Basic HTML Version
412
Humble Hero
consequences of human sin. As a man He must endure God’s anger
against transgression.
The Terrible Temptation
Christ was now standing in a different relationship to God from
that in which He had always stood before. As our Substitute, Christ
was suffering under divine justice. Before this He had been an
intercessor for others; now He longed to have an intercessor for
Himself.
[318]
As Christ felt His unity with the Father being broken up, He
feared that in His human nature He would not be able to endure the
conflict. The tempter had come for the last fearful struggle; if he
failed here, the kingdom of the world would finally become Christ’s
and he himself would be overthrown. But if he could overcome
Christ, the earth would become Satan’s kingdom, and the human
race would be in his power forever.
Satan told Christ that if He became the Substitute for a sinful
world, He would be identified with Satan’s kingdom and would
never again be one with God. And what would He gain by this
sacrifice? Satan pressed the situation on the Redeemer: The people
who claim to be above all others in spiritual advantages are seeking
to destroy You. One of Your own disciples will betray You. One of
Your most zealous followers will deny You. All will forsake You. It
pierced Christ’s heart to think that those whom He loved so much
would unite in the plots of Satan. The conflict was terrible. The
sins of humanity weighed heavily on Christ, and the sense of God’s
anger against sin was crushing out His life.
In His agony, He clung to the cold ground, as if to prevent
Himself from being drawn farther from God. From His pale lips
came the bitter cry, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass
from Me.” Yet even now He added, “Nevertheless, not as I will, but
as You will.”
Jesus Hungered for Human Sympathy
The human heart longs for sympathy in suffering. Christ felt this
longing to the very depths of His being. He came to His disciples