The Greatness of Our Savior's Suffering

The title of our last message was “The Greatness of Our Savior.” This message is titled “The Greatness of Our Savior’s Suffering”. The passage is John 18:12-27.

It has been said that gospels are basically Passion narratives with long introductions. John follows that pattern, as we see that chapters 13-21 cover just the last 24 hours of Jesus’ earthly ministry. We see in Isaiah that the Messiah would be a Man of Sorrows, acquainted with grief.

In this message, we will observe the actions and consider the implications. We want to see the dramatic flow of what John tells us about that night. We want to see how he paints the picture of what happens, so we can see the message of the narrative. To understand the sufferings of Christ, we need to think of them in terms of: extent and magnitude. The extent relates to how far the suffering reached. Since Jesus was fully man (also fully God), with a human soul and body. In that sense, His suffering touched every aspect of His humanity. He experiences mental anguish and emotional distress. When we marvel and mourn over the physical suffering of Jesus, we should also remember that the Bible does not emphasize that. The spotlight is more on the emotional, intellectual, and spiritual agony of the Savior.

Jesus suffered more in every area of human existence that anyone else could ever suffer. Therefore, He is a truly sympathetic and glorious Savior; a marvelous High Priest who has been made perfect.