Was all that Jesus suffered necessary?
(Isaiah 53:1-6; Matthew 27:51-52; Luke 2:1-7, 22-35; 22:41-44; Romans 6:23; Titus 1:2) Blog 18-24 Sep. 2022
Prepared by Richard A. Marin: Present Truth PO Box 700, Fallbrook CA 92088-0700 USA
REVIEW: Submission, humility patience, meekness, rejoicing, faith, hope, and perseverance characterize how Christians suffer. They know that their affliction is but for a moment and that a far more exceeding glory awaits them. They praise God before being delivered and appreciate his tender care during their trials. When they are tried, they will come forth with increased faith, perfected characters, and a closer bond to Jesus.
Childhood and Youth
1. What prenatal stress did Jesus experience? In Mary’s womb Jesus experienced a journey to Bethlehem & rejection by all Joseph & Mary’s family there, leaving him to be born in a cattle stall (Luke 2:1-7).
2. What did Simeon tell Mary about the baby Jesus when she brought him to the temple? Simeon told Mary that Jesus was appointed for the lifting up & putting down of many among God’s people, & that her own heart would be broken because of him (Luke 2:34-35).
3. While submissive to his parents, how did Jesus learn obedience? Jesus learned obedience at his mother’s knee & by the things that he suffered in life (John 7:15; Heb. 2:10; 5:8).
4. In what kind of town did Jesus grow up and work in Joseph’s carpenter shop? Jesus grew up in Nazareth which was known for its wickedness (John 1:46).
5. At what age did Jesus leave Nazareth and be baptized? Jesus left Nazareth & was baptized when he was about thirty years old (Luke 3:21-23).
6. Upon being baptized what stressful crisis did Jesus next face? After Jesus was baptized, he was led into the wilderness where he fasted forty days & was tempted by the devil (Luke 4:1-2).
7. How does the Prophet Isaiah describe Jesus’ early years? Isaiah says that Jesus was like “a root out of dry ground” for he had no physical beauty & he was “despised & rejected of men; a man of sorrows & acquainted with grief” (Isa. 53:2-3).
Years of Ministry
8. As Jesus began his ministry at his home church in Nazareth, what crisis arose? After listening to Jesus teach from the book of Isaiah, his hearers were filled with wrath & drug him out of town, intending to kill him (Luke 4:28-30).
9. Who continually followed Jesus during his ministry, trying to contradict what he said and turn his hearers away? The scribes & Pharisees continually followed Jesus, trying to undo his ministry (Luke 5:21; 6:7; 11:53-54; 15:2).
10. In John 8, who took up stones to stone Jesus? The Jews took up stones to cast at Jesus after their discussion about parentage (John 8:59).
11. In John 10, who took up stones to cast at Jesus? The Jews took up stones to stone Jesus when he taught them about the true shepherd (John 10:31).
12. Whose power did the Pharisees say that Jesus used to cast out devils? The Pharisees said that Jesus used the power of Beelzebub, the prince of the devils to cast out devils (Matt. 12:22-24).
The Ultimate Suffering
13. How did Jesus express his feelings as he left the upper room on the night of his betrayal? Jesus said? “My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death (Mark 14:34).
14. Although Jesus had done nothing wrong, what burden did he bear in the Garden of Gethsemane? Jesus bore the burden of the sins of the whole world as he entered Gethsemane (Isa. 53:6, 12; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 2:24).
15. What indication do we have of the intensity of Jesus’ sufferings in Gethsemane? We get a glimpse of the intensity of Jesus’ suffering in Gethsemane from the fact that in his perfect humanness he prayed three times that the cup of God’s wrath might pass from him & from his sweat that fell like drops of blood (Matt. 26:38-44; Luke 22:41-44).
16. When the mob came to arrest Jesus, which of his disciples did not forsake him? All his disciples forsook him & fled (Matt. 26:56).
17. How was Jesus treated in trial before Annas, Caiaphas, Pilate, and Herod? False witnesses testified against Jesus, people & soldiers spit on & hit him, pulling out his beard, scourging him, mocking him & driving a crown of thorns into his head (Isa. 50:6; Matt. 26:61-67; 27:26-31).
18. Besides the nails and jarring, what was Jesus’ greatest pain on the cross? On the cross, Jesus suffered hell for every human being: that is the torment of a guilty conscience & complete separation from the God of love (Matt. 27:46; Acts 2:30-31; Heb. 2:9).
19. Was all that Jesus suffered in life, ministry, Gethsemane, and crucifixion necessary that we might be saved? Yes, Jesus told his disciples that all this suffering was necessary (Mark 8:31; Luke 24:25-26).
20. What should we realize when considering all that Jesus suffered in life, ministry, Gethsemane, and crucifixion? We should realize that our light afflictions are nothing compared to what Jesus endured for us (2 Cor. 4:17; 1 Pet. 3:18).