Just when we somehow convince ourselves that no one has suffered as greatly as us, Jesus Christ reminds us in the Easter story that His sufferings were to demonstrate His love for us all.

 

Sometimes, it seems, that we think we're the only ones who suffered in this life. To the Vietnam war veteran who had to live a life of disability after exposure to the chemical agent orange during his tour of duty, it is easy to see why this is true for you.  To the grieving widow who lost her husband through a sudden death you may believe that no one has suffered as mightily as you. To the parents who suffered the loss a child, or in some cases multiple of children, it is easy to see why you would see your suffering  a gross injustice in the order of things.  To the Iraq war veterans suffering from traumatic brain injuries and opioid addiction just to cope, you may have this similar thought.

For the nurses and emergency front line workers who watch their counterparts succumb to the  corona virus who when they try to educate their non medical friends of the need to social distance and wear the mask they are ridicule and mocked as if they were part of the grand conspiracy.

Yet, as we head into the holiest week of Christianity beginning with Palm Sunday and ending with His resurrection on Easter Sunday, I'm reminded that there is one who has suffered greater than all of us- Jesus Christ, God's gift of salvation and the one who finally conquered death for all of us. 

Imagine, if you will, you stepped back into time and were one of the eye-witnesses to the torture and beatings of Jesus.  You were there when He did his first miracle of turning water into wine for the wedding feast. You were there when Jesus healed the blind person so he could once again see, and you were even there when when Jesus gave his Sermon on the mount. But, on this dreary night you watched this man mocked, ridiculed, his clothes torn from him, with vicious Roman soldiers nailing him to the cross using rudimentary tools that caused maximum pain. 

Imagine, listening to your heart rate beating faster as you wonder if you should say something to stop the carnival beating of your friend Jesus?  But, you know if you said anything their depraved mind may put you on the cross beside Jesus as a Christ sympathizer- so you say nothing. The only thing you could do was weep for your friend.

Imagine, if you will, staying at that site until Jesus takes his final breath, but just before he does you faintly hear him say, "It is finished" as he looks up toward heaven before dying.

As most others did, you walked home weeping and crying as if none of what Jesus said in the stories you heard no longer matter.  Then on Sunday morning you arise early and from afar you could see this man who supposedly died come back to life- He is alive!  How could it be, you wondered? Your mind goes back to the very sayings you heard from Jesus: "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me, or the one he said to the blind man's parents that he was made this way so that the works of God could be displayed in him"   

Finally, imagine you being there when Jesus ascended to heaven one final time, but just before that he said he was sending his holy spirit to you and others who decide follow him!  You walk away with a smile and now believing that Jesus finally meant every word you heard in his short earthly journey. 

You are filled with hope and want to follow Jesus and make him known to a world deep in pain who still feel no one has suffered as greatly as they!

Now imagine being asked by a friend if you ever received Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord of your life.  You run through your entire life's story to only conclude you hadn't as yet.  You remember your mom and dad dedicating you as a baby, but that was their promise to God to raise you in a godly manner. Then, your friend asked you if you would like to be assured of your eternal salvation and you say, "yes".  These are the words you might use with your friend: " Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior."

If you said this prayer, the word of God reminds us that your name is written in the Lord's book of life with God's promise that your eternal destiny is assured.  Just as Apostle Paul reminds us that though it is good to be with the Lord, it is also good to remain here with you. Simply, since Christ dwells in you he has a purpose to use you to be a blessing to others still suffering in this life.

Won't you answer his call and be the purposeto bless others?