Today marks the day that Christ was crucified and laid to rest in a tomb. I designated it as a paid holiday in all the various companies I’ve owned, and I encouraged our employees to take this day off and enjoy it with their families and make a worship-filled spiritual weekend out of it.
While some might consider it ghoulish to celebrate the suffering and ultimately the death of someone, I feel just the opposite. Consider if Jesus had not died that day and arisen 3 days later. All hope for restoration and eternal life would disappear and due to sin we would be separated from our Creator forever.
As I mulled this over last night I thought of the suffering, pain, sorrow, humiliation, and anguish endured by Jesus. He met such a violent horrible death at such a young age, (just 33 years old). An innocent lamb, Jesus, suffered as no one before Him.
Why?
Isaiah 53:5 – But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
He suffered because of us. He had never committed a sin – ANY SIN! He loved us so much that it was worth it to him to endure the pain and suffering for our sakes and He did so willingly.
I thought about the suffering I’ve endured – Pain, pain, and more pain has plagued me throughout life. Not just the physical pain of the many broken bones, or going blind, facing the consequences from addictions, and multiple operations on my old broken body, but the mental anguish of being physically and mentally abused by my father, the death of my brother’s 5 year old son to devasting brain cancer that racked his little body with terrible pain for three months, followed a few years later by my brother’s nasty divorce and tragic suicide when he could no longer cope with this life, the sudden unexpected death of my mother at a very young age, and on and on.
I try my best not to focus on what is behind and instead look to the day I will be with my Savior. Thanks to the Lord Jesus (who reclaimed His former seat at the right hand of God on His heavenly throne there lies restoration through Jesus for us as we enter God’s glorious presence. – 1 Peter 5:10 – And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
If you are suffering today or suffer tomorrow just keep in mind that it is temporary for those who love and follow Jesus. He will take us in His arms and heal us with His love and we will spend eternity with Him in a place where suffering is non-existent and remembered no more.
Romans 8:18
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
Have a great weekend and go to church this Sunday and worship Jesus who endured so much for us.