Does God Suffer?

If you are someone who suffers in silence, God sees you and understands. He too has suffered.

Most people are familiar with the physical suffering of Jesus on the cross. In fact, it started before the cross. The Roman soldiers, far away from home and tired of the Jews, when given the opportunity by superiors, beat Him with their fists and hardened reeds. They mocked him, spit on him, pulling pieces of beard from his face. The Roman soldiers were then ordered to scourge him. A scourge is made of several strands of leather dipped in glue, then rolled in small, jagged, broken, pieces of pottery. The pottery would stick to the leather, providing an instrument of torture that clawed opened the skin with each blow. The shoulders, sides, and back of the victim were laid bare, exposing the bone. The bleeding was severe. Though we’re not sure how many lashes Jesus received, 40 could kill a normal man.

It was then that they nailed His hands and feet to a cross, posted it in the ground and watched him struggle to breath. He would push down on the nails in his feet, pull up on the nails in his hands, rubbing his mutilated back up the course wooden post beam just to take a breath. Falling forward and down exhaling any air in His lungs. Crucifixion was designed to suffocate the criminal while humiliating you in front of onlookers. Naked, bleeding, and barely breathing, Jesus hung there for at least three hours. Because He was unusually physically strong due to years as a carpenter/stone mason, He lasted longer than most would.

And then He then faced suffering worse than the cross.

Most theologians agree that part of the mystery of the cross is the suffering of Christ that his separation from the Father’s presence brought him. Yes, in order to pay our penalty for sin, Jesus had to die both physically and spiritually. Biblical death is the dying of the body and then the separation of the spirit from the presence of God. Jesus being God and man in one person suffered both so we could live. But in that darkness, from noon to three, Jesus experienced an eternity outside the Father’s presence, lost and in raging darkness.

What we don’t consider is the Father’s suffering, nor the Holy Spirit’s either. Both experience the loss of Jesus as well. Hard to imagine the pain they all suffered. All? The Trinity is three persons sharing one Divine essence. They are one God, in three persons. I know. It is hard to understand. Impossible really, but true, nonetheless. The Trinity is the only three persons in the infinite past who have enjoyed such joy and love together that we will never understand fully.

At the cross the Trinity suffered. The Father and Spirit suffered as the Son was beaten and tortured with in and out of his life, as the Roman’s attempted to not just hurt him physically but humiliate him as well. But to watch it. To see the person, you have such deep love for from all eternity past suffer such torment is beyond reason. But to lose him for eternity present is even worse. Yes, all heaven wept with the Father and the Holy Spirit as they sobbed in universal torment.

For what? For whom? Why?

For redemption. For you. For love.

God became lost so you could become found. God died so you could live. God is asking if you want to participate in that type of love. Love that gives everything for the beloved? Do you want to live in the love God?

Repent (Change your mind about Him).

Surrender (Submit your will to His).

Live (Not survive).

Love (Sacrificially).

Repent. Surrender. Live. Love.

It’s why the first followers of Jesus were called “the Way.” Join us.

Much love,

Dave