Hebrews 2.10 claims Jesus, God as man, was made perfect through what he suffered.
When we think of God suffering we think of the cross upon which He was crucified as the sacrifice for our sins, the payment God the Father required in order to pardon all who love God from their disobedience toward Him.
No doubt the greatest suffering occurred at the separation of God the Father from God the Son when the sins of humanity were all transferred to the perfect One. A mystery difficult for us to understand.
God on earth suffered more than just at the cross, He suffered the loss of pride, popularity and possessions.
The amazing story of God on earth begins with His means of coming, He came as a servant. God came to serve and not be served. No other religion at no time in any place paints such a picture of God. God means all-powerful, all worthy of worship, to be recognized as all-awesome yet He was ignored as God, even mocked then killed for claiming to be God. God swallowed His pride to live with us, love us and die for us.
As a result of not being recognized for Who He really was, Jesus was not popular with the leaders of His day. Those who were most likely to recognize Him failed causing the masses to likewise reject Him and His message. At the end of His ministry, all of His disciples fled too leaving Him to suffer and die alone except for His mother and a few women. The Savior people wanted wasn’t the sacrifice He provided. The people wanted a provider who would bless them not pardon them for their sins.
Finally, the God Who Created and Sustains everything died with nothing, He possessed nothing, He owned nothing. He described Himself to His followers as One Who had no place to sleep at night. Jesus was tempted to have everything this world offered but refused it teaching us that all we really need is every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
God the Father seeks to make all of His children like His first born Son. Those who submit themselves to the process will suffer the loss of their pride, their popularity and their possessions.
What is it costing you to be a follower of Jesus?
