The Suffering King

Introduction

“How could a good God allow human suffering?”

Anybody ever asked you that? It’s one of those questions that usually comes from people who doubt or even deny the existence of God.

“If God is good, and if God is all powerful, why would He allow good people to suffer?” Usually what they mean is “Why would God allow ME to suffer.” I had someone tell me that one time. “I prayed and prayed for God to heal my mom, but it seemed like the harder I prayed the MORE she suffered. It was like God was punishing her for my prayers. And in the end, she just died. How could a good God allow that?”

And there aren’t easy answers to questions like that, are there? Though that doesn’t stop us from offering them. Last year, when the fires ravaged Los Angeles, you had some people carrying on about God punishing all the “godless liberalism” coming out of Hollywood. I found it interesting that they didn’t draw the same conclusions when hurricanes devastated North Carolina and East Tennessee.

How do you explain it when people suffer who, from your perspective, don’t deserve it? When people suffer, is it because they’re guilty of certain sin, sin that is worse than your own? Or is it because God, if He exists, is just up there watching, just twiddling His divine thumbs and watching us suffer until we die.

As Christians, the way we think about human suffering matters. Of course, nobody wants to suffer. Nobody wants to experience pain and sorrow and heartache. But we shouldn’t avoid suffering either, especially if it’s suffering for the Kingdom. In other words, suffering should never keep us from doing what God wants us to do for Him!

Because that’s another way that Christians often think of suffering. It becomes like a trump card in the way they understand what God’s will is for their lives. They say things like this:

“God would never call me to do that. Something bad might happen.”

“God would never call me to share my faith with my boss. He could make my life miserable.”

“God would never call me to give to that ministry or that needy family or that missionary. If I were to give that much, I’d have to give something up!”

“God would never call me to go on that mission trip to the inner city or to that foreign country. Something bad might happen!”

Or, perhaps more appropriately, “God would never call my child to go on that mission trip to that foreign country, or, much less, move to that foreign country to share the gospel with people who have never heard it. God would never do that, because, after all, something bad might happen, and I don’t think I could handle it. I don’t think I could handle that much…suffering.”

Don’t misunderstand me. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to avoid suffering. Nobody here wants to suffer. Nobody here wants to sacrifice painfully, but, friends, our fear of suffering should never define what God does and doesn’t want us to do with our lives.

Because, the fact is, God may call us to suffer. God may call you to suffer. Because, after all, God DID suffer.

In our passage this morning, Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane, and He is suffering. Truth is, He is suffering in more ways than you or I will likely EVER suffer. And the fact that Jesus suffered tells us something about our own suffering.

First, it tells us that God is NOT up there in heaven twiddling His thumbs while we destroy ourselves down here. God is not ambivalent to our suffering, because He sent His own Son right into the middle of it.

It also disproves that idea that some people suffer because they deserve it more than others. I mean, Jesus deserved to suffer LESS than the rest of us, so by that logic, if anyone should have gotten a pass from suffering, it would have been Him.

And third, it shows us that suffering is certainly NOT a sign that we’re out of God’s will. Jesus walked in perfect obedience to the Father every moment of His life, and in the end He was obedient right into the most difficult suffering imaginable.

And it’s that suffering that I want us to think about this morning as we look together at this last part of Luke chapter 22, because I really believe that the more we consider His suffering, the more it helps to put our suffering in perspective. We’re going to look at verses 32 through the end of the chapter, but before we dig into verses 32 through 38, I want us to look in greater detail at exactly what Jesus went through in those moments leading up to His trial and crucifixion.

Look with me at verse 39:

Luke 22:39–42 NASB 2020

And He came out and went, as was His habit, to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples also followed Him. Now when He arrived at the place, He said to them, “Pray that you do not come into temptation.” And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.”

“Remove this cup from me.” What “cup” was Jesus talking about? Very simply, it was the “cup” of God’s wrath, the ultimate cup of suffering, the suffering that WE deserved, no Him.

So, that’s what I want us to consider first. It’s what Luke wants us to see here in chapter 22, the fact that…

King Jesus endured the full cup of our suffering.

How did He suffer? Look with me at verse 43:

Luke 22:43–44 NASB 2020

Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. And being in agony, He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.

Luke tells us that Jesus was in agony, such emotional pain and agony that His sweat poured out of Him like blood. Other passages indicate that His pores actually released blood, He was in such physical and emotional stress.

So, that’s one way that Jesus endured the fullness of our suffering…

He suffered the overwhelming anxiety of the garden.

Anxiety that, no matter how anxious you tend to be, you can’t imagine. Maybe you’re thinking, “Why does that matter?” It matters, because no matter how anxious you get, you can know that God gets it. No matter how burdened you get over the future, you can know that God understands it. No matter how many nights you lay awake unable to sleep, wracked with guilt because you know that you shouldn’t worry but you just can’t help it…you can hear the loving voice of your Savior breathing into your frantic heart, “It’s okay. I get it. I’ve been there.”

Because Jesus suffered overwhelming anxiety, you don’t have to.

But that’s not all. Pick up in verse 45:

Luke 22:45–48 NASB 2020

When He rose from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them sleeping from sorrow, and He said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you do not come into temptation.” While He was still speaking, behold, a crowd came, and the one called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading the way for them; and he approached Jesus to kiss Him. But Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”

First, we see the gross insensitivity of the guys closest to Him. He’s just a few yards from them overwhelmed with anxiety, sweating drops of blood, and instead of joining Him in prayer, they’re sleeping. They had just been arguing with each other about who was the greatest, about who was closest to Jesus. Peter had arrogantly bragged that he would never leave Jesus.

Now, in His darkest, most difficult moment, they’re sleeping. And at that moment, that moment of disappointment, that moment of realizing that He really was alone in what He was about to do, the mob comes, led by His friend, Judas, who greeted Him with a mocking kiss.

I talked about this last week. Judas really wasn’t that different than the rest of the disciples. He was the money guy, and certainly he had a materialistic bent, but the other disciples had no reason to think that go so far as to betray the One that they’d all left everything to follow.

But He did, and that’s another aspect of the cup of suffering Jesus endured for us. He suffered the overwhelming anxiety of the garden, and…

He suffered the gut-wrenching betrayal of one of His own.

Remember that the next time you are betrayed. If you’ve experienced it, you know it. Few things are more emotionally painful than the betrayal of someone close to you. Whether it’s the infidelity of a spouse, a child lying about you, falsely accusing you of something you haven’t done, a close friend publicly shaming you, posting embarrassing details about you in a public forum, that kind of betrayal can change you, make you cynical and bitter.

Until you remember that you are not alone in it. Whatever betrayal you experience, your God has experienced it with you.

The anxiety of the garden, the betrayal of one of His own, and third…

He suffered the hurtful rejection of a friend.

Verses 54-62, which we read earlier, give us the details of Peter’s denial, Peter who swore and promised that he would never leave the Lord’s side. John tells us that it was Peter who drew his sword and cut off the ear of Malchus, the slave of the high priest. We can assume that Peter wasn’t going for his ear. He was aiming for his head, but remember that Peter was a fisherman, not a swordsman.

But Jesus, instead of saying “Thank you,” corrects Peter! And not only that, He heals the guy arresting Him, lets Himself be arrested.

Peter didn’t have a category for this kind of Messiah. He thought the Messiah’s job was to fix their problems, to overthrow their oppression. He didn’t understand the scriptures enough to see that first the Messiah had to suffer.

So, in His doubt and confusion, when pressed, he denied having any kind of relationship with Jesus—not once, not twice, but three times, just as Jesus said.

Remember, Peter wasn’t just one of the disciples. He was the leader, one of three guys in the inner circle. Only John could claim to be closer to Jesus than Peter. But now, even he has left Him.

Think about that the next time someone leaves you, denies the influence you’ve had on them. Think about that the next time a friend stops talking to you, and makes you feel incredibly alone. Think about the loneliness Jesus must have felt in that moment when the rooster crowed.

Look at verse 63:

Luke 22:63–65 NASB 2020

The men who were holding Jesus in custody began mocking Him and beating Him, and they blindfolded Him and repeatedly asked Him, saying, “Prophesy, who is the one who hit You?” And they were saying many other things against Him, blaspheming.

Overwhelming anxiety, gut-wrenching betrayal, hurtful denial, and fourth…

He suffered the public humiliation of the guards.

Of course, this was just the beginning of His humiliation Jesus experienced on His way to the cross. There was so, so much more that we’ll read about next week. But if you’ve ever been bullied, you’re not alone. If anyone has ever made a game of hurting you, you are not alone. If you’ve ever experienced humiliation or embarrassment of any kind, you can be confident that, whatever it is, it pales in comparison to the humiliation Jesus experienced for you.

Look at the last few verses of this chapter, starting in verse 66:

Luke 22:66–71 NASB 2020

When it was day, the Council of elders of the people assembled, both chief priests and scribes, and they led Him away to their council chamber, saying, “If You are the Christ, tell us.” But He said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe; and if I ask a question, you will not answer. But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” And they all said, “So You are the Son of God?” And He said to them, “You say correctly that I am.” And then they said, “What further need do we have of testimony? For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth!”

Notice how stubbornly and illogically they refused to believe that Jesus was the Messiah. They had seen the signs. They should have known the scriptures, but they were too deep in their sin, too caught up in their pride to believe. And the really sad part, the part that had to be incredibly painful for Jesus, is that their unbelief represented the official position of the very people He came to save.

And that’s one final way that we see the suffering of Jesus in this chapter. The anxiety of the garden, the betrayal of one of His own, the rejection of a friend, the humiliation of the guards, and fifth…

He suffered the stubborn rejection of His people.

It’s one kind of pain to be rejected by someone close to you due to a misunderstanding. That was the situation with Peter. He just didn’t get what Jesus was about. He didn’t understand why He came.

But this Jewish leadership should have understood. They had the scriptures. They knew what the prophets wrote about the Messiah being a suffering servant. But they pushed that knowledge aside to further their own agenda.

There may be times in your life when, because of your faith, you find yourself rejected, not just by individuals close to you, but by entire communities of people, people who know you, people who watched you grow up. If you find yourself there, don’t think that you are alone, because your God, your Savior experienced it even more.

And that brings us back to that part of our passage that we skipped earlier, verses 35-38. For context, this is still at the Last Supper. Jesus has just told Peter that before the rooster crows he will have denied Jesus three times, and now He’s warning the rest of them what is to come. Take a look:

Luke 22:35–38 NASB 2020

And He said to them, “When I sent you out without money belt and bag and sandals, you did not lack anything, did you?” They said, “No, nothing.” And He said to them, “But now, whoever has a money belt is to take it along, likewise also a bag, and whoever has no sword is to sell his cloak and buy one. For I tell you that this which is written must be fulfilled in Me: ‘and he was counted with wrongdoers’; for that which refers to Me has its fulfillment.” They said, “Lord, look, here are two swords.” And He said to them, “It is enough.”

Again, this is still at the table. According to the other gospels, Judas has left the building, but this is before His betrayal, denial and arrest. And what Jesus is doing here is He’s trying to prepare them one last time for what’s to come.

He reminds them of the previous times that He sent them out on mission. In those instances, they didn’t take anything with them. But here, Jesus tells them that they should get their money together, pack their luggage, buy a sword if they don’t have one, because the days that are coming will not be easy.

Jesus tells them straight out what will happen. He quotes Isaiah chapter 53, verse 12, which reads…

Isaiah 53:12 NASB 2020

Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the plunder with the strong, Because He poured out His life unto death, And was counted with wrongdoers; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the wrongdoers.

And He tells His guys, “What Isaiah is saying here is about to happen. It’s about to be fulfilled in me!”

But the guys, bless them, they don’t get it. Jesus just told them that He was about to be falsely accused and killed for the sins of many, but they’re like, “Um, we have a couple of swords here. ” I can just picture Jesus rolling His eyes, shaking His with a sigh, “It is enough.”

The point Jesus was making, the point the disciples completely missed, is that suffering, for those who follow the Suffering Servant, is a part of life. Life would not be easy, simply because they chose to follow Jesus.. They would need supplies and a means of protection going forward, because Jesus would not be there with them in person to look out for them.

And that’s the other big fact that I want us to take home today. Yes, King Jesus did endure the full cup of suffering for us, but also…

Because He suffered, His people should be prepared to suffer with Him.

In one of my favorite books, What’s So Amazing about Grace, Philip Yancey told a true story about a woman who was getting married and, with her fiancé, planned this huge wedding banquet. It was going to be held at the Hyatt Hotel in Boston, and it was going to be just top notch, very extravagant.

After everything had been planned and paid for, at the last minute the groom got cold feet. When she tried to cancel the venue, she couldn’t get her money back, since the food had already been bought.

So, she decided to go ahead with the party. Years before, she had gone though a difficult time and had lived in a homeless shelter. Obviously, she was doing better now, but still she wanted to invite people who were down on their luck.

And that she did. She sent invitations to all the homeless shelters and rescue missions, and they had a party like you’ve never seen. For the dinner, they served boneless chicken—in honor of the groom. Homeless people, who were used to peeling half-eaten stale pizza off of cardboard boxes were served an elegant meal on fine china, serenaded by a live band (Philip Yancey, What’s So Amazing about Grace (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1997), 48-49.)

That is good picture of the church and the kingdom of God. We should expect suffering and we should prepare for it. And as we walk through it, we should remember that we’re not alone in it. Because the Son of God, our King, suffered with us.

As His people, we shouldn’t fear suffering. We shouldn’t avoid suffering at all cost. No, instead we should use our suffering.

Because out of our suffering come opportunities to bless other.

Phillips Brooks says, “Do not pray for easy lives; pray to be stronger people! Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers; pray for powers equal to your tasks. Then doing good in your world shall be no miracle, but you shall be a miracle. Everyday you shall wonder at yourself, at the richness of life which has come to you by the grace of God.”

When it comes to the painful thorns of this life, Jesus was our example. On the cross, Jesus wore a crown of thorns. He bore our thorns on himself for us. He made himself weak enough to suffer and die so that His power could be made perfect in us.

Do you want to know that power? Don’t allow pain to be the trump card that dictates God’s plan for your life. Do whatever God asks you to do, regardless of the cost, and if suffering comes your way along the path of obedience, leverage it for God’s glory and your good.

I wonder, is there anything in your life that you are avoiding because of the potential for suffering?

Is there anything that God is calling you to do, where you’ve said, “Oh, no, God. You can’t be calling me to do that. Somebody might get hurt, and it might be me!”

Or maybe you’ve never considered the fact that God might call you to do something dangerous.

Maybe it’s time to expand your boundaries. Maybe it’s time look around you. Maybe it’s time to listen again for God’s voice.

This time, with no reservations, submitted in complete obedience, praying, and meaning it…

“Wherever you lead, I’ll go.”

Even if it means embarrassment. Even if it means hardship. Even if it means pain and suffering.

Because my King suffered for me, and my King suffered with me.

Do you know this King? Do you know this God who came to earth and suffered with us? If not, you can know Him today. Because, if you know the story, you know it ends. Jesus suffered all the way to death on a cross. But He didn’t stay on that cross. He didn’t stay in the borrowed tomb they put Him in. After three days, King Jesus the Son of God rose from the dead.

And today, He’s inviting you to find life in Him.