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Sufferings of Christ
187
Christ had told them before that these things would take place,
but they did not understand Him. The scene of His sufferings was to
be a fiery ordeal to His disciples, hence the necessity of watchfulness
and prayer. Their faith needed to be sustained by an unseen strength
as they should experience the triumph of the powers of darkness.
We can have but faint conceptions of the inexpressible anguish of
God’s dear Son in Gethsemane, as He realized His separation from
His Father in consequence of bearing man’s sin. He became sin for
the fallen race. The sense of the withdrawal of His Father’s love
pressed from His anguished soul these mournful words: “My soul is
exceeding sorrowful, even unto death.” “If it be possible, let this cup
pass from Me.” Then with entire submission to His Father’s will, He
adds: “Nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou wilt.”
The divine Son of God was fainting, dying. The Father sent
a messenger from His presence to strengthen the divine Sufferer
and brace Him to tread His bloodstained path. Could mortals have
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viewed the amazement and the sorrow of the angelic host as they
watched in silent grief the Father separating His beams of light, love,
and glory from the beloved Son of His bosom, they would better
understand how offensive sin is in His sight. The sword of justice
was now to awake against His dear Son. He was betrayed by a kiss
into the hands of His enemies, and hurried to the judgment hall of
an earthly court, there to be derided and condemned to death by
sinful mortals. There the glorious Son of God was “wounded for our
transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities.” He bore insult,
mockery, and shameful abuse, until “His visage was so marred more
than any man, and His form more than the sons of men.”
Who can comprehend the love here displayed! The angelic host
beheld with wonder and with grief Him who had been the Majesty
of heaven, and who had worn the crown of glory, now wearing the
crown of thorns, a bleeding victim to the rage of an infuriated mob,
fired to insane madness by the wrath of Satan. Behold the patient
Sufferer! Upon His head is the thorny crown. His lifeblood flows
from every lacerated vein. All this in consequence of sin! Nothing
could have induced Christ to leave His honor and majesty in heaven,
and come to a sinful world, to be neglected, despised, and rejected
by those He came to save, and finally to suffer upon the cross, but
eternal, redeeming love, which will ever remain a mystery.