The One Who Understands Your Pain

Today's Reading: Matthew 27:1-31

Matthew 27:31 (ESV) "And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him."

The older I get, the more I do everything I can to avoid pain. Whether it's being less adventurous physically, less bold relationally or even less expectant spiritually, my goal is to position myself not to get hurt. On one hand, some of this comes with wisdom and using discretion, but more often than not, it comes from a place of trying to protect myself and control my circumstances. Neither of those things can I do 100% of the time.

We can sometimes avoid some passages of Scripture, too, because they are painful. Today's passage may be one of the most painful moments in the Bible. But I want us to agree not to skim through Jesus' arrest, trial and crucifixion to "get to the good part." In order to understand who Jesus is and what He has done for us, we need to pause here in the middle of the pain and suffering.

Overnight, Jesus was betrayed by one of His friends over money (Matthew 26:47-48), and in His hour of greatest need, another friend, who He loved, denied ever knowing Him (Matthew 26:69-74). Jesus was falsely accused and treated as a criminal, sentenced to crucifixion because the man in charge of His trial was too afraid of what others thought about him to risk defending Jesus (Matthew 27:24).

One of those traumas would be enough to take someone out emotionally, but the combination of all three seems unbearable. Add on top of that the physical pain Jesus had to endure, from wearing a crown of thorns (Matthew 27:29) to being "scourged," a Roman punishment of beating with studded whips (Matthew 27:26) ... It's all too much.

But in spite of all of that, Jesus chose to be obedient to God's plan.

Jesus knew Judas would betray Him yet invited him in.

Jesus knew Peter would deny Him but loved him still.

Jesus knew He was innocent but remained silent.

Jesus knew what He had to do.

The weight of the sins of the world rested on His shoulders. But despite the world's rejection, Jesus knew resurrection was coming.

Without Jesus, we are guilty. In our sin, we reject the very One who came to save us, and we are separated from eternity with God. Only by trusting in Jesus are we made innocent before God. This is why Jesus is good news. If we don't feel the depths of our sin, we will never feel the heights of His sacrificial love.

We'll never understand the depths of Jesus' pain, but He understands the depths of ours. Every betrayal, every denial, every rejection we experience, Jesus understands; He was a "man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief"(Isaiah 53:3). He took on all that pain, plus bore the weight of the sins of the world, when He went to the cross.

And as we will read over the next couple of days, this is not the end of the story. Not all hope was lost for Jesus or for you and me. Through faith in Him, we get to rest in knowing our pain is temporary. The One who understands our pain plans to end pain for good (Revelation 21:4).

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for Your sacrificial love, for taking on my guilt so I could be made innocent before God. Help me not to rush past the good news of Your gospel: that I am able to know and love You because You made a way. Forgive me for how I have rejected You. I love You, Lord. In Jesus' name, amen.

More Moments About Matthew 27:1-31

In today's passage, we see there is a stark contrast between what happened to Judas and what happened to Peter ...

Judas became so consumed with greed for wealth, he sold out Jesus to the Roman guards (Matthew 26:47-49). Peter became so concerned with what others would think that he denied he knew Jesus at all (Matthew 26:72-74). Both sinned, but their responses to their sins greatly differed.

Judas became filled with regret and tried to fix his own sin by giving the money back. It seems like he was afraid of the consequences of his sin and was so filled with regret he punished himself (Matthew 27:3-5).

Peter felt the weight of his sin and repented and allowed Jesus to restore him (John 21:15-19). Though Judas' life ended in heartbreak, Peter went on to be a key leader in spreading the good news of Jesus to people around the world (Acts 10).

Friend, we get to choose how we respond to our sin and mistakes. We can choose to come to God and repent, to turn away from our sin and ask God for forgiveness, or we can live with regret. It's not too late to turn to Jesus. He is waiting to forgive and restore you by His righteousness.

Major Moment: Jesus faced a Roman hearing and was sentenced to be crucified.

This was originally published in the First 5 app as part of the Matthew study, A Better Way: How Jesus’ Life Guides Us to Peace in a World That Steals Our Sanity.