Christ's Spiritual Sacrifice

Let's take a look at II Kings 20, verses 1 through 6.

The Bible doesn't say how Hezekiah finally died, but he did know he had fifteen years. That must have sounded wonderful when Isaiah told him. He could put it out of his mind for several years. But as the years until his death began to diminish it must have begun to weigh on his mind.

How would he have felt as the last year clicked over? The last month? The last week? The last Day? Even if God told me I'd die peacefully in my sleep on a certain night I'd sure have trouble getting to sleep!

Jesus Knew

Jesus knew when He was going to die. We have all heard lurid descriptions of the incredible suffering Christ went through. I'm sure they all fall short of really showing us how bad it was. But Jesus not only knew long before it happened exactly when He would die but how He would die - in all it's horror.

Not only did Jesus have to suffer physically but He had to suffer mentally as the year, month and day approached.

Many people are given months to live when they have incurable diseases and they know they will be suffering to some extent. But we have pain killers to help and the doctors are sometimes wrong. Jesus had no pain killers and He knew there was no mistake. Jesus knew mental agony as well as physical. People have mental agony as well as physical. You know the scripture in Isaiah 53:4: "Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows" Jesus has shared in our mental anguish and agony as well as the physical. This may have been as hard or harder to bear than the physical suffering.

The previous verse is one we all know as well: "He was despised, a man of sorrow and acquainted with grief"

Jesus prophsied what it would be like through many Psalms of David; Psalm 69:20 says: "Reproach has broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none." This is a prophesy concerning Jesus, for the next verse says, "They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink."

Too often we think of Jesus suffering for us only at the crucifixion and then we mostly focus on the physical suffering. But Jesus suffered mentally and emotionally and spiritually as well. And he suffered this way all His life - from early childhood. Did you ever suffer for being good when you were a child? No child is picked on more by other children than a child who's good. The boy Jesus was not just good, he was perfect. The others knew he wouldn't retaliate either. What suffering He must have endured.

Jesus suffered all his human life for us. He was willing to empty Himself of His immortality, His omnipotence, His omnicience, everything that made Him the Creator God and become a man with no power whatsoever beyond what any man has. He vountered to die the most wreched death anyone could die and to know most of His life how he was going to suffer and die and know exactly when. For us! So that we could have a High Priest who can "be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; and was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin."

However, even as His suffering and death neared, Jesus was not concerned about Himself. As Jesus was coming into Jerusalem just before His last Passover and death, where were His thoughts? Not on himself! Luke 19:41, Philips version: "And as He came still nearer to the city, He caught sight if it and wept over it, saying: 'Ah, if you only knew, even at this eleventh hour, on what your peace depends -- but you cannot see it. The time is coming when your enemies will encircle you with ramparts, surrounding you and hemming you in on every side. And they will hurl you and all your children to the ground -- yes, they will not leave you one stone standing upon another -- all because you did not know when God Himself was visiting you!'"

Think of it! Jesus knew how and when He would die, in only a few days, but His mind was on the people of Jerusalem and the horrors they would have to go through forty years in the future!

And the night before His crucifixion, only hours before He knew He would be arrested and horribly beaten and crucified - was He thinking of Himself? No! John records what Jesus was concerned with in three chapters, 14, 15 and 16 where Jesus gives His final instruction to His disciples and prays for them and for all of us down through history who would be His followers.

Only in his very last hours in the garden was He praying for himself and even then He was concerned about His disciples as they slumbered away their opportunity to gain spiritual strength and went to rouse them twice.

After that, the dread and anticipation became the reality.

Paul tells us in Hebrews 5:7-9 that Jesus, "in the days of his flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; Though he were a Son, yet learned obedience by the things which he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him."

The God who created us all was willing to suffer - for His disciples, for the people of Judah and Jerusalem, for all of us and for the entire world and all ages -- all while we were yet wreched sinners. Not even His disciples were yet converted and they all abandoned him and denied Him. How terrible that must have been, even though He knew full well it was going to happen: "Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. " (Matthew 26:31).

And in chapter 4 verse 15 of Hebrews we read, "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with feeling of our infirmitys but was in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin."<

He actually took all of the sins of mankind on Himself. He knew He would have to do that at the very end - after He had suffered on the stake for six long hours - all the sins of every human being that had ever lived, that was alive and who ever would live. All of them.

Not only did He take all of our sins, but all our infirmaties, all our sorrows, all of our mental burdens, everything that has ever troubled us, physically, emotionally, spiritually, mentally and any other way there is.

And He has been with us all through time. Did He not weep when Adam and Eve ate of the fruit? Did He not weep when Cain killed Abel? It must have hurt him to send the flood - not only were the wicked (but potential Sons of God) killed - but millions of innocent children were drowned too - did He not feel their suffering? Did He not feel the pain of Israel in bondage in Egypt? Has He not carried the burden of the sins of mankind and their mental and physical consequences to those who commit them as they have occured and do occur and will occur?

In Jesus' physical life He experienced all the temptations we experience - without sin. And at the end he took upon Himself all of our sins - all of the temptations we've succumed to. This must have been an incredible burden for one who was perfect righteousness for all eternity.

And do you know what? He is alive! Now! At the right hand of the Father making intercession for us! And when we go boldly before that throne of grace, verse 16 of Hebrews 4 tells us, "we obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." Christ Jesus can turn to His Father and our Father and say "I know exactly what they're experiencing, I experienced something just like that when I was human and I felt that person's sorrow, pain, anguish and temptation when I took all of mankind's burdens upon Myself."

Jesus Christ has already taken our burdens upon Himself so take heed and do what He asks of you in Mt 11:28-30 "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

He knows how light His burden is because He has fully carried all of ours.