The suffering of Jesus is a test of our faith. Jesus, being the son of God, would have chosen to punish or even eliminate those who tortured, criticized, and denounced him. He had all the power, as portrayed through the numerous miracles, to prevent the suffering. However, he reduced himself to the level of mankind, believing that he had a mission; to suffer on behalf of human beings so that their sins could be forgiven (Schwertley, n.d). Therefore, he was a sacrifice. The suffering is a test to our faith because through reflection, we are made to think about the far we can go working for a just cause. To demonstrate our faith in our actions, we need to endure suffering and all hurdles, especially when we are standing for what we believe is right.
Jesus’ suffering was not avoidable. He had chosen to manifest himself in the form of a human being and suffer for our sins so that we would find favor in the eyes of God. It was a decision that was beyond ordinary human beings, and Jesus himself knew how events would unfold. Therefore, the suffering was not by chance, but was already predetermined. Some biblical examples of Jesus’ suffering in the New Testament are “and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed” (1 Peter 2:24) and “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).
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Critics argue that the violent nature of a vicarious suffering contradicts the nature of a good God, but the punishment for sin would have been more painful. Had Jesus not sacrificed himself for the sins of the world, God would have been angered by human beings and most likely destroyed the world. Although, Jesus’ suffering can be seen as having been painful and violent, he sacrificed himself on behalf of all human beings in the world.
References
Bible. King James Version
Schwertley, B. M. The Atonement of Jesus Christ. http://www.reformedonline.com/uploads/1/5/0/3/15030584/chapter_2_atonement_of_jesus_christ.pdf
