"For
in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid
those who are tempted" (Hebrews 2:18)
The
King of Glory has come to us not as a king "but made Himself of
no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the
likeness of men" (Philippians 2:7) to lift up the judgment of death
"For dust you are (Adam and his offspring), and to dust you shall
return" (Genesis 3:19). Therefore, it was God's will to lift up
man's pain and sufferings that he brought upon himself by disobeying
God's commandment. God's will was fulfilled through the suffering
of His only begotten Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who
called Himself the "Son of Man". He shared our human nature and
our feelings and "was in all points tempted as we are, yet without
sin" (Hebrews 4:15).
When
we celebrate the Pascha (Passover) Week, we find comfort to our
souls. This week commemorates the pain and suffering that our Lord
Jesus Christ went through fulfilling all the prophecies of the Old
Testament that He was a "Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief"
(Isaiah 53:3). We can all see that He suffered all that a human
being is able to withstand. Let us review some of what He has suffered:
-
Psychological
sufferings: The mocking of His brethren, accusing Him saying,
"He is out of His mind" (Mark 3:21). The high priests and the
scribes also persecuted Him when they saw the people gathering
around Him, as it is written "Princes persecute me without a cause"
(Psalm 119:161). Even His own disciples, "forsook Him and fled"
(Matthew 26:56) although He earlier told them "Indeed the hour
is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each
to his own, and will leave Me alone" (John 16:32). And above all,
at Gethsemane "He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised
for our iniquities" (Isaiah 53:5).
- Bodily
Sufferings: Starting from the night of His arrest, He went through
mocking, slapping and spitting on His face to the time of His judgment.
He was scourged, crowned with thorns, and was forced to carry the
cross to Gethsemane under exhaustive bodily conditions. This is
where He was crucified and then raised up on the cross from the
sixth hour to the ninth hour when He died. Even after death, He
was wounded by a spear through His side by one of the soldiers.
However,
the Lord Jesus' sufferings have become a sign of pride to all Christians
because these sufferings have proclaimed the love of God to mankind.
They have given every human being the right to come forward and touch
His wounds to find a place of comfort "for we are members of His body,
of His flesh and of His bones" (Ephesians 5:30).
It
is clear, that all members of the body of our Lord Jesus Christ, have
suffered and therefore, if we are members of His body, we should accept
this fellowship of sufferings. We should find our place in the scourging,
the crown of thorns, the nails or the spear, to be able to cry out
with St. Paul saying "that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection,
and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death"
(Philippians 3:10). We should also arm ourselves as St. Peter said
"since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with
the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from
sin" (1 Peter 4:1).
My
beloved, let me repeat again that the sufferings of the body of our
Lord Jesus Christ are our pride and our comfort. For every member
that suffered witnessed an indescribable love. That great love has
made all martyrs accept persecution and death with joy and happiness
expressing the "fellowship of His sufferings" (Philippians 3:10).
Therefore, our Lord Jesus Christ did not only crown the martyrs who
suffered for His sake, but also made their body shine with glory.
This has also made the Church commemorate His sufferings in all Liturgies
where, for example, during the selection of the lamb, we declare that
He is "The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John
1:29). Here, the priest selects the lamb and the deacons pray saying
"Kerie-eleison" (Lord Have Mercy) forty-one times representing the
39 lashes, the crown of thorns, and the slapping.
Also,
the priest selects the bread that has no imperfections, as it was
witnessed "I find no fault in this Man" (Luke 23:4). And the bread
itself is made with five holes representing the five wounds in the
body of our Lord Jesus Christ; the spear and the nails (two for the
hands and two for the legs), where "by His wounds we are healed" (Isaiah
53:5). After the selection of the bread, the priest baptizes it with
water and wraps it with cloth. He then raises it up with the cross
on it symbolizing the fact that our Lord Jesus Christ, since His incarnation,
is carrying the cross as He Himself said, "for this purpose I came
to this hour" (John 12:27).
My
beloved, the Church always puts crucifixion before our eyes as a true
icon of our Lord Jesus Christ who "was clearly portrayed among you
as crucified?" (Galatians 3:1). The Church does not deceive us or
misrepresent the truth for the Lord Himself warned us "whoever does
not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple" (Luke
14:27).
You
may ask: What do these sufferings have to do with me? Let me enjoy
my life now and think about it later! I tell you this: the hidden
truth is the main source of your joy and happiness is the Lord Jesus'
sufferings. Escaping or avoiding this truth to search for worldly
pleasure may be the source of your true pain and sufferings. Look
at Joseph the righteous (from the Old Testament), the pure young man
who refused the pleasure of sin and accepted the suffering of imprisonment.
God rewarded him and gave him power and authority over all the land
of Egypt, and with his gift of wisdom he saved the world from hunger.
If he selected the easy way out, he could have saved himself for only
a short period of time, but he knew that the "sufferings of this present
time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed
in us" (Roman 8:18).
Remember
the rich man who "went away sorrowful" (Matt 19:22) after hearing
God's commandment and ask yourself: Why did he go in sorrow? Isn't
it because "he had great possessions" (worldly pleasure) and he couldn't
carry the cross accepting the Lord's sufferings. Also, remember the
three young men who were thrown in the burning fiery furnace because
of their faith and love of God. God had compassion upon them and stood
by them even inside the fire. Everyone saw God walking with them and
described Him as "the form of the fourth is like the Son of God" (Daniel
3:25). How about Daniel, who was thrown in the lion's den. Didn't
God tame the lions so that they couldn't even touch him!
My
beloved, these examples of faithful youth who accepted to carry the
cross and the fellowship of sufferings, were not left alone or forsaken.
God glorified Himself through them and made them role models for all
generations.
Finally,
my dear beloved, remember that the Church is inviting you during these
holy days to carry the cross and go with God to Gethsemane and stay
with Him fighting, not escaping or denying saying "I do not know the
Man" (Matthew 26:72). Every time you attend the Liturgy, participate
with your feelings and emotions and whenever you see the priest selecting
the lamb (the bread) and you hear the deacons pray, "Lord have mercy",
remember that the Lord has endured the lashes for you and you are
the one who was supposed to receive this punishment because of your
sins "And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds"
(Luke 23:41).
Lift
up your hearts and cry before your Savior regretting what you have
done to Him. At the same time, rejoice for the salvation that has
been offered by His blood and go to Him trusting His promise "who
comes to Me I will by no means cast out" (John 6:37).
My
God and Lord Jesus Christ, allow me to consider Your pain my treasure,
Your sufferings my richness, Your sorrow my joy, Your crown of thorns
my glory and Your love my pride and thanks.
