Jesus Suffered For Us

In preparing for Sunday's message at Calvary Chapel Sydney, I was struck how consistently I try to avoid suffering if I can.  If I am experiencing pain or discomfort in my body I do what I can to find relief.  Suffering can seem like an unnecessary part of life as we seek happiness and comfort wherever we can.  We are pleased to avoid suffering, but unbelievably God chose to suffer and die so we could be free of suffering forever.

I remember an occasion when I was verbally blasted by an irate parent at a soccer game as the assistant coach.  As his volume grew to a crescendo and the profanity flowed, the parents around me slowly moved away.  I found myself standing face to face with a man who literally trembled with rage.  After the final insult was flung and his sons gathered, he left the soccer field.  Fellow parents slowly meandered back to the sideline.  One man put his hand on my shoulder and said with a smile, "Better you than me!"  After what had just occurred, I didn't know what to say except a sheepish "Thanks."

The scene is instructive, as the troubles man faces in hell for eternity for his sin is infinitely worse than being shouted at.  No one wanted to be the target of an angry verbal tirade, and certainly no one is pleased to suffer death and darkness in agony forever.  God looked upon man's sorry state on earth reigned by sin and said in contrast, "Better Me for you!"  God could not suffer as an immortal Spirit, so He cloaked Himself in human flesh and came to earth in the person of Jesus to suffer death and conquer it and Satan who wielded it for us.  It was man whom God gave dominion over the earth, and thus it was fitting for God to become flesh so He could deliver us from the power of death.

Hebrews 2:16-18 says, "For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham. ¹⁷ Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.¹⁸ For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted."  Because Jesus became a man He suffered in our place and we can become children of God.  Another incredible result of God's incarnation was He is also able to help us overcome temptation.  Jesus was "in all ways tempted" and remained sinless (Hebrews 4:15).  We who entrust our eternal souls to Jesus Christ for salvation can have all confidence in His deliverance from temptation even in the midst of suffering.

Suffering was made to serve God's good purposes, and this is one redemptive aspect of the Christian walk.  Jesus knows what it is like to suffer and even suffer what we have not:  physical death!  Three days later He rose from the dead in glory, and the power that raised Him is the power which resides in us through the Holy Spirit when we are born again.  Through faith in Christ we have comfort in our suffering, even as a person awaiting surgery takes confidence in the words of another who experienced the same procedure successfully.  Our hope is not in the opinions of men but in the person of Jesus Christ who suffered for us and has overcome all.

God's Not Finished

Discovering a sense of purpose is encouraging for the despondent soul.  Knowing God has a purpose in the trials and difficulties He allows strengthens us to persevere.  I read a message from a pastor recently that suggested if you are on this planet, it means God is not finished with you yet.  I have heard this phrase many times, and for the first time I realised it was only partly true.

The implication of the statement "God is not finished with you yet!" is that at some point God will be finished with you.  It implies after God is finished with you, or the job is complete He assigned to you to do, He will bring you home to heaven like a race-horse is turned out to pasture after the racing days are over.  God will never be "finished" with His beloved children He has redeemed with the precious blood of Jesus!  The reality is life on earth is preparation for greater usefulness and service in the kingdom of heaven where we will do His perfect will free from the weakness of our human flesh.  Heaven is not retirement in solitude but a place of abundant life free from all sorrow, suffering, pain and tears among our great God and all who love Him.

For those who feel they do not have an important or fulfilling role in life, knowing God still desires to use us today can be encouraging.  At the same time, better to find encouragement today in looking to the LORD in faith, rejoicing in His gracious love and all He has done and promised rather than what I can do, for without Him I can do nothing.  God has created people to work and find satisfaction in a job well done, and thus it is a blessing God uses us for His glory.  God's faithfulness to us is amazing as He sanctifies us despite our failings and rejoices to draw near to us as His own.  We are happy to be rid of a wrecked car that is written off, yet God delights to restore our souls, renew our minds and redeem our lives for His glory.

Believer, God will never be finished with you because He loves and has chosen you.  Jesus Christ is the Head of the body the Church, and you have a privileged place in Him no angel can possess.  We are blessed to serve God today and worship Him forever, for He is gracious and good.  The work God has begun in us He is faithful to complete, and after we have completed our days on earth we have eternity to look forward to by His side.  How fulfilling, satisfying and comforting it is to know God works with us today and will never will be finished with us.

The Example of Jesus

I find the statements and responses of Jesus fascinating because He never did what I would.  Though I have read the biblical accounts numerous times, I constantly re-examine them and think about what could have been said and contrast it with what Jesus actually said.  There are great lessons to be learned even in what Jesus did not say.  Jesus alone has the words of life, and faith in Him marked by obedience enables us to embrace the abundant life He promises.

For instance, I was blown away by what Jesus said after He donned a towel and washed the disciple's feet during the Passover meal.  John 13:12-15 states, "So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you? ¹³ You call me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. ¹⁴ If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. ¹⁵ For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you."  Jesus provided an example of the love and care His disciples were to show to one another by washing their feet.

Notice Jesus did not provide an example of how to wash one another's feet.  This was not a step-by-step tutorial in feet hygiene, and this is a very important distinction.  Jesus did not explain in detail what to do if someone is ticklish, how to discern when feet were truly in need of washing or exactly when to wash them.  I expect the way people washed feet was different even in one household.  Jesus allowed His followers to have freedom without being chained to rituals like the Pharisees under Jewish traditions.  By washing feet Jesus provided an example of what we are to do for one another:  to serve, minister and love one another as He gave us commandment.

Jesus did not provide people "how to" instructions concerning being a spouse, a pastor, neighbour, sibling, parent, friend or coworker.  The act of Jesus in the upper room transcended the washing of feet and can be extended to every activity and relationship, to guide our motivation behind what we do and why.  Sometimes we hold back from loving others because we are unsure how best to do it.  "It's the thought that counts," we might say, but we don't truly believe it because our pride stands in the way.  Too many times we have been distracted by extra or unnecessary steps other people took to "wash our feet" we did not appreciate or understand and thus do not receive the genuine love expressed.  In response we roll up our sleeves and think, "Now I'll show them how to really wash feet!" and miss the whole point of what Jesus said.

It's not the filthiness of the feet of others, the quality of our service or the extent of our humility that matters because Jesus has already given us an example we are to follow:  as He has done for us, so we ought to do for others.  He has provided us an example of sacrificial love, mercy, grace and forgiveness, and we are called to extend these freely to others.  We can be focused on a formula of "how to" when Jesus bids us trust Him and follow His example.  We "can do" what we should only because He lives and we live through Him.

God Cares For You

Once I was driving home from work on Interstate 8 in San Diego when traffic came to a sudden halt because cut logs had fallen out of the back of a truck and skidded across the road.  It happened right in front of me so I stomped hard on the brakes and narrowly missed one.  Once the cars behind me had also stopped, I put on my hazard lights and jumped out to join other motorists to move the stump blockade.  

My first instinct after I approached the massive cut off was to lift.  It was instantly clear how foolish and impossible the task before me was.  But because the wood was freshly cut and very wet, this immovable object slid neatly to the shoulder across the concrete surface.  Within minutes with the help of others all the logs were moved to the side, traffic was flowing freely again and I was thankful not to have a hernia from my poor attempt at lifting.  One takeaway from the incident for me is there are things I imagine I can lift that are far too heavy.  But dealing with an immovable obstacle a different way (with the help of others) proved fruitful.

Sometimes heavy weights are not obstacles in front of us but figurative ones that weigh upon us.  Our minds can be weighed down with problems we cannot solve and our souls can be cast down.  It is possible the burdens we bear were never for us to carry, but a test allowed by God to show us (when we are consequently overwhelmed) how much we rely upon our own strength.  A person with genuine faith in God can still be prone to try to lift what they cannot and attempt to carry what will crush us.  Our relationship with God is of primary importance, but we are not in this alone:  God has joined us together with other Christians in the Body of Christ and are called to bear one another's burdens as we carry our own load.

In light of the fact God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble 1 Peter 5:6-7 says, "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, ⁷ casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you."  When we come to the realisation we are unable and humble ourselves before God in faith, we are also to keep casting all our care upon Him.  In verse 7 the words for care are different:  our care is translated from a word that carries the idea of distraction, whereas the word for God's care is one of concern and interest.  Our cares distract us from seeking or relying upon God, and He is faithful to care for us without distraction.

When we are troubled, worried and afraid, how good it is to view the "cause" of our anxiety to be, on a spiritual level, a mere distraction from Jesus Christ who sits on the throne holding the scepter as KING OF KINGS.  Our Good Shepherd knows the needs of every sheep in His flock, and He is able to lift us from the pit where we are stuck and protect us from howling wild dogs.  If we are robbed of our peace and joy by circumstances of this life, often the reason is we are trying to carry what we cannot; we are trying in vain to lift what is too much for us to budge.  It is wise for us to shift what could distract us from God to be what prompts us to draw nearer to God because He cares for us.