Jesus Christ, the Suffering Man

Wednesday, April 9, 2025

Theme: "Jesus Christ, the Suffering Man."

Text: Psalm 22:2-9

22:2 My God, my God! why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, and why are you so far from hearing my complaints? 22:3 My God, I cry by day, but you do not answer; by night, but I have no rest. 22:4 Yet you are Holy One; you are enthroned above the praises of Israel. 22:5 Our fathers trusted in you; they trusted, and you delivered them. 22:6 They cried to you, and were delivered; they trusted in you, and were not put to shame. 22:7 But I am a worm, and not a man; a reproach of men and despised by the people. 22:8 All who see me mock me; they open their mouths and shake their heads. 22:9 Commit yourself to the Lord! The Lord will save him and deliver him, because he loves him. 

Remember:

David prophesied about the sufferings of Jesus Christ long before it happened. He portrayed Jesus as the man suffering because of his Father's abandonment. Faced with the abominable stench of sin that Jesus had assumed, God, who is Holy, could no longer walk with his Son. Nevertheless, the Father knew that his Son was capable of surviving despite his suffering. And so, David saw in a vision the Son of God crying out in pain while imploring his Father to come to his aid. But God instead went away without helping him or even listening to his complaints. Jesus is described as crying out day and night, without rest and without succeeding in attracting his Father's attention. He, the Holy One, who sits amidst the praises of Israel, did not want to be involved in this overdose of sin assumed by Jesus so that the world could be saved. In this vision, David compared the time when his fathers trusted in this same God and He delivered them. His fathers cried out to Him, and they were saved; they trusted in Him, and they were not ashamed. David described the mocking reactions of those who saw Jesus' suffering. They opened their mouths and shook their heads. Ultimately, Jesus' tenacity in not giving up resulted in the salvation of humanity, much to the dismay of the enemy who had failed to understand Jesus' clever stratagem. God delivered His Son and the world in one fell swoop. It's the game of "Who loses, wins." Jesus suffered, died, rose again, and won his challenge: and so do we. Have a wonderful Wednesday. Amen.

Alain Louz.-