Feeling The Pain
Hebrews 5:7-8 tells us this about Yeshua, “ In the days of His humanity, He offered up both prayers and pleas with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His devout behavior. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.” Why did Yeshua have to suffer to learn obedience? We so often hear people say, “Why does a loving God cause bad things to happen?” Well for one, He wants us to mature in our faith, so let’s start by saying that Scripture tells us that it was in the days of His humanity, which means Yeshua was human. People want to believe that Yeshua was able to suffer and die only because He was God. Philippians 2:5-8 says this, “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Messiah Yeshua, who, as He already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself by taking the form of a bond-servant and being born in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross.”
So as a human He had to learn obedience just like any other human being, and He also had to be tested. Matthew 4 speaks of His three temptations by the devil. Let’s look at the first in verses 1-4, “Then Yeshua was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after He had fasted for forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes out of the mouth of God.’”
Hebrews 4:14-18 tells us this, “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Yeshua the Son of God, let’s hold firmly to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things just as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let’s approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help at the time of our need.” But like all humans He also had to go through trials.
James 1:2-4 tells us,, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” Again in 1 Peter 1:6-9, “ In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which perishes though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Messiah Yeshua; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
Romans 5:1-5 again says, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Messiah Yeshua, through whom we also have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we celebrate in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also celebrate in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” And so Yeshua did learn from His trials and tribulations as Isaiah 53 says, “He was despised and abandoned by men, a man of great pain and familiar with sickness; and like one from whom people hide their faces, He was despised, and we had no regard for Him. However, it was our sicknesses that He Himself bore, and our pains that He carried; yet we ourselves assumed that He had been afflicted, struck down by God, and humiliated. But He was pierced for our offenses, He was crushed for our wrongdoings; the punishment for our well-being was laid upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed. All of us, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the wrongdoing of us all to fall on Him. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth. By oppression and judgment He was taken away; and as for His generation, who considered that He was cut off from the land of the living for the wrongdoing of my people, to whom the blow was due?” Yes, Yeshua suffered all of this as a man. He learned to feel the people’s pain. Matthew 9:36 says this, “Seeing the crowds, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and downcast, like sheep without a shepherd.” We know that He cried over the death of Lazarus His friend, (John 11). Yeshua learned from His own sufferings to feel the suffering of others. Yeshua bore our burdens, the burden of sin, the burden of our griefs and sorrows and our infirmities. And finally Matthew 26:39 tells us this, “And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” This verse shows us that Yeshua was definitely a man as He struggled with the thought of His crucifixion. Yeshua had a choice just like we have a choice to serve God or our own will. God knew this, and that is why He prepared Him, by allowing Him to not only feel the pain of the people for whom He would be dying for, but also to carry their burdens, which was very symbolic of Him when carrying His cross. Through His suffering Yeshua learned obedience, and He said “Yes Father, Your will be done, not mine.” Aren’t you eternally grateful that Yeshua said Yes? Today, learn to feel the pain of others. We must also carry our cross, and deny ourselves, this is the will of the Father for us. Galatians 6: 2 says, “Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Messiah.”
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