Pain

For the last several weeks, I’ve had some stomach problems. Sometimes, it’s pretty painful. Often, it’s hard to get to sleep and stay asleep. And it’s mysterious. I’ve had a bunch of tests and scans, but nothing seems to be wrong with me. And, honestly, I’m getting tired of living with pain. I know I’m not alone in this. I know many of you also live with pain day after day. One of the truths I keep coming back to is that Jesus was both fully God and fully human. This means that He experienced all that we experience as humans, including pain and suffering. Did you know that?

One of the pains we suffer is temptation. Do you think Jesus was ever tempted? You bet! Like us, Jesus was barraged with temptation to sin. Just before His ministry began, Jesus faced multiple temptations from Satan (Matthew 4:1–11). Now, Jesus had been in the wilderness for 40 days and all that time, He hadn’t eaten. He had to be starving by that time. Well, after not eating for more than a month, Satan tried to get Jesus to turn stones into bread to feed Himself. Jesus had the power to work miracles like this, and Satan knew it. And, wouldn’t hunger be a significant weakness for Jesus at that specific moment? How hungry would you be after not eating for an entire month? I think it would be impossible for anyone but Jesus to actually turn Satan down, and remain faithful to God. It would be unbelievably tempting to use power you know you have to make food, not only because of hunger but Jesus could put His power on proud display. Oh, how we love to show others how smart we are, how in control we are, by what we can do. But not Jesus. He was not controlled by hunger, pride, or power—He was not controlled by sin. He was controlled by His love for God. He completely depended on God. Jesus resisted Satan’s temptation, patiently waiting, fully trusting in God.

Another example. The crowds loved Jesus at first. How could they not? He healed them from all sorts of diseases and health conditions, instantly and completely. Jesus fed massively large crowds—which means He created food. Who doesn’t love to get that kind of treatment? Free healthcare and free food. But when Jesus said He came from God and that the people should believe in Him, they turned on Him. Eventually, they screamed for His death. We know that part of the story, but did you ever think about what that means in terms of Jesus’s own pain and suffering? Jesus was rejected by His own neighbors and friends, even His own family. He was hated by the Jewish leaders, who were constantly plotting to kill Him during most of His ministry. These guys didn’t just disagree or dislike Jesus—they were intent on killing Him. It seems like Jesus certainly suffered feelings of loneliness, isolation, and abandonment. We know He experienced rejection and betrayal. And of course, we know Jesus suffered extreme physical pain as well. He was beaten and nailed to a cross, a bloody, bruised man who took the wrath of God on Himself in our place, and then died.

You see how it is that Jesus has experienced all that we live with? There’s nothing He can’t identify with you on—no pain that you have that He can’t relate to. And that encourages me in my own pain. Jesus knows what I’m going through! It doesn’t make the pain go away, but I know He understands. I know my prayers are heard by my sympathetic Savior, who can sympathize with my pain because He’s endured more pain than I ever will. This is a lesson to me, to patiently wait and to fully trust in God. I don’t have to understand His plan because He knows exactly what is best for me. I’ll pray for you!