The Spirit in Suffering
We're learning a lot about the Spirit this week. And I want to say today that the Spirit was present at Christ's crucifixion.
Now, much is said about how God the Father withdrew. And so Jesus cried out, "My God, why have you forsaken me?" But consider the words of Hebrews 9:14. The writer says that Christ “offered Himself to God through the eternal Spirit.” It was the Spirit with Him that enabled Him to go through such a terrible thing.
The Spirit's Empowerment in Suffering
And remember, Jesus did struggle. It wasn't just an easy thing for Him to go to the cross. We read how in the Garden of Gethsemane He was overwhelmed with sorrow, sweating great big drops that looked like blood, crying out in agony, and asking the Father to make another way if it was possible so that He didn't have to go through the cross.
But in the end, He rose up off of His knees and walked to the cross voluntarily. He even told those condemning Him that He could instantly call for legions of angels to come and help Him. But instead, He went to the cross willingly, and it was through the Spirit that He managed to get through that ordeal. Even if the Father withdrew from Him, the Spirit was there.
The Divine Partnership in Redemption
In fact, John Johnson, a theologian, wrote about this passage, saying that “without the empowerment of the Holy Spirit living within Jesus, perhaps He would have succumbed to pushing the cup aside.” And he says “the Spirit became the empowering presence within Jesus that enabled His humanity to endure the cup of suffering and triumph faithfully.”
Wonderful that Jesus was empowered by the Spirit to get through His suffering. And do you see the implications of this for you and me? When we go through our suffering and trials, we too have the Holy Spirit within us to help us through.
Finding Strength for Your Journey
I don't know what suffering you're going through, my friends, but I know this: If you are yielded to the Spirit, if you are in Christ, and Christ is in you through His Spirit, then, just as Jesus managed to get through the worst suffering possible through the Spirit, you and I can walk through the deepest, darkest valleys with His Spirit empowering us.
And so, go forward in strength, my friends, and may the Spirit of Christ that led Him to the cross give you strength to carry your own crosses.
