Suffered

He suffered in every limb, muscle, and tendon of His body. The thorns of His crown were encrimsoned; His pallid face was worn by watching and sorrow; the old purple garment, brought from some press in the guards’-room, and flung around His shoulders in mockery, was saturated in blood from the wounds which were deeply scored upon His back. The victim was often known to fall fainting or dying beneath the blows of the heavy thong loaded with lead. Thus He suffered under Pontius Pilate in every part of His physical nature.:

He was suffering Joneliness. His delight had always been with the sons of men. He had never been so happy as when the publicans and sinners drew near, women ministered to Him, and children clustered to His knee. He sought the companionship of His friends in the house of mourning, on the Mount of Transfiguration, and in the Garden of His anguish. But there was no one with Him now. Lover and friend stood apart. His

disciples had forsaken Him. No one understood, 69 except perhaps Mary of Bethany, and she only to a limited extent, the sublime purpose and programme which He came to realise. As He looked round on that sea of upturned faces, there was no one that looked back to Him with the kindling glance with which spirit recognises spirit.

He was suffering alone because so absolutely misunderstood. No one ever came towards His fellows with heart so big and overflowing with desire to bless, as when He stepped out of the Infinite, desiring at any cost to Himself to make the earth smile like Eden on the morning of Creation. He would not have reckoned the pain, but have cheerfully given tears, sweat of blood, and death-agony, if only those for whom He expended Himself had understood. We reck not the cost of pain if only those for whom we suffer gave us credit for the nobility of our purpose, but the bitterest ingredient in our Lord’s cup was that He came to His own, and His own received Him not, His aims and purposes were misunderstood. He was called a liar, and a ring-leader of sedition; subjected to slander and hate.

He suffered keenly also as a patriot. With prophetic vision He beheld the lowering clouds gathering over the doomed city, and the eagles circling in the air, until the carcase was ready.

Phe cry of the mothers of Jerusalem was even now ringing in His ear, as they beheld their children flung from spear to spear by the Roman seldiery. He could see the dread circle of crosses environing the city walls, until there was no more weed to make them — each cross bearing its sufferer. To anticipate such a fate for the city of David, the joy of the whole earth, consecrated by holy memories from the days of Abraham, plunged a sword into His aie: eae pierced it to the quick: =e ee Creo eee ‘; But, especially He suffered as the Sota The sins of all the world were made to meet in Him, as if from every heart, confluent streams of guilt poured their black tides into His heart. He stood for the race. He bore our sins in His own body on the tree. As the Lamb of God He was bearing the sins of the world. “He was once offered to bear the sin of many.” ‘“Surely He hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. ... He was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him;. and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to His own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”

His suffering unto death was not incidental to His career, but His main purpose and aim. Others die because they were born; He was born that He might die. He was the Lamb slain from all eternity in the purpose of the Father, and it was necessary that He should realise that purpose in experience and fact, learning obedience by the things that He suffered, becoming a merciful and faithful High Priest that He might succour those who suffer being tempted, and that by His suffering unto death He might present a perfect oblation, sacrifice and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world. We may not understand the philosophy of this great fact which lies at the root of God’s dealings with our race, and perhaps with the universe, but we may bind the comfort of it to our hearts as we say, “‘ He suffered the just for the unjust and to bring us to God.”