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The Unimaginable Suffering of Jesus

Suffering in Abandonment

Finally, after six hours of tortured breathing, the end was near. Jesus looked up to Heaven and said, “Eloi! Eloi! Lama sabachthani” which means, “My God! My God! Why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34). Because in that moment, Jesus was enduring the ultimate agony. In that moment, there was a tremor in the Trinity, as God the Father turned His back on His only Son and poured out His wrath—His anger for all of the sin of humanity—on Jesus.

Then Jesus yelled out the three words that would change the course of history—“It is finished”—and He bowed His bloodied head and died.

The sin of humanity had been paid in full by the blood of the Lamb of God, “who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

Why Did He Do It?

Why did Jesus do this? Hebrews 12:2 gives us the answer:

For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

He endured all of this because of “the joy set before Him.” What was the joy set before Him? I believe it was two-fold:

1. Pleasing the Father.

He knew His sacrifice would be pleasing to the Father, and that brought Him great joy (John 6:38).

2. Saving You and Me.

We were the joy set before Him. If He chose us and loved us before the creation of the world (Ephesians 1:4-5), you can be sure He had you and me in mind, along with all of the other believers throughout time, as He hung on the cross. And that brought Him joy in the midst of the agony.

Maybe you don’t feel loved. Whether you feel it or not, you are loved with an everlasting love. Jesus proved it on the cross.

Maybe it seems no one understands your suffering. But Jesus knows it. He drank the full cup of God’s wrath as He suffered the ultimate agony on the cross.

Maybe you don’t feel you have hope. But Jesus offers you ultimate hope. Because three days after He was crucified and buried, He was raised from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). He will raise you from the dead, both spiritually and, someday, physically, if you simply put your faith in Him.

The bill for your sin has been paid in full (“It is finished!”). You must simply receive it by faith. Trust in Jesus right now, because He went through the ultimate suffering to pay the price for your sin on the cross. When you do, you receive eternal life that starts now and lasts forever!

If you’ve already put your faith in Jesus, then share this post with someone else and pray for them to trust in Christ for salvation and the eternal life He offers.

This article originally appeared here and is used by permission.