Let Us Encounter With Suffering Jesus

(Mark 15:25-39, Psalm 22)

Mari Ikeda

A. Suffering and despaired God

1) We expect God to be strong, but He revealed Himself to us in a weak and miserable state (25-32)

25 It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. 26 The written notice of the charge against him read: the king of the jews. 27 They crucified two rebels with him, one on his right and one on his left. [28] 29 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, 30 come down from the cross and save yourself!” 31 In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! 32 Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

2) Jesus experienced the worst despair (33-38)

33 At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 34 And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). 35 When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.” 36 Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said. 37 With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. 38 The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

3) How can we say that Jesus was God? (39)

39 And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”

B. Why did God need to suffer?

C. Why do we suffer?

D. We encounter with Jesus in our suffering

Summary

We all have different kinds of suffering. While our own sin might be the cause, someone else’s sin may make us suffer as well. Also, there are sufferings caused by the reason we can never know and can condemn no one for them. Jesus suffered on the Cross in order to save us from all of these kinds of sufferings. Let us encounter with Jesus in our suffering, as He is suffering together with us. Our salvation does not mean to have no suffering, but instead it means to find Jesus in the midst of our suffering.

For Discussion

1) What do you think is the reason of your suffering?
2) How does the suffering of Jesus answer to your suffering?