Jesus was born to die. When He came on the scene to save the world the children of Israel were looking for something else, someone else. They were looking for a King that looked and acted like an earthly king. They wanted Him to use His power to do away with Rome. The thought that Jesus would have to live and die as a regular man was inconceivable to them.
When Jesus shared his coming destiny of suffering and death with the disciples Peter refused to accept it.
And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man. Mark 8:31-33
Jesus understood what often times we do not: that suffering comes before reigning and many times the will of God and the way God does things, though inconceivable to us, has eternal purpose. Though He had to die He knew the Father loved Him and the suffering and hard things He had to go through did not diminish God’s love for His son. When we go through hard things — the unexpected, the unpleasant, the painful they doesn’t diminish God’s love for us.
Jesus is our example of how to go through the unexpected, the unpleasant, and the painful.
Though He came expecting to die for the sins of the world, Jesus walked His disciples through the unexpected reality of Him being fully God and fully man yet having to walk through the unpleasant and painful seasons of living to die himself.
Jesus knew how to celebrate life’s happy moments while knowing that painful moments where just around each the corner. He did not let the threat of death, rejection or retaliation from people distract Him from enjoying the moments He had with the people who loved Him and whom He knew and loved, nor did He let the coming events derail Him from the work God sent Him to complete.
Some blessings come only through suffering and brokenness.
Beloved, when you go through the unexpected, the unpleasant, the painful look unto Jesus, The founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God,” Hebrews 12:2. From before the foundation of the world Jesus knew the day of the cross would come. He lived with that in His spirit every day. There are seasons in life that we have to live with the reality of personal suffering while still being present in our relationships. You have to believe that joy will come.
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