07.15.07

The Pain of the Cross of Christ

Posted in The Gospel at 11:21 pm by TruthofmyKing

I have long studied the things of Christ and I am not ashamed.  Questions have arisen in my soul, that in retrospect, were planted by the Holy Spirit to drive me to my knees.

The cross of Christ has always been one of those teachings that has always begged me to “come and learn” and it always leaves me humble in spirit.

Luke 22:41-44

41 And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, 42 saying, “Father, if Thou art willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Thine be done.” 43 Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. 44 And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.

NASB

What would bring Jesus to a state of “AGONY” and in such distress that His sweat became like drops of blood? 

Physical Suffering?  I really don’t believe so.  I have read true stories about Christian martyrs being burned alive at the stake, others boiled alive in oil, and some even skinned while alive, and the account by first hand witnesses say they sang songs and praised God all the way to their place of death.

 So what does that have to do with the Cross of Christ?

Is not the Lord of Glory, the Master, greater than His servants?  Remember, Christ was in “agony” sweating drops of sweat like blood.  If you think the pain suffered on the cross was merely physical suffering, you may think too little of the Lord of your salvation.

Some have said that the Romans crucified Christ, others say it was the Jews, and truly we could even add every sinner that ever lived and I believe all answers are correct to a certain degree and in a certain context.

However, there was yet One more who was involved in the crucifixion of Christ!

You see, I cannot believe that the Son of God was trembling in the garden because of a Roman whip or out of fear of the nails when men after him sang songs and praised God on the way to their deaths. 

We should recall that Jesus had a legion of angels at His command lest he dashed His foot upon a stone and not to mention HE WAS THE SON OF GOD.  He had the spirit of God without measure.

So, why was Jesus in agony in the Garden?  What was in the Cup?

It was the wrath of God for your sin and He drank the whole content and when he turned it over again, not a drop fell out.

Isa 53:10

10 But the LORD was pleasedTo crush Him, putting Him to grief; …

And Again:

Isa 53:6

But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.

And in this place:

Rom 3:24-25

24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; 25 whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith.

I could continue on with passages, but the above should be sufficient. 

It is clear, It pleased God the Father, Yahweh, to crush His son.  His own Father displayed Him publicly on a cross, naked, as a propitiation. 

I suppose there is no death, no matter how aweful or how painful, that could compare to being crushed by God Almighty.  Take a thousand terrible deaths and experience them a thousand times and you still could not begin to understand being crushed by Yahweh. 

This suffering is the true pain of the Cross of Christ!   

Now we know God is good, so why the pleasure in destroying His Son? 

He was not looking at His Son, who has perfect and blameless, for at this time Jesus had, on His own initiative, become accursed. 

Gal 3:13

For it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree” -

God looked down and saw me, a sinner, instead of Him, because Jesus was bearing my iniquities.  His pleasure was not in destroying His Son but in executing Justice for my sin and yours.

It should have been me who cried “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani” - My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?

But as I sit here, trusting in the finished work of Christ, I do not have sweat falling from my face as though it was blood. (Although if it was not for the free gift of Grace from God I would be.)  The fear I felt before I was regenerated has faded away.  Why?

Because He was pierced through for my transgressions,

He was crushed for my iniquities;

The chastening for my well-being fell upon Him,

And by His scourging I am healed. (ISAIAH 53:5)

For the Truth of my King

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