2016 Belmont University Lenten GuideSample

The words of the psalmist in verses 11–13 in today’s scripture reading could easily be the words of Jesus. His closest friends abandoned and denied all association with Him. Throughout the majority of His ministry He had countless religious leaders plotting to trap Him in saying the “wrong” thing, which eventually led to His death. Forgotten by friends, pursued by enemies and at his lowest moment forsaken by his Father, Jesus intimately understood suffering.

It is easy in the season of Lent to skip over the suffering of Jesus and move right along to the glorified and risen savior. In a world that avoids pain at all costs we do not want to sit in the fact that the Creator God suffered. Jesus did not just suffer the night of his crucifixion; He experienced suffering throughout His entire life. We see Jesus weeping over the city of Jerusalem and the loss of a friend. Jesus was constantly misunderstood by His disciples. Countless places in the gospels we find Jesus emptying Himself to heal people only to receive very little appreciation in return. Jesus knew suffering.

I think part of the reason we do not like to meditate on the extent to which Jesus suffered is because we fear we too have to suffer. Honestly, our fears are correct. We will experience suffering. The life Jesus calls us to will ultimately end in abundant life and redemption, but demands that we die to self along the way. We want to experience resurrection without death, but it simply does not work that way.

So rather than trying to avoid pain and suffering this Lenten season, we ought to lean into it. We are not consumed by our suffering and sin, but rather through Jesus the Lord uses it to make us into more whole human beings. Jesus “taste[d] death for everyone” so that
we might not have to taste the ultimate death. Suffering, pain and even death are now avenues for resurrection in the economy of the kingdom. May we not avoid the very thing that brings us life.

ANONYMOUS