The Way of Suffering
My Cup Runneth Over • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 58:22
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· 26 viewsThis series is based on the 2025 Lenten season curriculum by Foundry Publishing, My Cup Runneth Over. This week we look at three points in CHRIST's journey to the cross that underscore the depth of HIS suffering for us.
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Greeting
IM on Friday
Bill, Shawna, & Todd
Announce text: Matthew 27:22-31
Key Text: Matthew 27:22-31
Review
First Sunday of Lent (Bill): The Call to Discipleship
We learned that what we long for matters. JESUS asked what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and yet lose his own soul?
The Call to Discipleship is a call to focus on what matters most - our relationship with JESUS.
It cannot be a casual relationship - it must be a fully-committed, all-in desire to know and be known by HIM.
Second Sunday of Lent: Preparation and Sacrifice
We focused on the sacrifice CHRIST made and how that serves as an example for us - that we should “be imitators of CHRIST.”
We also spent some time reflecting again on the tradition of Communion and what it means when we celebrate the sacrament together.
The bread & wine received with thanksgiving provide renewed life, salvation, and unity by faith in CHRIST.
Third Sunday of Lent: Prayer & Obedience
Prayer is an expression of our inability to meet the demands of life by ourselves.
Seeking a place of solitude, as JESUS did, frees us from distractions and allows us to more clearly hear the still, small voice.
JESUS surrendered to GOD’s plan, evening in the face of suffering, and we’re called to do the same.
As CHRIST followers, we’re called to pray through our struggles. We are not alone. HOLY SPIRIT provides comfort & strength to face what is before us.
Fourth Sunday of Lent: Facing Failure
Last week, we looked at three points of dynamic contrast between human weakness and GOD’s divine response.
Human Weakness & GOD’s Response
Foreseen Failure, Certain Love
JESUS knew of Peter’s impending failure
HE understood Peter’s weakness more than Peter did.
Yet, JESUS’ words weren’t meant as condemnation.
Rather, they were spoken from a place of compassion and love to prepare Peter for growth.
Human Weakness & GOD’s Response
Foreseen Failure, Certain Love
Flawed Confidence, True Strength
Peter’s actions on the night Jesus was betrayed are the epitome of human frailty.
Peter, who was always so quick to jump in, swore he wouldn’t fail Jesus—yet he failed mere hours after promising Jesus he wouldn’t.
Peter’s story is a reminder that even close followers of Jesus can fail. We’re not supposed to fail, but we’re frail, so we often do.
To combat our own frailty, we must continually seek God’s face and live into God’s presence. True strength comes from HIS Presence. When we pack our lives full of what God has to offer, there’s less room for temptation and sin to enter our lives.
Human Weakness & GOD’s Response
Foreseen Failure, Certain Love
Flawed Confidence, True Strength
Failure’s Realization, Grace’s Renewal
After Peter denied Jesus for the third time, the scripture tells us, “The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter.”
Peter didn’t only have to face the reality that he’d failed—he also had to look into the eyes of the One he failed.
Peter went and wept bitterly.
But that isn’t where Peter’s story ends. We know that Peter went on to become a great apostle.
Peter shows us that broken things can be repaired.
Failure doesn’t have to define us. We shouldn’t stay there.
We should mourn our failure, but in a way that doesn’t prevent us from going to God’s throne for forgiveness.
For example, Peter went and wept bitterly when he failed Jesus. Judas, on the other hand, went and hanged himself. Judas’s reaction to his failure didn’t leave space for reconciliation with his teacher.
Failure, even a major one, is an opportunity to learn and grow.
We can become more devoted followers of Jesus when we continue to seek God’s face, even when we’ve made grave mistakes.
Announce text again: Matthew 27:22-31
Scripture Reading
Scripture Reading
22 Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Crucify Him!”
23 And he said, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they kept shouting all the more, saying, “Crucify Him!”
24 When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this Man’s blood; see to that yourselves.”
25 And all the people said, “His blood shall be on us and on our children!”
26 Then he released Barabbas for them; but after having Jesus scourged, he handed Him over to be crucified.
27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole Roman cohort around Him.
28 They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him.
29 And after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand; and they knelt down before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
30 They spat on Him, and took the reed and began to beat Him on the head.
31 After they had mocked Him, they took the scarlet robe off Him and put His own garments back on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.
Prayer for added blessing to the reading of the Word
Message
Message
The next message in our series, My Cup Runneth Over, is titled, The Way of Suffering.
Introduction
Introduction
The Via Dolorosa (the “Way of Suffering” or “Way of Sorrows” in Latin) is a route that winds through Jerusalem and is believed to be the path Jesus traveled while carrying the cross to the place of his execution. Today we’re going to take a look at some of Jesus’s last hours. Though we often focus on the pain and humiliation that happened on the cross, it is important to acknowledge the significant amount of suffering Jesus endured on his way to the cross. Jesus’s suffering is a sober reminder of the high price paid for our forgiveness.
Today, we’re going to look at three points from our text regarding CHRIST’s journey to the cross that underscore the depth of HIS suffering.
Body
Body
CHRIST’s Journey to the Cross
The Crowds Turned against Jesus
Before we get much further with this point, I want us to turn back about 5 or 6 pages or so to chapter 21, beginning with verse 1. So, Matthew 21:1.
brief pause to turn to Scripture
Normally, we might read this text next week on Palm Sunday, but we won’t be doing that this Lent. However, it is important to review the text now to provide contrast for what we’re about to go over.
So, some of your Bible’s might have a heading here called, The Triumphal Entry.
summarize vv.1-7 & pick up reading at v.8 (slide deck start)
1 When they had approached Jerusalem and had come to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,
2 saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to Me.
3 “If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.”
4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
5 “Say to the daughter of Zion,
‘Behold your King is coming to you,
Gentle, and mounted on a donkey,
Even on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’ ”
6 The disciples went and did just as Jesus had instructed them,
7 and brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their coats on them; and He sat on the coats.
8 Most of the crowd spread their coats in the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them in the road.
9 The crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting,
“Hosanna to the Son of David;
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord;
Hosanna in the highest!”
10 When He had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, “Who is this?”
11 And the crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Now, contrast this with today’s text.
22 Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Crucify Him!”
23 And he said, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they kept shouting all the more, saying, “Crucify Him!”
The same people who flocked to see Jesus on Palm Sunday cried out asking officials to crucify him just a few days later. Jesus wasn’t executed by a few people while the masses passively looked on. The crowds all demanded his blood.
What happened in such a few short days?
How did a crowd go from treating JESUS as a King and praising HIM to demanding HIS death?
I think we can perhaps find a clue in the previous chapter.
59 Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus, so that they might put Him to death.
60 They did not find any, even though many false witnesses came forward. But later on two came forward,
61 and said, “This man stated, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to rebuild it in three days.’ ”
That, of course, was a lie.
18 The Jews then said to Him, “What sign do You show us as your authority for doing these things?”
19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
Pilate makes a feeble attempt to reason with the crowd. This is likely due to what his wife said to him just a few verses prior:
19 While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message, saying, “Have nothing to do with that righteous Man; for last night I suffered greatly in a dream because of Him.”
Isn’t it an interesting choice of words she uses?
righteous Man - she recognizes JESUS’ innocence and does not want her husband taking part in an act of injustice
I suffered greatly in a dream
dreams were common means of supernatural revelation at the time of this writing
they still are today
she doesn’t want to suffer any more
Pilate asks for evidence of the evil JESUS has committed.
Instead of acknowledging Pilate’s question and producing evidence, the mob gets angrier and threatening.
Pilate is about to lose control. Instead of a show of strength - the Romans dealt harshly with riots - Pilate shows weakness acquiescing to the crowds demands.
24 When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this Man’s blood; see to that yourselves.”
With the act of washing his hands, Pilate was signifying his absolution. He was declaring himself innocent.
The problem for Pilate is he is the governing authority.
So, he is responsible in part.
The people were so ravenous for blood, they took an extreme oath.
25 And all the people said, “His blood shall be on us and on our children!”
They shouted, “His blood is on us and our children!” (v. 25). This isn’t something they would say unless they were really sure that they had been wrong to laud Jesus earlier in the week, and that calling for his death was the truly right choice now (they changed their minds and decided he was a false and blasphemous messiah).
The Jewish leaders who have been in opposition to JESUS and orchestrated all of this are partly responsible for JESUS’ death.
Despite this rash statement, it does not amount to culpability for an entire nation or people group.
Although Pilate and the Jewish leaders issue the order for JESUS to be crucified, JESUS death was ultimately GOD’s decision to bring about salvation for humanity.
36 And He was saying, “Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will.”
CHRIST’s Journey to the Cross
The Crowds Turned against Jesus
Jesus Was Tortured
26 Then he released Barabbas for them; but after having Jesus scourged, he handed Him over to be crucified.
Jesus was flogged and handed over to be crucified. Before the physical pain of crucifixion, he endured the physical pain of being beaten and humiliated.
after having JESUS scourged - refers to being beaten with whips that were made with bits of bone, rock, and metal intended to cut and slice open the skin.
Not sure if you’re aware of this or not, but crucifixions were illegal for Roman citizens.
Like crucifixions, being scourged with these whips was a punishment reserved for non-Romans.
27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole Roman cohort around Him.
the Praetorium - the governor’s official residence
the whole Roman cohort - consisted of 600 - 1000 soldiers stationed in Jerusalem to provide extra security during the Passover festivities
The same cohort used to squash riots is now being used to partner with the mob in a violent crime of injustice on an innocent Man.
28 They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him.
29 And after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand; and they knelt down before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
The guards stripped him of his clothes and put scarlet robes on him. They twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They placed a staff in his hand. Then they gathered and bowed in mock worship with one clear goal: they wanted to humiliate Jesus and the Jewish people, making light of the claims that he was king of the Jews.
Look at the imagery and symbolism here. Keep this in mind because we will revisit this again in a few weeks when we pick back up our series on the Kingdom of GOD.
scarlet - color of royalty
crown of thorns - a mock crown for the perceived mock king
Then they spit on him, took his staff, and hit him over the head with it. They took off the mock royal garb and replaced it with his own clothing.
CHRIST’s Journey to the Cross
The Crowds Turned against Jesus
Jesus Was Tortured
Jesus Carried HIS (& Our) Shame
Then they dragged him out and forced him to carry his own cross to the place where they’d hang him.
30 They spat on Him, and took the reed and began to beat Him on the head.
31 After they had mocked Him, they took the scarlet robe off Him and put His own garments back on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.
17 They took Jesus, therefore, and He went out, bearing His own cross, to the place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha.
When we contemplate Jesus’s suffering, it’s important to remember that it was the price paid for our sin. We are able to be in right relationship with God because of that price. While that makes our path to God easier, we must remember there was nothing easy about the path Jesus walked.
Reflecting on the depth of Jesus’s suffering should remind us that sin is never to be celebrated but always mourned. Even small sins are no boasting matter.
When we contemplate Jesus’s suffering, we can also consider our own suffering and find comfort in serving a God who understands that suffering.
John Donne, a 17th century poet, experienced great pain. Because he married the daughter of a disapproving lord, he was fired from his job as assistant to the Lord Chancellor, yanked from his wife, and locked in a dungeon. (This is when he wrote that succinct line of despair, "John Donne/ Anne Donne/ Undone.") Later, he endured a long illness which sapped his strength almost to the point of death. In the midst of this illness, Donne wrote a series of devotions on suffering which rank among the most poignant meditations on the subject. In one of these, he considers a parallel: The sickness which keeps him in bed forces him to think about his spiritual condition. Suffering gets our attention; it forces us to look to God, when otherwise we would just as well ignored Him.
Adapted from Philip Yancey, Where is God When it Hurts?, p. 58.
When Jesus prayed in the garden before he was betrayed, he was strengthened for this very suffering that was to come.
43 Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him.
This wasn’t the first time. Remember what happened in the conclusion of his 40 days in the wilderness?
11 Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.
It’s why HE later addressed Peter after Peter cut off the ear of the slave of the high priest:
52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword.
53 “Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?
We should remember that when we are suffering, we can pray for help to sustain us during those hard times.
1 God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
13 Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises.
15 Call upon Me in the day of trouble;
I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me.”
3 On the day I called, You answered me;
You made me bold with strength in my soul.
Just as God provided Jesus with the strength to endure his suffering, we also find strength in God’s Spirit to face trials.
Someone asked C.S. Lewis, "Why do the righteous suffer?" "Why not?" he replied. "They're the only ones who can take it."
Unknown.
"Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.
Helen Keller quoted in: Barbara Rowes, The book of Quotes, Dutton.
So, pj … What’s the point?
Conclusion
Conclusion
There is a powerful and gut-wrenching scene in the Chronicles of Narnia movie The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. This movie is an allegory about Jesus’s sacrifice. When Aslan—the lion who is the Jesus figure in the film—stands trial and is killed in someone else’s place, the viewers can feel the intense emotion. Perhaps it’s because the filmmakers did an excellent job drawing out the ghoulish evil it would take to mock a strong lion that willingly offered himself up for execution. Or maybe it’s knowing that it isn’t just a movie but a retelling of the true story of our Savior’s death.
What good does it do for us to consider such grisly details? When we take time to truly consider Jesus’s suffering, we understand what a precious cost Jesus paid for us to have a right relationship with God. Sometimes we want to sugarcoat and sterilize it to make it easier to swallow. But Jesus’s death was anything but sugarcoated and sterilized. Seeing the reality of his suffering helps us emotionally connect with the immensity of what happened that day.
These events, though horrific, can also offer us comfort. When we go through suffering, we know we serve a God who has been there. We can find comfort this knowledge in the same way we do when we find someone who truly understands us.
Closing prayer & time of introspection
Let us examine ourselves as we prepare for the LORD’s Supper.
Call ushers forward for communion
Luke 22:19 “19 And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.””
Luke 22:20 “20 And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.”
Benediction
24 The Lord bless you, and keep you;
25 The Lord make His face shine on you,
And be gracious to you;
26 The Lord lift up His countenance on you,
And give you peace.’
Scripture records the following words in v.27:
27 “So they shall invoke My name on the sons of Israel, and I then will bless them.”
So, receive and go with the blessings of YAHWEH!
