Jesus didn’t suffer.
At least he didn’t if you ask a lot of the people who call themselves Christians. Most people go from the celebration of Palm Sunday to the celebration of Easter without much thought of what happens in between. Good Friday is just too messy; Jesus’ suffering is just too gruesome for us to spend too much time thinking about.
Several years ago I spent our Good Friday service talking in some detail about the suffering that Jesus underwent on the cross. I talked very frankly about the physical torment that he endured. I wasn’t morbid or overly graphic, but I was descriptive. Crucifixion was designed to inflict the maximum amount of pain and torture for the maximum amount of time without causing death.
Evidently, you’re not allowed to talk about that on Good Friday either. I had two people tell me after the service that they were leaving the church because they were so upset that I would talk about Christ’s suffering in such plain language.
Let’s be clear – Jesus suffered. A lot. It was devastating. And he endured it for us. There’s no excuse for forgetting or overlooking that.
~ Godspeed
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