The Apostles Creed: Suffered Under Pontius Pilate

For those whose eyes the Spirit of God has not opened, the death of Jesus amounts to nothing less than a brute fact of History.

For those however who have placed their faith in Christ and experienced the power of the resurrection, the death of Jesus stands as a paradox, at the same time the most tragic and the most glorious truth imaginable.

Jesus came as the Servant who suffered and died in our place for our sins.

The Apostles Creed enshrines this truth in its affirmation that Jesus “suffered under Pontius Pilate”.

Yet how could affirming that Jesus suffered under Pontius Pilate amount to a fundamental truth upon which the church must stand?

What is essential about the suffering of Christ?

Substitutionary Suffering

Paul instructed Christians to “boast” in the cross of Christ: Gal 6:14

Galatians 6:14 ESV

14 But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Christians often forget that Jesus did not merely die for us.

He also suffered for us.

Isaiah 52-53 prophesied the suffering Servant who would come and rescue God’s people.

In Isaiah 52-53 the prophet reveals 5 key components of the suffering Servant.

The Promise

The prophecy on the suffering Servant begins with a promise in Isaiah 52:13

Isaiah 52:13 ESV

13 Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted.

The entire mission of the suffering Servant begins with a promise direct from God himself.

Because of Gods promise, the work of the suffering Servant will accomplish its purpose.

He promises a Servant who will save, and he promises the prosperity of His Servant’s work.

As such the affirmation of “suffered under Pontius Pilate” finds its very roots in the promise of Isaiah 52:13.

Christians know the realization of the promise of God through Jesus’ suffering.

The prosperity of his Servant came through his suffering as he atoned for the people of God with his very blood.

The Mission

“Suffered under Pontius Pilate” enshrines the mission of Jesus’ incarnation. Isaiah 53:4-6

Isaiah 53:4–6 ESV

4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

The suffering Servant comes to bear grief, carry sorrows, and stand afflicted among man and God.

The mission of Jesus’ life pointed to the cross.

His incarnation took place so that He might hang on the cross and suffer on his path there.

2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV

21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

This verse encapsulates the mission of the suffering Servant.

His suffering for his people points to the very purpose of His incarnation.

His Innocence

The innocence of the suffering Servant remains central to Isaiah’s prophecy and the entirety of the gospel message.

Isaiah 53:7 ESV

7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.

Throughout this horrific episode Jesus, the perfect Son of God, who could have called down a legion of angels, remained silent.

He came to die as the spotless, silent lamb, allowing hands that He had spoken into existence to crucify Him on a sinners cross.

The Innocence, however remains crucial to the gospel and to the confession of the Apostles Creed.

The Servants innocence endowed his sacrifice with its perfect cleansing power for sin.

His innocence accomplished the effectual power of the gospel’s ability to save sinners.

His Sacrifice

The language he used reveals the intensity and depth of the Servants suffering.

Isaiah 53:10 ESV

10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

The culmination of this prophecy came through the Father who willed to crush his eternal Son.

The Son did not devise his own plan for salvation. He came to do the will of the Father.

The author of Hebrews reflected on the nature of Jesus sacrifice and its superiority to the old covenant: Heb 9:11-12

Hebrews 9:11–12 ESV

11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.

The Vindication

Finally the immeasurable sufferings of the Servant culminate in His promised vindication.

Isaiah reveals the purpose of the suffering and displays in resplendent glory what the servant accomplished through his agony.

All the longings of redemptive history, all the groans of the creation subjected to sin find their rest and hope in the sufferings of Jesus Christ. He paid it all.

What did the Christ Suffer?

The suffering of Jesus constitutes an actual historical event that occurred in a certain place and time as revealed in Scripture.

The Creed highlights the significance of Christ’s suffering. But what did Christ suffer?

Bodily Suffering

Contemporary Christians often fail to consider the physical sufferings of Jesus.

The Bible allows Christians to think of the God-man as suffering in His body.

Jesus suffered many things physically.

The Bible reveals suffering in the following ways.

Jesus experienced hunger (Mark 11:12)

Jesus experienced thirst (John 4:7)

Jesus felt weariness (John 4:6)

Jesus needed to sleep (Mark 4:38)

That Jesus experienced suffering as fully human only magnifies the glory of His intentionality and obedience to suffer and fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah.

Spiritual Suffering

In addition to the physical suffering that Jesus endured for Gods people, He also suffered as a curse under the wrath of God in our place.

In becoming the curse Jesus experienced the fullness of Gods wrath and judgment for the sin of mankind.

God poured on Christ the eternal punishment due for each and every sin committed by His people.

Through His suffering He accomplished salvation. He, furthermore, endured the punishment for sin who all deserve yet none who have faith in Him will ever experience.