WHEN THE ROAD IS MARKED WITH SUFFERING
One of the Christian Classics, the
book Hinds Feet on High Places, is a parable, a modern allegory similar to
Pilgrim's Progress. But instead of dealing with the overall Christian journey,
it focuses on a life of fear, anxiety, and self-loathing.
The main character is named
Much-Afraid. Her family, the Fearings, constantly harass Much-Afraid. They
oppress and criticize her all the time. But Much-Afraid loves the Shepherd, who
wishes to take her to the High Places, a good land in the far mountains.
For her journey, the Shepherd gives
her two companions; two sisters named Sorrow and Suffering. There comes a
moment in Much Afraid's Journey when she is tempted to give into Pride, to
listen to his temptation, and abandon her journey. But she calls to the Chief
Shepherd, who comes and rescues her. He gently rebukes her that she should not
have let go of the hands of Sorrow and Suffering on her Journey." Sorrow
and Suffering can be helpful companions.[1]
Last week we began our journey on a
path of hope which led us to Jesus, the hope of all the world. To bring hope to
all the world, Jesus had to travel through a road marked with Suffering. We
learned that Jesus healed a sick man on the Sabbath day. The Pharisees planned
to kill Him. Knowing their plans, he left that area and headed up to Jerusalem.
Why Jerusalem?
Let's find out. I title this
message, "When The Road Is Marked With Suffering." One
day God willing, Wilma and I would love to go to Jerusalem. Our past, present,
and future is tied with Jerusalem. What do we know about Jerusalem from the
Bible? Over 1027 references in the Bible related to Jerusalem show its
historical and future significance in the lives of humanity.
I.
JERUSALEM THE HOLY CITY OF GOD. In Genesis, God said to Abraham, "Take
your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of
Moriah.
Go and sacrifice him as a burnt
offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you." (Gen 22:2). In
Hebrew, Moriah means "Seen of Yahweh." We all know what happened when
they got there. At one point in history, "King David led his men to
Jerusalem captured the fortress of Zion. He made the fortress his home, and he
called it the City of David." II Sam 5:1-5. Jerusalem, in Hebrew Yĕrūshalayim means "possession
of peace" It was also known as a place where God dwells. Fast forward to
Jesus' time; now, Jesus was heading towards Jerusalem. What was awaiting him in
Jerusalem, and how did he prepare His disciples?
II
The Road of Hope For Jesus was marked with Suffering.
Matthew 20:17-19, "17 As Jesus
was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside privately and
told them what was going to happen to him. "Listen," he said,
"we're going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be betrayed to the
leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to
die. Then, they will hand him over to the Romans to be mocked, flogged with a
whip, and crucified. But on the third day, he will be raised from the
dead." Was Jesus' trip to Jerusalem random or intentional and
pre-determined?
Luke, the historian who wrote the
Book of Acts, explained the purpose of Jesus' visit to Jerusalem. Luke 18:31,
"Taking the twelve disciples aside, Jesus said, "Listen, we're going
up to Jerusalem where all the predictions of the prophets concerning the Son of
Man (It was the name Jesus gave to himself) will come true. So, this trip was
anything but random.
In Jerusalem, not one prophecy but
all the prophecies concerning him would be fulfilled. Here are a couple of
prophecies by the prophet Isaiah 50:6, "I offered my back to those who
beat me and my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard. I did not hide my face from
mockery and spitting." Isaiah 53:3-7, "He was despised and rejected a
man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and
looked the other way.
He was despised, and we did not
care. Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him
down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for
his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole. He
was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We
have left God's paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of
us all. He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word.
He was led like a lamb to the
slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his
mouth." Can you imagine Jesus being God yet subjecting himself to humans'
cruel treatment? We have no clue about the Roman torture tactics of their
criminals. You and I would have no idea of the pain Jesus endured by the 39
lashes of a Roman guard's whip.
If you want to know what it was like
for Jesus to endure all that he suffered because of your sin and mine, I
encourage you to watch the Passion Movie produced by Mel Gibson. I know it may
be a gory movie, but you might get a glimpse into Jesus’passion and
suffering.
The road of Hope for Jesus was
marked with Suffering. The prophets prophesied long ago, and He knew it when he
began his ministry. At least three times, he prepared his disciples by warning
them what would happen when they went to Jerusalem. But they did not
understand.
Knowing fully well what was coming,
Jesus was determined to go to Jerusalem. How would you have responded to Jesus'
announcement if you were there? You may have been filled with grief and
skepticism, like Peter, who rebuked Jesus privately, saying, "Heaven forbid
Lord this will never happen to you. These responses were merely human and
natural to any suffering.
Jesus predicted what would happen to
him and what would happen to all his followers. If Jesus’s Road to bring hope
to the world was marked with Suffering, would you expect anything less? Our
road to life in this world is marked with Suffering. It is called the narrow
way.
III
When The Road Is Marked With Suffering
Does anyone particularly enjoy Suffering?
No one! However, most people across the globe recognize that suffering is a normal
part of living. On the other hand, Western culture has glorified the values of freedom,
safety, comfort, and convenience. In America, we talk about life, liberty, and
the pursuit of happiness. I wonder whether the pursuit of happiness is Biblical?
I remember vividly how my mother
suffered from a heart condition as a child. Some nights she would stay up all
night groaning with pain. She often asked why Lord, why me, why now? She never
got any clear answers to her questions. She died of a heart attack at age 47.
Do Christians only suffer or
everyone else? Why do people suffer? I could think of five reasons. Firstly,
suffering is part of human fallen nature. We suffer from natural calamities
such as floods, earthquakes, volcano eruptions, heavy rains, snow blizzards,
tornadoes, etc. When these things happen, all are affected one way or the
other.
Secondly, we suffer because of our
wrong and sinful choices such as sexual immorality, adultery, drunkenness,
gluttony, etc. Thirdly, others’ choices cause us many suffer. For instance, a
drunk driver killing your child by causing a divorce, gun violence, rape, etc.
Fourthly, we suffer due to sickness
and ill-health due to the natural process of aging. Fifthly, some people are under
the influence of the evil one commits atrocities to inflict much pain and
suffering on others—for example, the war of Ukraine. How many people have died,
and millions are suffering because of one man’s ego and Pride to build an
empire of himself?
Regardless of who you are, we all
are fellow travelers on the road marked with suffering. Jesus predicted that
the suffering in this world would only increase as the time nears his second
coming. Matthew 24: 6-9, “And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but
don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow
immediately.
7 Nation will go to war against
nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in
many parts of the world. 8 But all this is only the first of the birth pains,
with more to come. 9 “Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You
will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. 10 And many will
turn away from me and betray and hate each other.” Let us develop a proper
attitude towards suffering.
IV.
Biblical view on Suffering.
Developing a biblical view on
suffering helps us cope with it and possibly endure it till the end. The Bible promises
us persecution and suffering for our faith. The world is in rebellion against
God and hates God. If it hates God, it persecutes those who believe and follow
God. When we suffer for our faith, it
would be helpful to know that many of our brothers and sisters worldwide are
going through similar suffering. I Peter 4:12-15, “Dear friends, don’t be
surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange
were happening to you. Instead, be
very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering so
that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to
all the world. If you are insulted because you bear the name of Christ, you
will be blessed, for the glorious Spirit of God rests upon you. If you suffer.
However, it must not be for murder, stealing, making trouble, or prying into other
people’s affairs.” Suffering remains a mystery to me.
As I read through the Bible, I
realize that God uses these moments of suffering to draw people unto himself.
In his book, “The Power of Pain," C.S Lewis notes, “God whispers to us in
our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: it is His
megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” If it is not for pain and suffering, we may
never hear the voice of Jesus that says to us come to all those who are weary
and burdened I will give you rest. Therefore, let us draw near our wounded
savior and be healed and comforted by Him in our pain and suffering. Amen.
