Suffering for Others

KEY VERSE: “They that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, and saying, Thou that destroyest the Temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.” —Matthew 27:39,40

SELECTED SCRIPTURE: Matthew 27:27-44

THE TRIAL WHICH Jesus had just experienced was nothing but a sham, but it was only the beginning of his public humiliation. The mocking continued: “The soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers. And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon 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! And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head. And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.”—Matt. 27:27-31

By ‘adorning’ Jesus with a royal scarlet robe, a wreath of thorns as a kingly crown, and a reed for his scepter of authority, the soldiers evidenced how little they realized that he was destined to be greater than any earthly king before or after that time. Jesus’ faithfulness even unto death resulted in God’s rewarding him in a marvelous way: “God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow.”—Phil. 2:9,10

But at the time, those mocking actions signified suffering, mental and physical, for Jesus. Physical suffering was, by and large, something new to him. As a perfect human being, Jesus was not subject to the sicknesses and diseases common to man. But now, with the physical abuse that was being wrought upon him, pain and loss of strength and vitality began to take its toll. We can see how the Adversary was attempting to use any means to stumble Jesus. If the suffering was intense enough, perhaps Jesus would fall into sin, abandon his commission, and forsake his consecration vow to do the Father’s will.

In Roman times, one who was to be crucified must carry his own cross to the place of crucifixion. But Jesus was so physically weakened that he was unable to do this. “They found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross.” (Matt: 27:38) In our trials, when the cross is difficult to bear, we often have assistance from others to help us through. We are urged: “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (Gal. 6:2) What a blessing is ours both to receive help from others and to be of help as we have opportunity.

Upon arriving at Golgotha, the place of crucifixion, Jesus was offered vinegar mixed with gall (Matt. 27:34)—a drug used to relieve physical agony. Jesus refused to drink the mixture; under no circumstances would he agree to anything that might impair his mental clarity or result in his failure to keep every “jot” and “tittle” (Matt. 5:18) prophetically spoken of him. Jesus did not yield to this attempt of Satan to stumble him. He “endured the cross, despising the shame” (Heb. 12:2), accepting the full measure of suffering God allowed to come upon him.

Jesus’ suffering increased since he was crucified with common criminals. (Matt. 27:38) Here was the perfect man Jesus, “holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners” (Heb. 7:26), unworthy of death, crucified alongside thieves who legally deserved punishment. “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Rom. 3:23) All have inherited the penalty of death fairly pronounced upon Adam in the Garden of Eden. Jesus, himself perfect and worthy of life, took the sinner’s place in death, paying the ransom price, that man might have the opportunity to live again. “The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”—Isa. 53:6

And still the cruel mocking continued as Jesus hung upon the cross. This time it was the chief priests, and even the theives, who mocked, saying: “If he be the king of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. … He said, I am the Son of God. The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth”! Hallelujah! What a Savior!

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