‎"Have you not know? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even though the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:28-31

"The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, than the mighty waves of the sea." Psalm 93:4

"Great is our Lord and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite." Psalm 147:5

Have you ever had one of those moments while reading the Bible where a passage that you have read a million times suddenly hits you a new way? It is one of my favorite things about the Bible- it never changes, but as YOU change, you understand it in new and different ways.
I had one of those moments yesterday. I use a Bible reading plan called  the Amazing Facts Bible Reading Plan- each day I read from 4 different parts of the Bible- OT, Psalms/Proverbs/etc, the Gospels, and the NT. The great thing about this plan is that it helps me to see how cohesive the Bible is in its entirety. I read the very first verse on this post (Is. 40:28-31) first, and then moved on to Luke. I am nearing the end, as Jesus is being prepared to be crucified.
The part that hit me was in verse Luke 23:26. "Now as they led Him away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus." I've read it a million times, and usually just read OVER it. Right below it on the page, a footnote caught my attention. "Too weak from the beating to carry His cross all the way to the execution site, Jesus was helped by a passerby."
Suddenly a few things clicked for me- and I don't think I would have been able to see it without reading the OT passage first.
(Some history: Crucifixion was not only painful, but humiliating as well, for criminals sentenced to death. Part of that humiliation was that they had to carry their own cross to the site of execution, before crowds of people watching. The cross is large and heavy, cumbersome to carry, and- when you have already suffered beatings and lashings, extremely difficult as well. Jesus was so weak from his beatings that He was literally too weak to carry His cross.)

First of all, Jesus and God are the same- Jesus is God in the flesh ("I and the Father are one." John 10:30). God became man, with man's weakness and vulnerability, man's ability to feel physical pain and discomfort, for the specific purpose of becoming the ultimate sacrifice to atone for the sins for the people He loved so much. ("Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." Phil. 2:5-8) The purpose, from the beginning to the end of the Bible, was the cross and redemption for all who believe. What struck me new, though, was this juxtaposition of God- who is mighty and all-powerful, who never grows faint or weary- and Jesus, who was so weak that He could not carry His own cross. Think about it for a minute.

God- who has EVERYTHING, who is mighty and high- left His throne to become a man, with man's weakness. He CHOSE to do that. He certainly didn't have to! I know that if I had the choice between comfort and pain, I would choose comfort every time. He CHOSE to suffer exceedingly, though He knew from the beginning of the world that that was the goal, for His people, His creation. He chose to physically die an excruciating and humiliating death because it was the only way.

The enormity of this sacrifice struck me for a couple of different reasons. One of these reasons is just what I wrote above. Another is this: it is easy to forget sometimes that God has been where we are. Sometimes He can seem so very far removed from what we are going through, as He is high and mighty and perfect- He does not have our struggles, He does not have our pain- there is no pain in heaven, nor are there tears, nor is there strife. ("And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." Rev. 21:4)
 Sure, He is God, but how could He really KNOW what we are going through?
Because He has experienced it.
He has been through it.
Not only has He been through it, He chose to go through it. Not only did He choose to go through it, but what He went through is so much worse than anything that most of us will ever have to deal with in our lives. Our struggles are NOTHING compared to what He did and had done to Him.
Doesn't that blow you away? It does me!

Because of His sacrifice, God- in His infinite wisdom, in His mercy, and in His human experience- is uniquely able to understand EXACTLY what we suffer. ("For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin." Hebrews 4:15) ("For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted." Hebrews 2:18) To see our hearts and not only know that we are hurting, but to understand that hurt- and in His infinite love for us and His mercy, to offer relief or peace. Simon was able to offer physical relief to Jesus for a bit, but only God can offer true peace in the midst of extreme and painful circumstances. ("Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." 2 Cor. 1:3-4)

I think that this story is the perfect example of what this verse means: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Cor. 12:9. God's power to save and to heal, to bring peace and redemption, was made perfect and complete in Jesus's weakness and death. There really was no other way.
("Therefore in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people." Hebrews 2:17)
 


Comments

Sue

Fri, 03 Dec 2010 12:33:24

Thanks for sharing this with us. I am going to share this with my daughter, who is going through a rough time right now. I believe she will be blessed by your words.

 

Audrey

Sat, 04 Dec 2010 10:21:15

God has gifted you with a most eloquent way of sharing His message. You bring up an excellent point in that the whole Bible is relevant and necessary. I have been trying to get this point across to my brother-In-law who has a heart for the Lord but lives by the Law(old testament). In doing this he feels doomed and without hope. I share with him that through Jesus Christ the OT has been fulfilled and yet he continues to beat himself up over past sins.
I'm going to get him the guide you mentioned in your post in hope that he will gain a new perspective. Thank You!

 



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