [welfare; for our health and prosperity] was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.
dâkâ’ daw-kaw’ to crush, be crushed, be contrite, be broken, beat to pieces
Job 4:19 How much more those who dwell in houses of clay, Whose foundation is in the dust, Who are crushed before a moth?
Hebrew word for broken is shattered or crushed. Jesus was prophesied to be crushed or broken in this way.
Jesus Christ’s body would be broken as could be. Before He died, He gave as much as possible for us as a living sacrifice – complete sacrifice, He gave everything He could until He was totally beaten down and crushed.
Chastisement, for our peace, was upon Him… see commas; he was chastisement so that we would have peace of mind; spiritual peace; towards others in spite of what they do against us;
by His stripes… blows that cut deep; because he suffered so greatly in this way beyond what we can completely envision, He gave us an opportunity for being divinely healed.
we are healed… physically; mentally and emotionally healing as well.
healed… rapha: mend; cure; make whole
are healed… this is mechanism by which our divine healing happens. Because He suffered for each and every one of us, if we accept Christ, then we can avail ourselves of His offering and apply it to our lives for divine healing – so that we do not have to continue to endure our current affliction – because Jesus took it upon Himself.
Isaiah 53:10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise [crushed] Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.
This did not happen to his bones, but to his body.
Isaiah 3:15 What do you mean by crushing [crushed] My people And grinding the faces of the poor?” Says the Lord GOD of hosts.
Isaiah 57:15 For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite [crushed] and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
Jeremiah 44:10 They have not been humbled [crushed], to this day, nor have they feared; they have not walked in My law or in My statutes that I set before you and your fathers.’
The Ignominy of His Death
Isaiah 52:14 Just as many were astonished at you, So His visage was marred more than any man, And His form more than the sons of men;
It was not 40 stripes, that comes from the bible.
Deuteronomy 25:2 then it shall be, if the wicked man deserves to be beaten, that the judge will cause him to lie down and be beaten in his presence, according to his guilt, with a certain number of blows.
Deuteronomy 25:3 Forty blows he may give him and no more, lest he should exceed this and beat him with many blows above these, and your brother be humiliated in your sight.
[Describe the scourging and crucifying of Jesus]
Jesus’ Mental and Emotional Suffering
Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
Physically component to it:
Proverbs 16:24 Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.
Isaiah 53:3 He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
EVERYONE turned their back on Him and forsook Him; He went through wrongful suffering; no one understood what He was going through much less was there for Him.
despised… to disesteem: – despise, disdain, contemn (-ptible), + think to scorn
sorrows… anguish or (figuratively) affliction: – grief, pain, sorrow.
Grief… malady, anxiety, calamity disease, grief, (is) sick (-ness).
Isaiah 53:4 Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed [thought; regarded] Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted.
Isaiah 53:5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.
Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
This is why Jesus had to go it alone, which in and of itself was an immense burden to bear.
Isaiah 53:7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.
Jesus suffered as no one had suffered; wrongfully despised; rejected and forsaken by them; smitten; crushed in every way; as a lamb to the slaughter;
Could/can we keep our mouth closed?
There was more to it than just physically suffering.
Agony
Matthew 26:36 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.”
Matthew 26:37 And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed.
Matthew 26:38 Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.”
Matthew 26:39 He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.“
Luke 22:40 When He came to the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.”
Luke 22:41 And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed,
Luke 22:42 saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.”
Luke 22:43 Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.
Luke 22:44 And being in agony [agōnia], He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
This is before the physical pain of being beaten and crucified. He knew and had known what was coming since before the earth was made.
Luke 22:45 When He rose up from prayer, and had come to His disciples, He found them sleeping from sorrow.
Luke 22:46 Then He said to them, “Why do you sleep? Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation.”
Betrayed
Matthew 26:14 Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests
Matthew 26:15 and said, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?” And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver.
Matthew 26:16 So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.
Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus
Matthew 26:47 And while He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and elders of the people.
Matthew 26:56 But all this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled.
Matthew 26:75 And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” So he went out and wept bitterly.
Falsely accused
Matthew 27:11 Now Jesus stood before the governor. And the governor asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” Jesus said to him, “It is as you say.”
Matthew 27:12 And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He answered nothing.
Matthew 27:13 Then Pilate said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?”
Matthew 27:14 But He answered him not one word, so that the governor marveled greatly.
Why did he not open his mouth? It was because He had to take on all the suffering by Himself and could not put it on any others – He could not blame, justify or accuse anyone else, even if the deserved it. He had to bear the suffering that sin brings on all mankind throughout the ages.
Mocking
Matthew 27:27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole garrison around Him.
Matthew 27:28 And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him.
Matthew 27:29 When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
Matthew 27:30 Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head.
Matthew 27:31 And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified.
Rejected
Matthew 27:15 Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to releasing to the multitude one prisoner whom they wished.
Matthew 27:16 And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas.
Matthew 27:17 Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?”
Matthew 27:18 For he knew that they had handed Him over because of envy.
Matthew 27:19 While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, “Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him.”
Matthew 27:20 But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus.
Matthew 27:21 The governor answered and said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” They said, “Barabbas!”
Matthew 27:22 Pilate said to them, “What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said to him, “Let Him be crucified!”
Matthew 27:23 Then the governor said, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they cried out all the more, saying, “Let Him be crucified!”
Psalm 22
Psalms 22:1 To the Chief Musician. Set to “The Deer of the Dawn.” a Psalm of David. My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning?
Psalms 22:2 O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; And in the night season, and am not silent.
Psalms 22:7 All those who see Me ridicule Me; They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying,
Psalms 22:8 “He trusted in the LORD, let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!”
Matthew 27:42 “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him.
Matthew 27:43 He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ”
Matthew 27:44 Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing.
Psalms 22:14 I am poured out like water, And all My bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; It has melted within Me.
Psalms 22:15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, And My tongue clings to My jaws; You have brought Me to the dust of death.
Psalms 22:16 For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet;
Psalms 22:17 I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me.
Psalms 22:18 They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.
Matthew 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN [left] ME?”
Mark 15:34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?”
How did God answer Him at this moment: silence; He let Jesus go it alone. He had to suffer it alone; God turned his back; all the disciples forsook him; all the people rejected Him even the thieves on the cross took pot-shots at Him.
If we ever feel like the weight of the world is heavy upon us not only can JC commiserate but He can help us out from under the mental, emotional, psychological trauma that plagues us. He has given us a way out
Isaiah 53:4 Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted.
Divine Healing
Matthew 8:14 Now when Jesus had come into Peter’s house, He saw his wife’s mother lying sick with a fever.
Matthew 8:15 So He touched her hand, and the fever left her. And she arose and served them.
Matthew 8:16 When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick,
Matthew 8:17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: “HE HIMSELF TOOK OUR INFIRMITIES AND BORE OUR SICKNESSES.”
So they can be removed from us! He ‘suffered for us!’
Jesus’ excruciating suffering was to make possible the gift of divine healing! When God heals someone of a sickness, injury or some other health problem, He is accepting Christ’s torturous suffering in place of that person’s physical suffering.
Conclusion
AT this time of the year and as we partake of the Passover bread let’s do it in remembrance of Jesus Christ and all that He did for us!