Daily Devotions
Luke
Luke 23:8-12 "THE SUFFERING OF JESUS"
Day 312 – Luke 23
Text: Luke 23:8-12
THE SUFFERING OF JESUS
How did you feel as you read about the abuse of Jesus under the interrogation of Caiaphas and Herod? Let’s review what we have read.
In Caiaphas’ home, we have this record.
“Now the men who held Jesus
mocked Him and beat Him.
And having blindfolded Him,
They struck Him on the face
And asked Him saying,
‘Prophesy! Who is the one
who struck You?’
And many other things they
Blasphemously spoke against Him.”
Luke 22:63-65
In the residence of Herod Antipas, we have another record of abuse. It was cruel to treat Jesus with such contempt and mockery.
“Then Herod, with his men of war,
treated Him with contempt and mocked Him,
arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent
Him back to Pilate…”
Luke 23:11
How could Jesus have stood so calmly while being mauled and manhandled by wicked people? Let us take time to recall what He had said to His Disciples as He drew nearer to Jerusalem.
“Then He took the twelve aside and said to them,
‘Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem,
and all things that are written by the prophets
concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished.
For He will be delivered to the Gentiles and
Will be mocked and insulted and spit upon.
They will scourge Him and kill Him…'”
Luke 18:31-33
We cannot but stand absolutely amazed at how Jesus could have borne so much pain and suffering. He may have anticipated the agonizing ordeal, but actually going through it was not easy! To be unbowed in spirit despite abuse, to be steadfast in faith and spirit despite ill-treatment – how our hearts must be deeply moved and challenged by the example of our precious Saviour! Let us learn how to bear suffering as our Saviour did!
PROPHECY OF THE SUFFERING OF THE MESSIAH
Jesus was prepared in every sense of the word for the pain and suffering that He had been suffering. He mentioned that the prophets had foretold His suffering. Let us take time to read the writings of one particular prophet that foretold the suffering of Jesus in some detail.
Isaiah prophesied in amazing detail the kind of suffering Jesus would have to endure.
“He is despised and rejected by men,
A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.”
Isaiah 53:3
“Despised… rejected… not esteemed…” Those were powerful words describing the kind of pain that Jesus must have endured beyond physical abuse. To be despised demeans a person. To be rejected brings a deep sense of hurt and sorrow. To be poorly esteemed brings further pain… deep, emotional pain at the deepest level.
WHY DID JESUS HAVE TO SUFFER SO MUCH?
Why did God allow Jesus to suffer so much? We cannot but ask this question! Isaiah gives us some startling answers!
“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 of our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, everyone, to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”
Isaiah 53:4-6
Isaiah wrote about two reactions to the suffering of Jesus. The first reaction is to think that Jesus was “smitten by God and afflicted”. How wrong human responses can be!
The second reason is much deeper. Isaiah explained that the suffering of Jesus was all part of God’s plan of redemption! Jesus had to bear all these sufferings… FOR US!
The shame, the pain, the deep suffering – Jesus bore all those things for our sake! How our hearts must tremble as we ponder these thoughts written by the prophet Isaiah. Imagine how Jesus must have borne all His sufferings! “But we see Jesus…”