Thursday
Thursday
The Sufferings of the Christ
He [Jesus] said to them, “… Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?”
Luke 24:25–26
Why did Matthew in particular lay such stress on the sufferings of Jesus? That he should emphasize the cross is understandable, for Christ died for our sins, and his cross is the heart of the gospel. But why the emphasis on his passion, that is, on his sufferings?
Firstly, suffering identified Jesus as the true Messiah. He had plainly taught that the Son of Man must suffer many things and enter his glory through suffering. So, since the distinctive of Matthew’s Gospel is to portray Jesus as the fulfillment of the Old Testament, he draws attention to it in the passion story. Was Jesus betrayed and deserted by his friends? It was in fulfillment of Psalm 41:9: “Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.” Was he painfully oppressed and repudiated? It was in fulfillment of Isaiah 53:3: “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.” Did he maintain a dignified silence before his judges? It was in fulfillment of Isaiah 53:7: “He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.” Was he flogged, punched, slapped, and spat on? It was in fulfillment of Isaiah 50:6: “I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting.” All these, Matthew implies, were signs of the true Messiah, the suffering servant of the Lord.
Secondly, suffering also identifies the messianic community. For example, the eighth beatitude recorded by Matthew declares persecution to be a necessary characteristic of the Messiah’s followers. This is still true today. According to Paul Marshall, in his well-documented book Their Blood Cries Out, there are between 200 and 250 million Christians being persecuted for their faith today, and a further 400 million living under serious restrictions of religious liberty. Thus suffering is the badge of both the Messiah and his disciples.
For further reading: 1 Peter 2:13–25