Suffering Righteously - Matthew 27:32-55

There’s an old anecdote about a newspaper reporter who called his editor with a story about an empty truck that rolled down a hill and smashed into a house. The editor was unimpressed and said he didn't care to run the story. Then the reporter replied, “Well I’m glad you’re so calm, because it was your house.” We respond differently to things when they affect us personally, don’t we?

I believe it was President Harry Truman who described the difference between a recession and a depression this way: “A recession is when your neighbor loses his job; a depression is when you lose yours.”

Our view of suffering is very different when we are the ones suffering. One of the hardest things to do is suffer with the poise and patience that comes from faith. Think of a time when you endured great pain. We know that it’s honorable to suffer well, to remain hopeful, to not complain or lose heart. But it doesn’t come naturally to us.

We linger into things like self-pity, anger, bitterness, irritability, and pessimism. We can grow callous toward God, or withdraw from Him, or simply try to take matters into our hands. Hopelessness or even pride creep in. Our trust in God alone wavers, and we don’t suffer righteously. We walk by sight, and the apostle Paul tells us that anything not born out of faith is sin. Anything. The righteous must live by faith, and so we bear the guilt of unfaithfulness.

But the hope of the gospel is that Jesus suffered righteously to absorb God’s wrath against our unfaithfulness. And because He did this, those who trust in Him are clothed in His righteousness, and we can suffer righteously. We can walk by faith through trials, persevere in times of testing, and rest in Him.

But how do we do this? What is our part? We know God will carry us; we know he’s in control. What must we do? Well, there are two things we see in Matthew’s account of Jesus’ crucifixion and death. Other Scripture states these things clearly, and so I did something a little different this week. You can see these two points printed for you on page 3 in the worship guide. And you may recognize these statements. The first one is Hebrews ch. 12, verse 3; the second is 1 Peter 5:6-7. 

How can we pursue righteous suffering? “Consider Him who endured from sinners such hostility against Himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted” and “Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time that He may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.”

There is no more difficult thing to do in life, and no more prevalent theme in the Bible. So let’s look at these. Every Lord’s Day, in worship, we reflect on and talk about the cross of Jesus. Every Sunday is a celebration and a reminder of His resurrection day. But it is rare that we actually land on an account of Jesus’ death as we make our way through the Bible. 

I want you to notice something today that maybe you haven’t before. As gruesome and excruciating as Jesus’ crucifixion was, Matthew doesn’t focus on the physical nature of Jesus’ suffering or the cause of his death. When we survey Matthew’s words, we see that he is more focused on fulfillment.

The suffering and death of Jesus fulfill what was foretold long ago. Embedded in these verses are multiple OT references with a common theme. Matthew documents what the events revealed that day: Jesus is the long-awaited Righteous Sufferer.

The insults hurled at Jesus and the actions toward him had been foreshadowed long before. The specific OT references here come from Psalm 22 and Psalm 69 - songs written by a special person who aimed to walk by faith and suffer righteously.

The great Israelite king David wrote them as he wrestled with suffering and the fear that God had left him. The very things we see happening to Jesus were described by David centuries earlier. Some are actually things that happened to David; some are figures of speech to describe what David felt. We understand king David to be one pointing to king Jesus. What I mean is that the things God did in and through king David taught the people what to look for in their eternal King who was to come. 

And so these things that happen to Jesus are fulfillments of those psalms. They were prophetic in this way. For example, In Psalm 69:21, David describes his pain this way: “for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink.” The sour wine was a metaphor for the mistreatment David endured. Now look at verse 34 concerning Jesus: “they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it.” Also verse 48 says they literally filled a sponge with sour wine for Jesus to drink.

In Psalm 22:18, David gives this illustration of the pain his enemies cause him: “they divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.” Now back to Jesus, verse 35 says, “when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots.” 

Psalm 22:7, David says, “All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads.”  Look at verse 39 concerning Jesus: “those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads.”

Psalm 22:8. David’s enemies scoff at him and say, “He trusts in the LORD; let him deliver him”  In verses 41-43, Matthew writes that the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked Jesus, saying “He trusts in God; let God deliver him now.” In both cases, we see contempt toward God’s Anointed king. But one is greater. David is the type or symbol that points to the greater thing. Jesus is the actual. 

There was so much Matthew could have described for us from the scene that day. He does give some details. A man named Simon carried the cross. We have no other solid details about this man. The name of the place was Golgotha. This is a reliable historical record witnessed by many people. These were real people in a real place at a real time.

And while we don’t see the terrible details of his suffering, what we do see is in line with a theme that has run throughout the gospel of Matthew: Jesus is the Righteous Sufferer who came to glorify the one true God in the world. The nation of Israel was set apart to glorify God in the world, but they turned to false gods and did not fulfill their calling. Israel was called to shine the light of God for the rest of the world. But like the nations around them, needed a savior. Jesus is the true and better Israel. He succeeded where they failed. He is the eternal king who would be triumphant in glory, but first, he would be a humble servant. Jesus is the Righteous Sufferer sent from God to show the way to God; Jesus is the spotless Lamb of God to atone for sins he did not commit.

The writer of the book of Hebrews encouraged believers who were suffering mistreatment for the faith, and he told them, “Consider Him who endured from sinners such hostility against Himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.” In other words, ponder Jesus. Think about what he endured, not just the physical pain, but the ridicule of people who needed him but did not understand. How can we not grow weary in this life? Consider Jesus. Think about the plans of God fulfilled by the Righteous Sufferer. 

What do you ponder all day? What do you think about? What soothes you? Pastor Tim Keller states, “Wherever your mind goes most naturally and freely when there is nothing else to distract it—that is what you really live for.”  We think deeply about our problems, our struggles, our dreams. All of us have had things taken away from us during this pandemic. Events cancelled, we can’t spend time with those we love, and these things trouble and frustrate us. It’s natural to fixate on these things.

But those who walk by faith must focus on Jesus. We must think deeply about Him. If we don’t, we will grow weak and weary. Do you want to be strong, and suffer with faith? Set your thoughts on Him who suffered righteously, not only enduring physical pain, but verbal abuse and public humiliation to fulfill God’s plan of salvation. 

But not only should we consider Him, we should humble ourselves by taking our troubles directly to Him. We must cry out to Him. You know, often, in times of pain, people turn away from God. You may hear of seemingly-faithful Christians who endure great suffering and abandon the faith. Sometimes they come back, sometimes they don’t. This was the case in the early church. But the apostle John made this observation. He writes, “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us.” 

Why did professing believers leave the church? Well, there are many cares in this life. Many anxieties. In Luke ch. 8, Jesus tells a parable of a sower who cast a bunch of seeds. Some seed was eaten by birds, some landed on rocks, some fell in the thorns, but some fell on good soil and grew. Jesus later explained the parable, and he says this: “as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.

The meaning of the word translated “cares” or “anxieties” is fascinating. It literally means, “being pulled or drawn in two different directions.” Toward God and away from Him. Faith or sight. Humility or pride. Self-reliance or God-reliance. The righteous must live by faith, crying out to God. We see Jesus do that.

In these next verses, Matthew says that from 12pm to 3pm, darkness covered the land. We understand this to be the supernatural work of God. Notice verse 46, “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli Eli Lama Sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Jesus quotes Psalm 22:1, where David wrote, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?”

David was torn in two directions: faith and sight. He knew God had not left him, but struggled to trust that God had not left him. Of course, God never did leave him, but that was because of God’s grace. David was looking by faith to the Messiah who was to come and who would represent him before God. Jesus is that long-awaited Messiah. 

Why did Jesus cry out like this? Well, in bearing the wrath of God for sin in his human nature, Jesus was separated from the Father. The Trinity was not divided; Jesus was no less God. But humanly speaking, Jesus bore the pain of one who deserved to be utterly left by God. He bore the pain of the unrighteous. 

And Psalm 22, David pours out his heart to God. He doesn’t hide his fear or pain. He is honest with God. He communicates with God as one person does with another. And the Lord renews David’s strength. In a similar, but much greater way, Jesus cried out, and the Father would renew him.

Now, notice these other historical details. There were bystanders who thought Jesus was crying to the prophet Elijah. What he said sounded kind of like “Elijah.” Jesus cried out again. Matthew doesn’t record it, but the apostle John tells us that Jesus said, “It is finished” and Matthew says Jesus “yielded up his spirit.” He died. His humiliation was complete. 

These next events are amazing, but also very telling. Supernaturally, the temple curtain which separated the Most Holy Place was torn, top to bottom. According to the law of Moses, that curtain could only be passed by the high priest on the yearly Day of Atonement. Why did God tear this curtain in half? In his death, Jesus opened the way to God. Therefore, we don’t come to God through a human priest. Jesus is our high priest. He has given us access to the Father. We speak directly to him. 

Also, look at these other events. There was an earthquake that day, and there were even some people raised from the dead like those Jesus had previously raised, although it seems that these appearances didn’t take place until the third day, when Jesus himself was raised. They were a sign of the resurrection to come.

Also notice verse 54. The Roman soldiers recognized, to some extent, who Jesus was. This is in contrast to the Jews who should have recognized him, but did not. The soldiers make that good confession: “Truly this was the Son of God.” And Matthew adds this tag in verses 55 and 56 about the women who were there to encourage and support Jesus. Why would Matthew add this?

Well, for one, they were eye-witnesses of these things, but also, as D.A. Carson points out, “they prove that God has chosen the lowly and despised things of the world to shame the wise and strong.” How so? At that time, women were not seen as having the same value as men. The women are a symbol of humility and faith. Faith is foolish to the worldly. Faith is stupid to those who see themselves as self-sufficient. 

How can you suffer righteously? The same way Jesus did: Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you. In other words, “lift you up.” Jesus humbled himself under God’s hand, he died, but on the third day, the Spirit lifted him up to never die again. But before he was lifted up, he cried out. 

How can we humble ourselves? We cry out to God, casting all our anxieties on Him, because He cares for us. How do you know God cares for you in your troubles? How do you know that God empathizes with you as you are torn in two between faith and sight? You know because God tore in two the dividing curtain and make himself accessible for you to draw near.

John Flavel was a minister in England in the 1600s. In his book, The Mystery of the Providence, Flavel wrote, “They that know God will be humble; they that know themselves cannot be proud.” 

Do your life and thoughts reflect that you know God, that you know you need Him? Draw near to Him. Cry out to Him. What a comfort to know that we draw near to One who understands our sufferings. Our mediator, Jesus Christ, suffered and cried out to God in anguish. But unlike us, he suffered righteously, making him suitable to be our mediator, to be our savior. 

Let’s pray together.