The Sufferings of the Only Good Person

Introduction

A common complaint that is brought against our Lord is the question, "If God is good, why do bad things happen to good people?"

Whether out of malice or from the depths of anguish, many believers and unbelievers alike find themselves asking this question. Regardless of the motivation, this is not a good question for us to ask. The problem with this question is that it is based on false assumptions. Now let me clarify something - I am not denying that there is real suffering in the world. There are diseases, wars, natural disasters, and a whole lot of other hardships that cause creation to groan. The false assumption I am addressing is that good people are the ones who suffer. You may be insulted when you read that but I pray, dear friend, that you would read further and consider my words.

When we think of "good," we think of respectable citizens, those who love their families, are civil with others, and are overall kind souls. However, goodness as defined by God is so much more than shallow smiles and kind gestures. Goodness is found in God who is all together righteous and untainted by sin. For us to be good, we have to maintain God's standard of goodness which is moral perfection. None of us are even close to living up to that standard of goodness. We sin and we sin often. What makes our plentiful sin so atrocious is that all of it is directed against the Lord. We are not good, we are far from it. The apostle Paul, the author of Romans, wrote,

There is none righteous, not even one, there is none who understands, there is none who seek for God; all have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one - Romans 3:10-12

When we suffer, we should not act as if something strange is happening. When our father Adam fell, he and all creation fell with him. Suffering is a consequence of sin in the world. There is no injustice from God when we suffer. We are simply reaping the fruits of the sin we are all guilty of. In all of human history, there has been only one good person and He suffered greatly. His name is Jesus Christ, and the surprising thing is that He willingly volunteered to suffer even though He did not deserve to suffer. I invite you to ponder with me the afflictions of the blameless Lamb who was slain for ruined sinners.

His Worth

In order for us to truly appreciate the agonies of Calvary, there is something we must understand: Christ is worth more than every single thing in creation. He is more precious than any diamond, more beautiful than the night sky, more magnificent than the mighty mountains. He is the thrice Holy God, Creator, the Highest Being, and the Highest Good.

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together - Colossians 1:15-17

Take a moment and reflect on that. He is the eternal Word who was with God and is God. He is the Lord of all creation who holds all created things together by His might. All creation belongs to Him. Christ is completely glorious, full of splendor and majesty. Paul was so overwhelmed by such splendor that he counted all of his accomplishments as feces when compared to the riches of simply knowing Christ (Phil 3:8). Mary so understood the magnificence of Jesus that she honored Him by anointing His feet with a costly perfume and wiping them with her hair (John 12:1-8). To Mary, even the feet of Jesus were more precious to her than her hair.

More significant is that love that the Father has for Christ.

Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations - Isaiah 42:1

In several other places, God the Father speaks of Christ saying, "This is My Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased" (Matt 3:17, Matt 17:5 2 Peter 1:17). The Father delights in Jesus and is well pleased with Him, which should speak volumes of His great worth. We are not well pleasing to God because our sin has turned us to rotten corpses. Christ is utterly spotless, and no sin has infected His Being. His nature is righteousness. He is like pure water that flows clear like crystal, and the Father is well pleased with Him. If anyone thinks that he does not deserve to suffer, Christ has more right. Christ deserves blessing and praises, and yet He willingly set it all aside.

Although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross - Philippians 2:6-8

Anguish in Anticipation

And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground. - Luke 22:41-42

On the night when our Lord was betrayed - the night that marked the start of His great anguish - Jesus cried out to His Father in great distress. His prayer was sorrowful and fervent. The distress and passion that weight upon Him was so great that He began to sweat blood, and Matthew's Gospel says that Christ's soul was grieved to the point of death (Matt 26:38). All this was in anticipation for what would take place in a few short hours.

Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me - Luke 22:42

Jesus in this moment of great torment asks of the Father something peculiar. He asks God if He would be willing to remove the cup which was set before Him. Christ knew the will of God perfectly, being completely united with the Father, and yet He asked to have the cup removed. Let us be clear: Jesus was not opposing the will of God. His response was completely appropriate. The cup that was set before Christ was the cup of God's wrath which we will look at a little bit later, but for now, it is necessary to note that this would mean that Christ would be taking the judgement for sin.

The One who knew no sin was to drink the wine of judgement for sin. Of course, Jesus would shudder at the thought of it. Sin is absolutely repugnant to Him and here He was to take the sin He utterly abhorred upon Himself and suffer the severe justice required for it. So, anticipating this terrible torment, Christ sweat blood and asked if there was any other way for the work to be accomplished knowing full well that this was the only way. Despite knowing the terrible cost however, the righteous Son of God humbled Himself and declared

yet not My will, but Yours be done - Luke 22:42

The Pain of Betrayal

Jesus called each of His disciples to follow Him. Every day He spent with them. He ate with them, laughed with them, and worked with them. These men were His closest earthly companions, yet on this night, they all betrayed and abandon Him. Judas, that son of perdition, was the most treacherous as he plotted against his Lord.

Then one of the twelve, named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to give me to betray Him to you?” And they weighed out thirty pieces of silver to him. From then on he began looking for a good opportunity to betray Jesus - Matthew 26:14-16

Judas finally got that opportunity that night in the garden.

Behold, a crowd came, and the one called Judas, one of the twelve, was preceding them; and he approached Jesus to kiss Him. But Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?” - Luke 22:47-48

Hear the hurt in Christ's words. A kiss, a sign of love and affection was used as the knife to stab Christ in the back. Judas's betrayal was cruel and dastardly, but he was not the only disciple to betray his Lord that night.

The rest of the disciples abandoned Jesus when He was arrested. They deserted Him and left Him in the hands of His enemies. Later when He was crucified, only John was there to be with Him. Peter who so boldly said that he would died to defend Jesus, cowered in fear and denied even knowing Him three times. Immediately after Peter denied Him for the third time, Luke tells us that Jesus turned and looked at Peter. Imagine the tears that must have clouded His vision as His friend disowned Him.

The Humiliation of Ridicule

From the rigged trial of the Jewish council through the crucifixion itself, Christ suffered great humiliation. While in custody, He was mocked and blasphemed.

Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking Him and beating Him, and they blindfolded Him and were asking Him, saying, “Prophesy, who is the one who hit You?” And they were saying many other things against Him, blaspheming - Luke 22:63-65

The all-knowing Lord is childishly taunted as a blind man. The One who holds all wisdom was jeered at by fools.

Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole Roman cohort around Him. They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. And after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand; and they knelt down before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” They spat on Him, and took the reed and began to beat Him on the head - Matthew 27:27-30

The mighty King was reduced to a powerless prisoner and placed under the control of men who make sport of His kingship. They, with minuscule strength, dominated the One who tamed the seas.

Later on, the crucified Jesus is hung up naked, left exposed and shamed as His clothes are divided and gambled away. He is hung up with common criminals who mock him along with the crowd. By the time Christ gave up His spirit, all worldly dignity had been utterly stripped from Him.

Grotesque Torture

The Roman soldiers were brutal and crucifixion was designed to be a slow, torturous death. Isaiah describes that Jesus's wounds left Him disfigured beyond recognition (Isaiah 52:14). The flogging that was inflicted upon Him tore His flesh and muscles. Christ was so mercilessly beaten that He collapsed out of exhaustion and the soldiers had forced Simon of Cyrene to carry His cross for Him. The crown of thorns that was pressed down upon His head was not only a mockery but also a torture. The thorns were driven into His brow, it was stuck upon His head, blood blurred His vison, every strike upon His head forced the thorns deeper. Nails were driven through His hands and feet, His back that was shredded from scourging was laid against the splintered cross. When He was hung up, the weight of His body pulled down on the nails, and every painful breath drained His strength until He suffocated.

Ultimate Suffering

As horrible as all of the physical sufferings were, they were utterly minute compared to the suffering that He endured when He drank the cup that was filled with the wine of the wrath of God. I fear this term "wrath of God" carries little weight with us. We have reduced the significance of God's wrath to a cheesy name of a hot sauce. Perhaps we would do well to be reminded of the fierce passages regarding the cup.

For a cup is in the hand of the Lord, and the wine foams; it is well mixed, and He pours out of this; surely all the wicked of the earth must drain and drink down its dregs - Psalm 75:8

For thus the Lord, the God of Israel, says to me, “Take this cup of the wine of wrath from My hand and cause all the nations to whom I send you to drink it. They will drink and stagger and go mad because of the sword that I will send among them" - Jeremiah 25:15-16

Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name" - Revelation 14:9-11

The cup of God's wrath is a cup of judgement and those who drink of it suffer condemnation. This cup is reserved for the wicked, that they would receive the righteous retribution of God's fury and that cup was set before the blameless Son of God. He who knew no sin took sin upon Himself. The Son who shared perfect fellowship with the Father from eternity was now considered accursed.

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 Me?” - Matthew 27: 46

This was the moment of utmost anguish. Isaiah tells us that through all of His afflictions, Christ did not open His mouth (Isaiah 53:7). Throughout the torment, He was as a lamb before the slaughter, then the sixth hour comes and darkness falls until the ninth. It is only then that Jesus cries out, and He cries out with a loud voice to the Father, "Why have You forsaken Me!" Christ absorbed holy hatred from the Father He loved.

Christ, the perfect holy incarnate God, was crushed, cut off for the living, and was numbered with the wicked. Scripture describes Christ as a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief (Isaiah 53:3). He suffered greatly and unlike the sufferings we experience, He truly did not deserve any of it. When we suffer, we are so quick to complain and shake our fists. Perhaps we would do well to remember the Suffering Servant who did not open His mouth while afflicted.

Redemption Foretold and Fulfilled

What is most unfathomable about the agonies of Calvary is that Jesus willingly chose it. Christ knew all the torments He would have to endure and yet He volunteered to go. Christ had a mission to purchase and redeem a people that rebelled against the Mist High and broke His covenant. Justice was demanded of these people. The wage due was death. An atonement of blood was required, for there could be no forgiveness without the shedding of blood (Heb. 9:22). But God in His infinite wisdom had a plan to save these rebellious people. This plan was made before the foundations of the earth, and from the start of creation, God revealed His plan of redemption.

And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel - Genesis 3:15

From the very beginning, when man first fell in the garden, God had the cross in view. As humanity progressed, the Lord revealed His plan to a man named Abram and established with him and his descendants an everlasting covenant.

As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you will be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, But your name shall be Abraham; For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will come forth from you. I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you. I will give to you and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God - Genesis 17:4-8

Abraham was promised a son through whom these descendants would come, a line through which the Savior of the world would come. In Abraham's old age, Isaac was born to him, then God commanded something peculiar of Abraham.

Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you - Genesis 22:2

So Abraham took his only son whom he loved to the mountain that the Lord showed him. As they climbed the mountain together, Isaac asked Abraham, "Where is the lamb for sacrifice?" (Gen 22:7). And Abraham replied:

God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son - Genesis 22:8

Abraham then prepares to sacrifice his son, but before he completes the act, the Lord stops him and shows him a ram caught in a thicket for the offering. Abraham said God would provide for Himself a lamb for the sacrifice, yet no lamb was provided. A ram was given to Abraham... the Lamb was yet to be provided.

Fast forward. This people whom God chose as His own were in bondage in the land of Egypt, and God delivered the people with a mighty hand and greatly afflicted the Egyptians. The last and greatest affliction the Lord brought was the angel of death. He commanded His people to slay a lamb and to cover their door posts with its blood so that death may pass over them. This was another foreshadowing. After their deliverance, the chosen people were given the laws of God to keep so that they may be God's possession.

Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation - Exodus 19:5-6

But Israel was still fallen and they could not keep his commandments. The Lord instituted a sacrificial system to cover the sins of His people to teach them that a sacrifice for sin is required. These sacrifices were made repeatedly year after year to show that the blood of bulls and lambs cannot forgive sins. These imperfect sacrifices were to point to a perfect sacrifice to come. As the nation of Israel progressed, it became more and more apparent that they could not keep God's covenant. They, along with the rest of the world, needed a Savior, someone who could be their righteousness and could also be the atoning sacrifice for their substantial sins. The prophet Isaiah prophesied of a suffering servant who would do just that.

Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him - Isaiah 53:4-6

Then in the fullness of time, Jesus took on flesh and came to the world He created. He was the righteousness we could never attain. He obeyed the Father completely even when it came to death on the cross. The words of the prophets were fulfilled when, on the same mountain where Abraham was going to sacrifice Isaac, Jesus the Lamb of God died as the perfect sacrifice during the Passover remembrance. And as He drew His final breath He cried, "it is finished!" The debt that was owed for sin was finally atoned for. The ground shook and the veil in the temple, the symbolic barrier between sinful man and the Holy One, was torn in two. Christ was victorious, reconciliation was accomplished. Jesus redeemed His people and has made them holy.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy - 1 Peter 2:9-10

Following the Voice of the Shepherd

Christ did not suffer in vain. Jesus said He is the good Shepherd who gives His life for His sheep (John 10:15). All He has saved, He calls to Himself and they hear His voice. If you are reading this and you are hearing the call of the Savior and you have never responded, it is time to follow your Shepherd. You have sinned, which provokes the God of heaven to anger, and His wrath is ready to be poured out upon you. Christ is rich in mercy and loves to forgive sinners; repent of your sins and cling to His cross. Turn from your sin and run to the Savior whose blood washes away unrighteousness.

For those of us who have responded to the call of the Savior, we now have work to do.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them - Ephesians 2:10

The Lord has prepared good works for us to accomplish for His glory. We have been saved from our sin so we are to no longer continue in it, but are to walk in the newness of life that the Spirit has breathed in our souls. We should delight in the Lord's commands and live our lives to His glory alone. The Lord has also called us to further His kingdom.

All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age - Matthew 28:18-20

All authority belongs to Christ. He is the King and He is reigning now and will reign forever more. He has commissioned us as heralds to proclaim His rule to all the nations and to teach them to obey all that He commands. This may seem like a daunting assignment. We may even feel discouraged when we look at the world and see how disobedient it is to God's degrees. But we should not be surprised by the rebellion of the nations, because people love their sin and hate God. The world opposes God and His messengers.

If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me - John 15:18-21

Jesus promised us that the world would hate us. Our mission to baptize the nations will be hard and painful; if they crucified the King, we should expect them to persecute His servants. We walk the same road Christ walked, a road of suffering. If Jesus the Master suffered and suffered greatly, how can we His servants expect a different treatment? If we are truly His disciples, we will take up our crosses. This means we need to die to ourselves, die to the world and its pleasures.

We must not be discouraged by the tribulations we encounter. Christ did not remain dead. He rose again. Christ burst forth out of the grave in triumph and now He is reigning over all. He is the victorious Savior and is furthering His kingdom.

Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry out or raise His voice, nor make His voice heard in the street. A bruised reed He will not break and a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not be disheartened or crushed until He has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law - Isaiah 42:1-4

The Lord has promised to bring justice to the nations. He will not fail in bringing His promises to pass. We can take comfort in knowing that Jesus rules over all, that all His enemies will be put beneath His feet, and that all things will be reconciled to Him. We are on the winning side, our mission here will be successful. As we observe the world, it is obvious that there is a lot of work left to do. The nations still need to be baptized. Christ gave us our marching orders so let us get to work. And though we probably will not see the kingdom in its full glory in our lifetime, we can have confidence that His kingdom will come on earth as it is in heaven because the Lord came, suffered and died for the sins of His people, rose again, and is now drawing His sheep to Himself from all corners of the earth. Let us praise the Lamb who was slain, and joyfully proclaim His marvelous Gospel to all the nations.

Works Cited

New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.