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The Sufferings Christ Endured

Part 2

by Samuel E. Ward

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Introduction

The Sufferings Christ Endured

To this point have noted four of seven we will study:

I. Jesus Experienced RejectionII. Jesus Experienced RidiculeIII. Jesus Experienced Attacks from His Enemies IV. Jesus Experienced the Betrayal of a Friend

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V. Jesus Experienced Abandonment by His Disciples and Closest Friends.

A. Some of Jesus’ Teachings Were Hard for Some to Swallow and Caused Some to Depart from Him.

1. Some were offended by Christ’s teaching that those who would have eternal life must in some way “eat” Christ’s “flesh” and “drink” His “blood.”

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(John 6:53-60 NIV) Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. {54} Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. {55} For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. {56} Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. {57} Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me.

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{58} This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever." {59} He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. {60} On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?"

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2. Some did not listen with the intent to understand and therefore did not pursue the meaning of Christ’s teachings. For this reason the meaning was lost to them.

a. The teaching was hidden to some because their hearts had been hardened against the truth they already possessed.

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(Mat 13:10-16 NIV) The disciples came to him and asked, "Why do you speak to the people in parables?" {11} He replied, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. {12} Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. {13} This is why I speak to them in parables: "Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.

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{14} In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: "'You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. {15} For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.' {16} But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.

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b. The teaching was hidden to some so that a “weeding out” might take place of insincere disciples from the true ones.

(John 6:61-66 NIV) Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you? {62} What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! {63} The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.

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{64} Yet there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. {65} He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him." {66} From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

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c. Those who pursued the meaning of Christ’s teachings were blessed with the deeper truth.

(John 6:67-69 NIV) "You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve. {68} Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. {69} We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."

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3. But even those closest to Him would desert Him during His most crucial time.

(Mat 26:55-56 NIV) At that time Jesus said to the crowd, "Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I sat in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest me. {56} But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled." Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.

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Do feelings of abandonment have to defeat us? No! Take these as examples of those who endured the abandonment of their family, their nation, and their closest friends and God brought about good.

Joseph would not have saved his family from starvation.David would not have established the eternal throne upon which Christ will one day sit.Jesus would not have atoned for our sins and death would not have been abolished.

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B. All of God’s Promises to Believers of All Ages Are That They Will Never Be Abandoned by Him.

1. One of many promises to Israel

(1 Sam 12:22 NIV) For the sake of his great name the LORD will not reject his people, because the LORD was pleased to make you his own.

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2. One of many promises to Believers

(Heb 13:5-6 NIV) Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." {6} So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"

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3. The confidence that develops in the believer when he/she trusts in the Lord

(Psa 27:8-10 NIV) My heart says of you, "Seek his face!" Your face, LORD, I will seek. {9} Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, O God my Savior. {10} Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me.

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4. The testimony that is born and borne in the heart of the believer who trusts in God when all others abandon them

(2 Cor 4:7-9 NIV) But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. {8} We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; {9} persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed

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VI. Jesus Experienced Humiliation and Underserved Torture.

A. The Charges that Convicted Jesus Were False.

1. The false testimony

(Luke 23:1-2 NIV) Then the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate. {2} And they began to accuse him, saying, "We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Christ, a king."

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2. The truth

(Mat 22:17-22 NIV) Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" {18} But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, "You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? {19} Show me the coin used for paying the tax." They brought him a denarius, {20} and he asked them, "Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?"

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{21} "Caesar's," they replied. Then he said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." {22} When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.

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B. The Trial that Convicted Jesus Was Illegally Conducted.

1. "A capital offense must be tried during the day and suspended at night" (Mishna in "Sanhedrin" Vol.1)

2. Jesus before Caiaphas was illegal because the Law stated, "Be not a sole judge, for there is no sole judge but One." (Mishna, in "Pirke Aboth" IV 8). The idea is that the judgment did not rest on the decision by one man as it did with Caiaphas concerning Jesus.

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3. "The Sanhedrin could not originate charges; it could only investigate those brought before it" (Edersheim in, "Life and times of The illegal trial of Jesus the Messiah" Vol. I. p.309)

4. The Law stated, "A criminal case resulting in the acquittal of the accused may terminate the same day on which it began. But if a sentence of death is to be pronounced, it cannot be conducted before the following day." (Mishna in "Sanhedrin" IV. 1.) Jesus was tried, convicted, and executed all on the same day.

http://www.netbiblestudy.com/00_cartimages/illegaltrialofjesus.pdf

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C. The Mocking that Was Directed toward Jesus Was Extensive and Public

1. It came from the Roman soldiers.

(Mark 15:18-20 NIV) And they began to call out to him, "Hail, king of the Jews!" {19} Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. {20} And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.

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2. It came from the watching crowd.

(Luke 23:35 NIV) The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One."

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3. It came from the chief priests.

(Mark 15:31-32a NIV) In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! {32} Let this Christ, this King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe."

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4. It even came from the robbers who were dying with Jesus

(Mat 27:44 NIV) In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

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D. The Torture that Was Inflicted upon Jesus was Severe and nearly fatal in itself.

Slapped (John 18:22) Flogged (Matthew 27:26) Pierced with thorns (Matthew 27:29) Spat upon (Matthew 26:67) Beaten (Matthew 26:67) Struck on head (Matthew 27:30) Blindfolded (Luke 22:64)

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VII. Jesus Experienced an Undeserved Death on a Cross.

(Mark 15:20-26 NIV) And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him. {21} A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross. {22} They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull).

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{23} Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. {24} And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get. {25} It was the third hour when they crucified him. {26} The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS.

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Always remember that . . .

(Isa 53:5-6 NIV) But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. {6} We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.