What Jesus Suffered
This month, I have been reading a memoir by a former Navy SEAL. The book is called SEAL of God and is by Chad Williams. In it, the author describes the agonizing six month training the men have to go through to become a SEAL. God has done quite a number on me through this book. I have always had this image of my walk being like a battle and so I envision myself as a warrior who has to stay strong, alert, and prepared. Through this book, however, God has not only been speaking to me about taking my faith to the next level, but He has also taken my understanding of Jesus' suffering on the cross deeper by juxtaposing it with what a SEAL candidate suffers in training.
SEALs have to be brave and determined because they face a great deal of adversity and challenges. Not only do they have to fight their enemy, but often themselves. There were plenty of people who sought to take Jesus down. In the Gospels, you can read about a number of times the Pharisees and Sadducees tried to ensnare Him before they were finally able to have Him crucified (two examples are Matthew 12:14 and John 11:45-57). It is normal for us to think of Jesus coming up against others, but we don't usually think of Him battling Himself. Right before Judas was about to deliver Him into the hands of the Pharisees, though, the Bible says that Jesus "began to be sorrowful and troubled" (Matt 26:37 NIV). He tells a few of His disciples, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death" (verse 38). He prays to the Lord, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will" (verse 39).
Jesus did not want to go through what He did, but He knew that His purpose was greater than His pain. He knew there had been a plot brewing against Him but He did not let it deter Him from going in the direction of God's will. He could have done things to prevent it (like ensure He was constantly surrounded by His disciples) but instead He chose to continue moving in the direction where danger lie because He knew that was the direction He was called to. He knew that was where salvation for others lie. An unofficial code for the SEALs is to leave no man behind, but that was Jesus' life mission. He constantly talked about going after the lost and went where others wouldn't to heal people that were despised and avoided.
No one was left behind by Jesus. His sacrifice saved (and continues saving) all that would be saved. He was focused. He knew His mission. He didn't try to make side missions or get distracted. He came to save souls and enact the will of His Father and that is exactly what He did. Even to the point of His anguish. A part of SEAL training is to offer candidates warmth, rest, and comfort by giving in when they are cold, exhausted, and in pain. It is a way to ensure that only those who can handle a real battle will graduate to become a SEAL. Jesus could have had all those things had He given up, but He chose not to be distracted by His desires. He wouldn't let temporary comforts take away the reward that lie ahead of His suffering and torment.
During Hell Week in a SEAL's training, the candidates are put through intense physical exertion, get little sleep (3 hours is a dream), and go through psychological beatings. Reading about how exhausted the men's bodies were and how difficult it was to push through gave me a clearer understanding of just how done Jesus' body and mind must have been. We already talked about what a battle it was beforehand, but once things start rolling, there is no end to the torture for Jesus until His death on the cross.
A tactic used by the instructors is to turn a SEAL's crew against weak(ened) and exhausted candidates. If they were still holding on despite their own doubts and temptations to give in, this tactic could be the last thread needed to break someone because they no longer had people to help them carry the burden or be the voice of encouragement that helped get them through. Instead, these people were reiterating the thoughts these men were already having and giving them even more reasons to give in.
SEALs have to be brave and determined because they face a great deal of adversity and challenges. Not only do they have to fight their enemy, but often themselves. There were plenty of people who sought to take Jesus down. In the Gospels, you can read about a number of times the Pharisees and Sadducees tried to ensnare Him before they were finally able to have Him crucified (two examples are Matthew 12:14 and John 11:45-57). It is normal for us to think of Jesus coming up against others, but we don't usually think of Him battling Himself. Right before Judas was about to deliver Him into the hands of the Pharisees, though, the Bible says that Jesus "began to be sorrowful and troubled" (Matt 26:37 NIV). He tells a few of His disciples, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death" (verse 38). He prays to the Lord, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will" (verse 39).
Jesus did not want to go through what He did, but He knew that His purpose was greater than His pain. He knew there had been a plot brewing against Him but He did not let it deter Him from going in the direction of God's will. He could have done things to prevent it (like ensure He was constantly surrounded by His disciples) but instead He chose to continue moving in the direction where danger lie because He knew that was the direction He was called to. He knew that was where salvation for others lie. An unofficial code for the SEALs is to leave no man behind, but that was Jesus' life mission. He constantly talked about going after the lost and went where others wouldn't to heal people that were despised and avoided.
No one was left behind by Jesus. His sacrifice saved (and continues saving) all that would be saved. He was focused. He knew His mission. He didn't try to make side missions or get distracted. He came to save souls and enact the will of His Father and that is exactly what He did. Even to the point of His anguish. A part of SEAL training is to offer candidates warmth, rest, and comfort by giving in when they are cold, exhausted, and in pain. It is a way to ensure that only those who can handle a real battle will graduate to become a SEAL. Jesus could have had all those things had He given up, but He chose not to be distracted by His desires. He wouldn't let temporary comforts take away the reward that lie ahead of His suffering and torment.
During Hell Week in a SEAL's training, the candidates are put through intense physical exertion, get little sleep (3 hours is a dream), and go through psychological beatings. Reading about how exhausted the men's bodies were and how difficult it was to push through gave me a clearer understanding of just how done Jesus' body and mind must have been. We already talked about what a battle it was beforehand, but once things start rolling, there is no end to the torture for Jesus until His death on the cross.
A tactic used by the instructors is to turn a SEAL's crew against weak(ened) and exhausted candidates. If they were still holding on despite their own doubts and temptations to give in, this tactic could be the last thread needed to break someone because they no longer had people to help them carry the burden or be the voice of encouragement that helped get them through. Instead, these people were reiterating the thoughts these men were already having and giving them even more reasons to give in.
I tried imagining what Jesus must have felt-the psychological pain it caused Him to be deserted by His disciples (Matt 26:56) who'd called Him Lord and stuck with Him through all else. I wondered how painful it was to be betrayed by Judas and then denied by the one who walked on water with Him. All the men He'd shared ministry with and who played a role in His mission were gone and turned their backs when He needed them most. I imagine His loneliness and feeling of having no one, especially when it seemed that everyone in the events leading to the cross seemed to hate Him and refused to align with Him.
SEAL training is meant to push the body to the limit and to extend the capacity of what you are able to endure. Jesus was mocked and beaten by the teachers of the law and the elders. Then He was given to Pilate and, after a crowd chose Barabbas (a murderer-Acts 3:14) over Him (Matt 27:15-18), was flogged (verse 26). At this point I am positive that there was nothing left in Him to keep Him standing. It must have been too painful to move with open wounds all over His body coupled with the soreness and mental anguish of being abused. But, it didn't end there. After He was flogged, the soldiers gathered around Him, stripped Him, mocked Him, crowned Him with thorns, and hit Him on the head with a staff over and over again.
SEAL training is meant to push the body to the limit and to extend the capacity of what you are able to endure. Jesus was mocked and beaten by the teachers of the law and the elders. Then He was given to Pilate and, after a crowd chose Barabbas (a murderer-Acts 3:14) over Him (Matt 27:15-18), was flogged (verse 26). At this point I am positive that there was nothing left in Him to keep Him standing. It must have been too painful to move with open wounds all over His body coupled with the soreness and mental anguish of being abused. But, it didn't end there. After He was flogged, the soldiers gathered around Him, stripped Him, mocked Him, crowned Him with thorns, and hit Him on the head with a staff over and over again.
I've read about how tired the SEALs are after just a few hours of training. How even giving in is a natural reaction. It takes everything in them just to push through. Jesus hadn't slept the night He was handed to Pilate. Being physically and emotionally zapped of energy, I imagine how crazed and in pain He was at having His head struck repeatedly. How dazed and confused (not just by the disorientation of the blows and lack of sleep, but by the madness of how disgustingly cruel and incompassionate people could be). No wonder why He couldn't carry the cross (Matt 27:32). He had nothing left of Himself. He spent everything He had and yet endured more on that excruciatingly painful crucifixion where His body and mind was subject to more trauma. Even on the cross, Jesus was mocked.
He was so distressed that He wondered why even God had forsaken Him (Matt 27:46). Reason was far. He couldn't hold on any longer. Just because Jesus is Lord does not make the experience on the cross any less horrific. In those moments, He forgot where He stood with God. He was exhausted, hateful voices were flooding from every direction, and the unending pain in His body was coming from head to foot. He made a final cry of anguish before He died (verse 50).
The magnitude of Jesus' sacrifice for us is greater than we often think about. He went through madness for us. He was traumatized for us. He wasn't just beaten and bruised, He was broken. That is the great extent of His love for us. Moreso that He came back so that we wouldn't be hopeless. Even when we deserted Him in the darkest hour, He resurrected so that we could live in the hope of our Savior and be confident in God's love for us- So that WE wouldn't believe that we'd been forsaken or that we are unloved and unwanted. He gave up His rest, comfort, and security so that we could have them in God. That is the extent (in a still limited and incomplete sense of all that was suffered) of Jesus' sacrifice for our salvation.
He was so distressed that He wondered why even God had forsaken Him (Matt 27:46). Reason was far. He couldn't hold on any longer. Just because Jesus is Lord does not make the experience on the cross any less horrific. In those moments, He forgot where He stood with God. He was exhausted, hateful voices were flooding from every direction, and the unending pain in His body was coming from head to foot. He made a final cry of anguish before He died (verse 50).
The magnitude of Jesus' sacrifice for us is greater than we often think about. He went through madness for us. He was traumatized for us. He wasn't just beaten and bruised, He was broken. That is the great extent of His love for us. Moreso that He came back so that we wouldn't be hopeless. Even when we deserted Him in the darkest hour, He resurrected so that we could live in the hope of our Savior and be confident in God's love for us- So that WE wouldn't believe that we'd been forsaken or that we are unloved and unwanted. He gave up His rest, comfort, and security so that we could have them in God. That is the extent (in a still limited and incomplete sense of all that was suffered) of Jesus' sacrifice for our salvation.
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