Called to Suffer and Die

Scripture tells us that suffering was the vocation of our Lord Jesus Christ. He was called not only to suffer but to die.

This was clear from the earliest days of Jesus’ life. For instance, when Jesus was presented in the temple, Simeon greeted Him as the promised Messiah of Israel and told Mary that “ ‘a sword will pierce through your own soul’ ” (Luke 2:35a). She would have to endure the agony of witnessing Jesus in agony. Later, Jesus exhibited His sense of vocation when He remained behind in the temple as a boy, discussing the things of God with the teachers. “ ‘I must be about My Father’s business,’ ” He told Mary and Joseph when they finally found Him (Luke 2:49). But the picture of just what He was called to do (and His dedication to doing it) came into much sharper focus later. Following Peter’s confession that Jesus was the Messiah, Jesus began to teach His disciples that He must suffer and die (Matt. 16:13–23). But Peter would have none of that: “ ‘This shall not happen to You,’ ” he told Jesus. This inadvertent attempt by Peter to alter Jesus’ calling provoked a vehement response: “ ‘Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.’ ” Jesus knew that, to be the Savior of His people, He had to walk the Via Dolorosa, the Way of Suffering.

It was not easy for Him to walk that road. In the Garden of Gethsemane on the night of His arrest, He became “sorrowful and deeply distressed.” It was not merely the thought of the physical punishment and the death He must face that troubled Him. In truth, many people have endured worse physical pain than He did, and for longer periods. It was the fact that He must be exposed to the wrath of God against all the sin of God’s people and must experience alienation from the Father for the first time. And yet, He was true to His calling. “ ‘If it is possible,’ ” He prayed, “ ‘let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.’ ” The Father affirmed that Jesus must drink the cup, that the cross was His vocation. And so He went to Calvary. He was able to do so because He understood that it was not the Devil, chance, or people that had sent Him to the cross. It was God the Father who had called Him there. It was His vocation to suffer and die, and He fulfilled it utterly.