Daily Devotions
John
John 19:16-42 "STRENGTH DOES NOT MEAN "NO STRUGGLE"
Day 316 – John 19
STRENGTH DOES NOT MEAN “NO STRUGGLE”
We must not imagine that Jesus had no struggles as He endured the terrible pain that must have been His as He was crucified. Intimation of the depth of anguish He felt may be seen in His heartfelt cry to His Father,
“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
Matthew 27:46
Strength in life does not free one from struggles. Strength is the ability to emerge victorious through the struggles we have to endure!
THE MANY DIFFERENT STRUGGLES WHEN PAIN HITS SEVERELY
It is only when you have experienced severe pain that you understand just how severely tested you will be in those moments.
A. Physical Pain
1. Physical pain can be very distracting
Physical pain is a difficult thing to bear. It can drive you to sheer distraction! It makes your otherwise calm mind think many different and conflicting thoughts!
2. Physical pain can cause a person to question the fundamentals
Pain can be so severe that it can cause you to raise difficult questions to God. The prophets of old, like Habbakuk and Jeremiah experienced much pain and sorrow in their life and ministry, they raised the “Why” question with God. The Psalmist David questioned his fundamental beliefs in God time and again. Some of his psalms reflected how pain could hurt him so badly.
Psalm 22 was one of the most famous works that David produced. Jesus cited the words of the Psalmist David when He was on the cross. His heartfelt cry to God was taken from the opening words of Psalm 22.
3. Winning the battle against physical pain
Can the battle against physical pain be won? Yes! Jesus did it. He proved that it is possible to win this battle against physical pain!
B. Spiritual Pain
Is there such a thing as “spiritual pain”? Though it is hard to define what “spiritual pain” is, we can say that there is such a thing as “spiritual pain”.
1. It is a sense of sorrow because one cannot sense the Presence of God
Did Jesus suffer spiritual pain? We would believe so? As He hung on the Cross at Golgotha, He knew that He was the designated Lamb of God. He was there to take upon Himself the weighty guilt of the sins of the world!
God was judging Him on behalf of all sinners! God had, as it were, to hide His face from His Son. It was not as a Father that He related to Jesus for the moment. It was as a Just Judge that He looked at Jesus at that moment.
There was a terrible sense of being “cut off” from His Father. In that moment, there must have been great pain and sorrow! He bore all our sins and guilt upon His shoulders! Was there pain when there is estrangement from God? Yes!
2. It is a pain that is possibly worse than the physical counterpart
Spiritual pain may be best understood when we compare it with the human emotions. We are familiar with the concept of physical pain. Those who have experienced emotional trauma would recognize that there is another kind of pain that is even deeper than the physical counterpart.
There is a pain that causes nightmares. There is a kind of pain that is so acute that it drives a person mad. Spiritual pain is akin to emotional pain. Jesus never cried out when He was whipped or when the nails were driven into His hands and feet.
However, when He was crucified, and He knew that God had to judge Him on our behalf, He cried out with all His heart,
“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
Matthew 27:46
Yes, there is such a thing as spiritual pain. Jesus felt this level of pain. The depth of His pain is reflected in the way He cried out to His Father.
3. Bearing pain on our behalf
The prophet Isaiah wrote a most telling description of the depth of pain and sorrow that Jesus bore in this text.
“Surely, He has borne our griefs,
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
But He was wounded for our
transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities.
The chastisement for our peace was
upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.”
Isaiah 53:4-5
Did Jesus have to “struggle” as He was crucified? Did He have to fight off dark feelings that sought to overwhelm Him?
Pain in any form is terrible. We tend to shy away from pain. We try and control or manage pain. Jesus couldn’t do any such thing. He had to bear whatever pain that had to be endured! Was there physical pain? Was there emotional and spiritual pain as well? Whatever pain Jesus had to feel, He knew that somehow He must bear with it – for much was at stake. Redemption would not be possible if He did not overcome and be victorious in His battle against pain! He won a great victory and it was all for us!