Jesus modeled for us the highest forms of obedience at the time of His suffering and crucifixion. Choosing to obey God’s word is expressed in its purest form when we know that pain and suffering will come, yet we still obey Him.
As Jesus concluded His final instructions to His disciples just before His arrest, He prayed to the Father, “I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world” (John 17:14). An unredeemed world cannot understand or appreciate our expressions of faith. Their hatred blinds them, but Jesus died for them and His redeeming love must replace our need to pay back the evil perpetrated against us to express something greater.
Our obedience to God will bring mocking, “The soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they put a purple robe on him ‘Hail! King of the Jews!’ they mocked, as they slapped him across the face” (John 19: 2-3). To be mocked for doing the will of the Father is to be expected. A world that hates the message of Jesus will mock our obedience because it will challenge their interpretation of reality.
There are times when our obedience requires silence. When Pilate was questioning Jesus, at one point, “The Lord remained silent. Jesus gave no answer” (John 19:9). In the most crucial moments, our highest form of worship is silence when the world demands answers.
After Pilate released Jesus to an angry religious mob, they made Jesus carry the tool of His execution, “Then Pilate turned Jesus over to them to be crucified. So, they took Jesus away. Carrying the cross by himself, he went to the place called Place of the Skull (in Hebrew, Golgotha)” (John 19: 16-17). Hatred of the message of Jesus revels in deepening our punishment not realizing the very tools they employ to increase that pain will become part of the story of their redemption.
Our obedience to God in the middle of all our pain and suffering will become a fulfillment of Scripture, “These things happened in fulfillment of the Scriptures that say, ‘Not one of his bones will be broken, and ‘They will look on the one they pierced’” (John 19: 36-37). Even the smallest details of suffering are a fulfillment of God’s word, something not realized at the time by the inflicters of our suffering.
All forms of a personal crucifixion must be interpreted by reviewing the life of Jesus and His response to the hatred expressed toward Him and His message. Jesus is our model. To follow His example will always lead to a resurrection.
Well said!
There are those who believe that self-inflicted suffering somehow increases the mercy and compassion available to humans from God – – as though Jesus’ suffering is somehow lacking. Instead, we should know that suffering – rightly done – simply increases OUR capacity to steward His infinite mercy and convey it to those who need a human example to believe in an invisible and transcendent God.