Though the physical torments of Jesus’ sacrifice are clearly seen, and can be looked at with a degree of biological certainty, His spiritual sufferings are not so. There are pictures in The Bible, which we shall observe, metaphors based on actual happenings, which can offer some way of comparison: but much like the internal afflictions of a man can never be fully explained or shared, so too it is with this portion of Jesus’ suffering. As it is written in Corinthians regarding “the wisdom of God,” which in context refers to “the preaching of the cross,” that is, “Christ crucified,” [1 Cor 2:7; f.f., 1:18, 23]
“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love Him. But God has revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for The Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.” [1 Cor 2:9-10]
The truth of Jesus’ crucifixion, the extent of His suffering and what it accomplished – the glory of God which is contained therein – cannot be apprehended by the natural mind but must be imparted through The Spirit of God. The knowledge of God which is learnt upon the meditation of Jesus’ suffering is not only foreign to the world, but also knows no limits; for “The LORD is known by the judgment which He executes,” [Psa 9:16] and His “judgments are a great deep.” [Psa 36:6] These spiritual truths which we shall encounter are exceeding deep, as an ocean of knowledge. If we have seen Jesus’ sufferings as great thus far, multiply them seven-fold, for their extent and content plunge deeper than the ocean’s depths. But as it is in nature, so too it is here: for as the ocean’s deepness conceals a great breadth of beauty, even in the furthest and darkest points, so too, as we shine a light upon Jesus’ sufferings, beauty shall emerge. To start, let us look at what Jesus said concerning Jonah, a prophet from long ago. After being asked hypocritically of a sign by the Pharisees, Jesus said,
“And evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonah: for as Jonah was three days and three nights in the sea-monster’s belly; so shall The Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” [Mt 12:39-40]
Here, Jesus compares Himself to Jonah, who in many ways was a type and foreshadowing of Jesus, the Messiah who was to come (and indeed, now has come). The book of Jonah speaks of an event in his life wherein he disobeyed God, was punished, and then later obeyed (a common pattern of man which we would do well to avoid). Over seven-hundred years before Jesus’ birth it came to pass that,
“The word of The LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, ‘arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. But [instead of obeying], Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of The LORD…” [Jon 1:1-3]
Due to Jonah’s hatred of the Assyrians, who lived in Nineveh, he fled. We learn of his ill-favor for them in that after repenting from his disobedience, and preaching in Nineveh, the Assyrians humbled themselves and repented, “and God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that He said that He would do unto them; and He did not do it.” [Jon 3:10] But upon hearing this, “it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry,” [Jon 4:1] and said to God, “therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that you are a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repent yourself of the evil.” [Jon 4:2] But Jonah’s disobedience and attitude are not the focus to which we draw our attention today.
After fleeing to Tarshish and before Nineveh’s repentance, because of Jonah’s sin, “The LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.” [Jon 1:4] The ship which Jonah had gotten onto in order to flee was now in jeopardy; due to Jonah’s sin, his life and the lives of those with him were likely to be lost if nothing else was done. But Jonah’s sin, having caught up with him and not being able to be hidden any longer, (for even Jesus says, “for there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested.” [Mk 4:22]), said, “take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.” [Jon 1:12] And so it came to pass that “they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging.” [Jon 1:15] As Jesus said, so it happened, “The LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.” [Jon 1:17] In the fish’s belly, Jonah spoke, and said,
“…Out of the belly of hell I cried, and you heard my voice. For you had cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all your billows and your waves passed over me…The waters surrounded me, even to the soul: the depth closed around me, the weeds were wrapped about my head. I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet you have brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God.” [Jon 2:2-6]
It is here where we shall dwell for a moment and compare Jonah’s experience to what Jesus endured upon the cross. First let us be reminded that “the wages of sin is death,” [Rom 6:23] and also of what is written regarding Jesus in Hebrews,
“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man.” [Heb 2:9]
Jesus says, “if a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death;” [Jn 8:52] and, “he that is overcoming shall not be hurt of the second death.” [Rev 2:11] See here that the death Jesus tasted was not physical death: for most everyone who believes in Jesus will die; but there is not one man who has ever placed his full trust in Christ Jesus who shall suffer eternal death. The death which Jesus tasted on man’s behalf – or rather, for those men who believe in Him – was not physical death, but spiritual death. This type of death is experienced by those who shall be “cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.” [Rev 20:14; 21:8] It is being separated from the presence of God, as Adam and Eve were warned, “in the day that you eat thereof, [of the tree which God commanded them not to], you shall surely die,” [Gen 2:17] and upon sinning did not immediately die, but rather, “The LORD God sent [them] forth from the Garden of Eden…so He drove out the man [and his wife]…” [Gen 3:23-24]
Having this definition in mind, remember that upon the cross, Jesus cried out, “my God, my God why have you forsaken me?” [Mt 27:46] It was not just a feeling for Jesus, but a reality: God had forsaken Him. But why should God forsake Jesus? For one might rightly assert, “God may not forsake His saints, those who serve Him, for He says, ‘The LORD loves judgment, and does not forsake His saints.’” [Psa 37:28] Ah, yes, and as God promised so it is true; however, upon the cross, scripture tells us that God “made [Jesus] to be sin for us, who knew no sin.” [2 Cor 5:21] That is, upon the cross, when Jesus bore the sin of mankind, something even deeper was occurring: Jesus was being made into sin – He was sin. Upon the cross, Jesus was made into sin, and as it is written of God, “you are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on iniquity.” [Hab 1:13] The LORD cannot bear to behold sin, for He hates it, and He hates those who practice the same. For it is written, “you hate all workers of iniquity;” [Psa 5:5] and, “The LORD abhors [the wicked];” [Psa 10:3] and once more, The LORD says, “there I hated them: for the wickedness of their doings I will drive them out of my house.” [Hos 9:15] It is clear that God hates sin, and we can see this too in that even those who love and fear God also “hate evil.” [Psa 97:10, Prov 8:13]
As Jesus will say to those unrepentant sinners at judgment day, “depart from me, you that practice lawlessness,” [Mt 7:23] so too The Father said to Christ, forsaking Him upon the cross. Those glorious promises to which the saints of God cling, as it says in a certain place, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble,” [Psa 46:1] Jesus was unable to obtain upon the cross: for in that moment upon that wretched cross Jesus Christ was no righteous man, was no saint of God, but was sin, as it is also written, “Christ…[was] made a curse for us.” [Gal 3:13] And so, herein lies a great foundational truth that we must ascertain before treading further: Jesus was forsaken of God upon the cross; as He said through David, “my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?” [Psa 22:1] The LORD God was so far from helping Jesus, He being made into sin. Upon the cross, Jesus was not an object of love of The Father, (as Jesus was told in His life, “you are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” [Mk 1:11]), but an object of His extreme and utter hatred. Upon the tree, where The Lord hung cursed and bloody, He was not loved but hated, having not one hope of aid from The Father, for “the Righteous LORD loves righteousness; His face beholds the upright,” [Psa 11:7] but, “the wicked…his soul hates” and, “upon the wicked He shall rain snares, fire, and brimstone, and a horrible tempest.” [Psa 11:5-6] And thus, Jesus being made into sin, and bearing our sin, received that portion which falls to the wicked.
If we are to continue our discourse on Jonah, yes, and still yet other typologies of Jesus’ suffering, we must first come to this grave conclusion: Jesus was hated and cursed, forsaken, upon the cross, and that, for our sins. Even those who are sinners and unsaved today, yes perhaps you, dear reader, are a recipient of God’s love. “For He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” [Mt 5:45] If you have thought God unmerciful toward you, you have been mistaken: “for He is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil,” [Lk 6:35] and, “The LORD is good to all: and His tender mercies are over all His works.” [Psa 145:9] The scriptures say, “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from The Father of Lights,” [Jam 1:17] and that “a man can receive nothing, except it is given him from heaven.” [Jn 3:27] If you have tasted good food, seen bright colors, felt warmth, or experienced any pleasant thing whatsoever: you have experienced God’s goodness and grace, though you have not deserved it. However, can any man upon earth imagine the deep sorrow and excruciating pains which are felt in the absence of God’s presence? There is not a man upon earth who has ever felt such things, though they may have thought they have. For it is written,
“Where shall I go from your spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend up into heaven, you are there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, you are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall your hand lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.” [Psa 139:7-10]
There is not a man alive today upon earth who has felt God’s grip upon their life cease to exist. Whether saved or unsaved, all men experience God’s grace and presence, if only but in part. But Christ upon the cross had no such pleasure. There was not an ounce of goodness which God His Father expressed toward Him while He hung to bear our sins; no, but Jesus was left empty and forsaken, utterly destitute. And make no mistake: the severity of these pains was deserved, for Jesus was made sin for us – for Jesus was bearing our sins, experiencing what should have rightly been ours alone to bear.
With this, let us continue our discourse of Jonah, for in his recorded account we shall see a great comparison to Jesus’ sufferings. Mainly, we see this upon examining Jonah’s prayer, wherein he said, “all your billows and your waves passed over me;” and how that when “they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea…the sea ceased from her raging.” In the same way that a raging storm was brought upon men due to Jonah’s sin, the wrath of God is abiding upon men for sin, as we have stated earlier regarding God’s attitude toward sin, and also how it says, “he that is not believing The Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God is abiding on him.” [Jn 3:36] Again, it is written, “the law works wrath;” [Rom 4:15] and, “cursed is every one that does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them;” [Gal 3:10] and once more,
“For this you know, that no sexually immoral or unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things comes the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.” [Eph 5:5-6]
And so, just as God’s wrath was stirred up against Jonah for his sin, so too God’s wrath abides upon the head of and is stirred up against all those who continue in sin, not believing in Jesus Christ. But the account does not end there, for again, just as Jonah was cast into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging – that is, the storm at once became calm – so too through Jesus’ death upon the cross, the wrath of God against man’s sin ceases, for any man who puts his faith in Jesus. Because we are promised, “being now justified by [Jesus’] blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him;” [Rom 5:9] and also, “[Jesus] delivered us from the wrath to come.” [1 Th 1:10] Through a man’s trust in Jesus, that wrath of God which formerly abode upon their heads as a weight ready to crash down at any moment, immediately ceases to exist. For through Jesus’ death and resurrection, and a man’s belief therein, we are “reconciled to God,” [Rom 5:10] for Jesus has “made peace through the blood of His cross;” yes,
“You, that used to be alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now [Jesus] has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you [once and for all as] holy and unblameable and unreprovable in [God The Father’s] sight: if you continue in the faith grounded and settled, not being dislodged from the hope of the gospel…” [Col 1:20-23]
Yes, and so just as the sea ceased from its raging, God’s wrath being pacified through Jonah’s death, so too God’s wrath is pacified through a man’s belief in Jesus Christ’s atoning death. That man no longer faces the wrath or anger of God, but freely enjoys His favor, grace, mercy, and love: the liberality of their free supply being furnished through a relationship with Jesus Christ. For through our belief in Jesus’ death and resurrection, yes, through a man’s enduring and steadfast clinging to Jesus’ expiatory work, God has “made us accepted in the Beloved [Son],” [Eph 1:6] and, “there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after The Spirit.” [Rom 8:1]
Furthermore, see that Jonah exclaims, “the floods surrounded me: all your billows and your waves passed over me.” In this we are reminded of what it says in Psalms regarding Jesus’ sacrifice: “your wrath lies hard upon me, and you have afflicted me with all your waves;” [Psa 88:7] and, “for I have…mingled my drink with weeping, because of your indignation and your wrath: for you have lifted me up, and cast me down.” [Psa 102:9-10] And again, as Jonah says in a very literal sense, “the waters surrounded me, even to the soul,” [Jon 2:5] even too Psalms uses such language in a metaphorical sense, saying,
“Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul. I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me. I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: my eyes fail while I wait for my God.” [Psa 69:1-3]
And herein we find comparison to the deep, spiritual sufferings which befell Jesus upon the cross as He died for sin. Just as the waters covered Jonah, the “proud waters” and “proud waves” [Psa 124:5, Job 38:11] crashing upon him quite literally, as he suffered punishment due for his sin, so too Jesus experienced the waves and waters of God’s wrath. In Jesus’ suffering for sin, wherein He tasted that spiritual death for us, it was as if a tsunami wave of judgment barreled into His chest and plunged Him into the deepest sea, His soul being strangled as a man would drown. All of God’s waves were upon Christ, all of God’s wrath – there was not one ounce of wrath spared, but all was poured out on Jesus: all of it came crashing down as heavy water upon His soul, as He suffocated under the pressure of God’s intense and mighty wrath. The picture is similar to another found in scripture.
Micah the prophet says of The LORD,
“Who is a God like you, that pardons iniquity, and passes by the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He retains not His anger for ever, because He delights in mercy. He will turn again, He will have compassion upon us; He will trample under foot our iniquities; and you will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. You will perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old.” [Mic 7:18-20]
In meditating upon this passage, let us take into account a few other scriptures. First, when The LORD revealed Himself to Moses on one certain occasion, The LORD spoke regarding His character, saying He is a God who is “keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means acquit the guilty…” [Ex 34:7] Furthermore, in another place, it is said by Joshua to the people of Israel who said “we also will serve The LORD, for He is our God,”
“You cannot serve The LORD: for He is a holy God; He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.” [Josh 24:18-19]
This ought to give each man who reads this pause; for we have been showing quite plainly that God forgives sins, and so how is it that both God Himself and Joshua say the opposite? Let us be reminded that it says of God, “neither will the Almighty pervert judgment,” [Job 34:12] and that He Himself says, “you shall not twist judgment; you shall not [have] partiality [in judgment].” [Deut 16:19] See therefore that God is a good judge; that is, a judge who condemns and punishes evil and will in no wise forgive unrighteousness. For if God would forgive sin and unrighteousness, He would cease to be a good judge, perverting the ways of sound judgment and righteousness. So then, we must ask: how may God forgive a man? It is only ever through Jesus Christ. The man who believes in Jesus, all His sin is credited to Jesus’ account and not his own. As the scriptures declare to us,
“Describing the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputes righteousness without works, saying, blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.” [Rom 4:6-8]
The LORD acquits and forgives those men who believe in Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection because their sins are no longer imputed to them, and thus, they are no longer accredited with wrongdoing, therefore unworthy of being judged for such. As it says again, “by His knowledge shall my Righteous Servant justify many; for He shall bear their iniquities;” [Isa 53:11] and, “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them.” [2 Cor 5:19]
Now, let us return to Micah, where we read that God pardons, forgives, and delights in mercy; and wherein it was promised that God would “trample under foot our iniquities; and…cast all [our] sins into the depths of the sea.” Remember how we have shown by the scriptures that Jesus was “made…sin for us.” Here we see yet another part to the picture of Jesus’ sufferings: the trampling under foot of sin. For just as the promise says, that God would trample under foot sin, thus providing forgiveness, in most literal fashion, Jesus, made sin for us, was trampled under foot by God, of whom it says, “it pleased The LORD to crush Him.” [Isa 53:10] And as the risen Jesus will one day, “tread the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God,” [Rev 19:15] in judgment upon earth, upon those who have refused Jesus’ atonement, so too upon the cross Jesus bore the brunt of God’s wrath, being trampled underfoot as it were. As grapes in time past were crushed underfoot to produce the juice, so too Jesus Christ was crushed in the winepress of the fierceness of God’s wrath.
Before concluding, let us be reminded of Jesus’ prayer in the Garden. “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but yours, be done.” [Lk 22:42] This was not the cup of physical suffering which Jesus requested be removed, but the cup of spiritual suffering. It was the wrath of God,
“For in the hand of The LORD there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is fully mixed, and He pours it out; surely its dregs shall all the wicked of the earth drain and drink down.” [Psa 75:8]
Upon the cross, Jesus bore God’s wrath, as we have shown. In that desperate and woeful state Jesus enjoyed no pleasures; for again, as it is written, “upon the wicked He shall rain snares, fire, and brimstone, and a horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup.” [Psa 11:6] Jesus bore the wrathful vengeance of God against sin. We must see this truth clearly. If the torments of the physical cross have been hard to bear in mind, and if the cruelties of Jesus’ spiritual sufferings have been likewise severe, then see it was for our sin. It was not for someone else’s sin, but ours – but mine, but yours. Dear reader, why is it that Christ Jesus was punished so severely? It was for you; it was because of your sin. And it was because of mine. But we must also come to this realization: even if there had not been another sinner upon earth in all of history, Jesus would still have had to bear an equal portion of wrath: His sufferings would not have been diminished, for just one of our sins was enough to cast upon His head all the wrath we have seen thus far.
For those who are trusting in Jesus for salvation, it says, “we shall be saved from wrath through Him.” [Rom 5:9] But let us be reminded: it was because Jesus bore the wrath we deserved. Just as Jesus told the parable wherein a certain king “would take account of his servants,” and settle the books as it were, “[and] one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents:” that is, a debt well over a few billion dollars in today’s equivalent, and the servant, because he “fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me,” the king was thus “moved with compassion…loosed him, and forgave him the debt” – so too we have been forgiven.[Mt 18:23-27] For just as the man owed the king an unrepayable debt, so too we owe God because of our sins. But for the sake of Christ Jesus, that He paid our debt, we can gain forgiveness from God. As it is written, “God for Christ’s sake has forgiven you;” [Eph 4:32] and again,
“But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, has made us alive together with Christ, (by grace are you saved;)…for by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.” [Eph 2:4-5, 8-9]
And again,
“He has not dealt with us according to our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” [Psa 103:10-12]