Grace Reformed Baptist Church, Bangalore

The Seven Profound Sufferings of Christ

The sacrifice of Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of our faith, and within that sacrifice lies a depth of suffering that is both heartbreaking and awe-inspiring. To truly grasp the magnitude of His love and the price of our redemption, we can reflect on seven distinct aspects of His agony:

1. The Agony of Rejection by His Own Nation:

Consider the staggering descent of Christ. He, the Son of God, the second Person of the Holy Trinity – co-eternal and co-equal with the Father, the very Creator and Sustainer of the universe – willingly stepped down. He didn’t merely descend; He embraced human nature, taking the form of a servant, entering the world as the promised Messiah to fulfill ancient covenant promises.

For millennia, God had prepared His chosen people, the nation of Israel, cultivating in them an understanding of sin through the Law and sacrifices, instilling a longing for the Messiah in every aspect of their worship, and meticulously preserving the Davidic lineage. And then, He came – the Messiah, bringing true and ultimate deliverance. Imagine the boundless love and self-sacrifice, the profound condescension of the eternal, self-existent God becoming the God-man. He validated His identity through undeniable miracles.

Yet, what was the response of His own people? How sadly the Gospel of John records: “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him” (John 1:11). As a human being, what immeasurable emotional and psychological sorrow must He have borne? The rejection by the very nation He came to save must have been a piercing pain. It’s akin to dedicating years to your family, only to be met with hostility upon your return.

But the rejection didn’t end there. This nation unjustly arrested Him, subjected Him to deceitful trials, treated Him with utter shame, bribed false witnesses in their biased court, and ultimately murdered their only hope, the Lord of the Covenant.

He, the One whom angels adore and praise – “Christ, by highest heaven adored; Christ, the everlasting Lord; whom all holy creatures exalt” – the Father’s singular delight, the One eternally glorified for His perfect being, was now shamefully treated, cursed, mocked, spat upon, and reviled by the profane words of blind, ignorant sinners.

Picture the horrifying crowds He had healed of every affliction now screaming, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” Can you fathom the anguish? The once-mute man, his voice restored by Jesus, now using it to demand His crucifixion. The deaf hearing those hateful words, the blind now seeing this injustice, the lame standing and joining the chorus of condemnation, the lepers cleansed, the very ones raised from the dead – many of whom had tasted His miraculous provision and heard His divine teachings – now clamoring for His death. This must have caused unimaginable sorrow.

On one side, the rejection by the scribes and religious leaders, who possessed intimate knowledge of the Old Testament yet labeled Him a blasphemer and a threat to their authority and the Roman status quo. How agonizing their choice of the murderer Barabbas over Jesus must have been. Have you ever felt the sting of rejection from your own family, community, or nation? Jesus experienced the zenith of that pain.

2. The Crushing Weight of Betrayal:

Could humanity’s cruelty reach a deeper level? Yes, in the form of treachery. Betrayal wounds us profoundly, especially when it comes from someone in whom we have placed our deepest trust and love. If His own nation rejected Him, surely the twelve He personally chose, loved, shared His innermost thoughts with, called His friends, and promised thrones beside Him – the ones He entrusted with His divine mission, trained, taught, and invested His very life in – would remain faithful?

The sorrow must have been unbearable when one of these twelve, Judas, who had lived for three years in the presence of the altogether lovely, truest friend, lover of souls, gracious Master – a being so captivating that angels longed to kiss His feet, surrounded and guarded by seraphim – this blind man, so inestimably valuable, a hidden treasure, a pearl of great price, was unable to perceive the worth of the exalted Christ. Blinded and hardened by his covetousness, he became a tool of Satan, willing to sell Him for the paltry price of a slave – thirty pieces of silver. How deeply this must have wounded Christ. He Himself had said, “Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has turned his heel against me” (Psalm 41:9). (Heel having maximum strength kicked against chest). It was a blow aimed at the heart.

Consider the scene in the Garden. Even after the soldiers recoiled and fell back when Jesus declared, “I am He,” Judas, as the leader of this vile group, concocted a plan. “Don’t worry about falling,” he might have reasoned, “it was just a gust of wind. Let me help you. I’ll go first. I’ll approach Him, embrace Him, pretend to kiss him in love, and while I’m holding Him, you can come from behind and seize Him securely.”

Unbelievable! What a perverted, Satan-possessed mind! Of all the possible actions, he chose a kiss – a universal symbol of love, bond, friendship, affection, and intimacy – for his treacherous act. He could have kissed His hand or His garment, but he chose His face.

Think of the satanic cunning behind this. He likely intended to achieve two things with this single gesture. First, to deceive Christ and the disciples, appearing to approach Him with concern before the soldiers arrived, perhaps leading Jesus to believe he was coming to warn Him. Then, by kissing Him not casually but with exaggerated affection, he could simultaneously signal the soldiers to identify their target. To execute this, he would need to hold Jesus firmly, preventing any miraculous escape, while the others seized Him from behind. What a despicable wretch!

The emotional impact is staggering. The profound hurt and disappointment of being betrayed by someone He trusted implicitly. For many, the deep wounds of betrayal never fully heal in this life. Yet Jesus called him “friend” (Matthew 26:50).

3. The Desolation of Denial and Abandonment:

Reflect on the character of the twelve men Jesus had chosen. In many ways, they were ordinary, even flawed. He had patiently endured their foolishness, their limited understanding, and their sinfulness for three years. Despite their slow spiritual growth, He was the very source of their life, the provider of all their needs, their faithful teacher, loyal friend, forgiving encourager, and unwavering supporter – their ultimate prophet, priest, and king.

He held a special love for Peter. Think about the denial by Peter, the one Jesus wasn’t ashamed to call His friend and brother, the one to whom He declared, “On this rock I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18), the one with whom He promised to share eternal life and riches. Was this same Peter now to be the object of shame towards Jesus? Was he to curse and disown Him? Not once, not twice, but three times, and with oaths and curses! How utterly disheartening to have those you love most and to whom you give the most turn against you. How intensely painful.

Then, consider the rest of the eleven disciples. In His hour of greatest need, they were overcome by fear and fled, abandoning Him. He was forsaken by those He would never forsake. This ultimate insult, this complete abandonment, must have caused profound sorrow in the sensitive, deeply loving heart of Jesus. Rejection, betrayal, denial – the mental and emotional weight was immense.

4. The Crushing Burden of Mental and Psychological Suffering:

Even before a hand was laid upon Him, what transpired in the Garden of Gethsemane? Oh, who can truly fathom the depths of the blood-soaked mental anguish He endured? The mere contemplation of the cup of God’s wrath brought forth drops of blood.

Matthew and Mark use words that struggle to convey the extent of His distress. He was “amazed” and “deeply distressed” (Mark 14:33). And Christ Himself, who never exaggerated and always spoke truth, uttered the most poignant words: “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death” (Matthew 26:38). The language of Hebrews further emphasizes the extreme intensity of His sorrow.

After expressing this profound anguish, the holy Son of God retreated a stone’s throw away, seeking solitude. He first attempted to kneel, but the heavenly burden was so immense that He fell to the muddy ground. Then, He prostrated Himself, His face pressed to the earth – a picture of a sinner under an unbearable weight. The tense of the verbs used suggests a repeated action: He fell, He staggered and tried to rise, unable to stand, He fell again to His knees, and then prostrate on His face. Can you imagine the scene?

The sequence of His three prayers reveals that the sweat was not merely from stress but from His earnest supplication. Hebrews tells us He prayed to be delivered from death (Hebrews 5:7). Knowing it was God’s will that He drink the cup of wrath, yet the mere foretaste of it brought such shock and dreadful agony. Knowing He had to drink the full cup, the anticipation intensified His suffering. In the midst of His agony, He feared lest His weak human strength would fail, that He would die in this agony, fail in this monumental trial, be swallowed up by death, and that all those He came to save would be eternally condemned. How earnestly He prayed that He might not die before He had fully drunk the cup and suffered completely according to God’s will. His earnestness in prayer made him sweat drops of blood!

5. The Humiliation of Social Shame and Insult:

False accusations and unjust trials inflict deep wounds, even on those guilty of other offenses. To be accused of every crime imaginable when you have committed no sin is an unbearable injustice. Consider the stress and indignity of the multiple trials before the Sanhedrin and Pilate. The Sanhedrin, accusing Him of blasphemy, then slapping, punching, and spitting on Him. Then being shuttled between Pilate and Herod, back to Pilate. Oh, what social shame He endured.

Think of the mockery by the Roman soldiers. They staged a mock coronation, enacting seven acts typically reserved for kings (Matthew 27:28-31): stripping Him and dressing Him in a scarlet robe, twisting thorns into a crown and placing it on His head, putting a staff in His right hand, kneeling before Him in mockery, spitting on Him, and repeatedly striking Him on the head with the staff. Finally, they removed the robe and led Him away to be crucified.

Consider the mental and emotional toll of facing such profound injustice, the agonizing anticipation of the physical pain to come, and the burden of carrying the heavy cross.

6. The Unfathomable Agony of Bodily Pain:

The physical suffering of Christ was excruciating:

• The Scourging: The brutal flogging by Roman soldiers, designed not merely to punish but to inflict severe pain and weaken the victim, often to the point of death.
• The Crown of Thorns: The cruel mockery and intense physical pain of having sharp thorns pressed into His scalp, tearing flesh and causing immense suffering.
• The Journey to Golgotha: Carrying the heavy wooden cross, His body already weakened by the beatings and emotional trauma.
• The Crucifixion: The agonizing process of being nailed through His hands and feet, suspending His body, causing unimaginable pain with every breath, every movement. He even refused the anesthetic gall offered to Him, choosing to feel the full extent of the torment. Oh, the unknown depths of Christ’s physical suffering.

7. The Utter Desolation of Spiritual Suffering:

Yet, even these immense physical sufferings pale in comparison to His greatest agony – His invisible, spiritual suffering. All the preceding six sufferings are but mosquito bites compared to this ultimate torment. This was a burden no mere human could ever bear, a sorrow beyond any earthly comparison. This is what caused Him to pray, “If it is possible, let this cup pass from me” (Matthew 26:39).

He endured a far deeper, more terrible suffering in His soul. There on the cross, suspended between heaven and earth, He was seemingly rejected by both. When humanity had done its worst, when there was nothing more they could inflict, God did His worst to Him. The full force of God’s wrath, the divine anger and penalty for sin, had to be poured out upon Him. Imagine the heat of a billion suns focused on a single point – the eternal wrath, the very hell of hells, poured upon Christ.

No mortal eyes could bear to witness this unimaginable torment. Even the light of the sun seemed to withdraw; the Bible records that during broad daylight, darkness covered the land for three hours. In that darkness, Christ had to drink the full cup of God’s wrath, the just punishment due for the sins of all humanity. For three agonizing hours, the eternal Son of God suffered the depths of spiritual desolation. It is a suffering beyond human comprehension or description. As the climax of this torment approached, He cried out with a heart-wrenching question, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46) – the agonizing feeling of being abandoned by the Father, a unique suffering for the Son who had always been in perfect communion with Him.

After some time, He died with a triumphant shout, “It is finished!” (John 19:30). This declaration signified that He had fully endured all the condemnation, penalty, and suffering due for the sins of His people. He had paid the complete price for their salvation from sin; He had satisfied God’s justice. It is the finished work of Christ. All those who believe in Him will have their sins forgiven.

Grapple with this profound truth: Jesus took our place, bearing the spiritual consequences of our sin, leading to our forgiveness and eternal restoration.

So we see the seven profound sufferings of Christ: Rejection, Betrayal, Denial, Mental Anguish, Social Shame, Bodily Pain, and, most significantly, Spiritual Suffering. Each facet reveals a deeper dimension of His sacrifice and the boundless love that compelled Him to endure it all for us.