He Will Never Fail To Succor His People

Writing of the Garden of Gethsemane, Matthew tells us that Jesus took some of his disciples with him, but "went a little beyond them, and fell on his face" (Matthew 26:39). That's a useful metaphor of how we can share in Jesus' suffering in some ways, but not fully, how there are significant differences between our suffering and his.

An aspect of his substitutionary work on our behalf that doesn't get as much attention as it should is his taking upon himself sins we aren't aware of or have underestimated or misjudged in some other way. Job offered sacrifices for the potential sins of his children, sins he may have been unaware of (Job 1:5). Leviticus makes provision for sins of ignorance (5:17). "Who can discern his errors? Acquit me of hidden faults." (Psalm 19:12) The New Testament refers to sins committed in ignorance (Luke 12:48, Acts 2:36-38, 3:17-19, 1 Timothy 1:13-15, Hebrews 9:7). Your initial knowledge of a sin committed can be lost later. You can waver about whether you've sinned in a particular situation. Even if you reach a conclusion without wavering, there can be significant doubt about that conclusion. Paul wrote, "I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord." (1 Corinthians 4:4) The Lord "who loved me and gave himself up for me" (Galatians 2:20), who "will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom" (2 Timothy 4:18). If we had to be aware of all of our sins and repent of each one by name, "who could stand?" (Psalm 130:3)

Some decisions in life are difficult. There are occasions when we don't know whether we've sinned. A hard choice has to be made, one we may agonize over, even for years or decades. Think of the value of having a Savior who bore our griefs and carried our sorrows (Isaiah 53:4). "The chastening for our well-being fell upon him, and by his scourging we are healed." (verse 5) Our iniquity fell on him (verse 6). He knows more about our sins than we do. The Christian who agonizes over whether he sinned in a particular context doesn't have to agonize over whether any sin he committed was born by Christ. His soul was "deeply grieved, to the point of death", but he told his sinful disciples to "remain here and keep watch with me" (Matthew 26:38).

He knows our sins better than we do, and he knows the remainder of our lives better than we do, our sorrows, our motives that have been misjudged by other people, and everything else. "Despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief" (Isaiah 53:3), including the grief of public shame and false suspicions and false accusations. "Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)

When I address subjects like these, I'm concerned about addressing them inadequately. How could my comments not be inadequate, given the nature of what's involved? But these subjects are worth discussing, even in an imperfect way.

"Since it would not be possible for any believer, however experienced, to know for himself all that our Lord endured in the place of the olive-press, when he was crushed beneath the upper and the nether mill-stone of mental suffering and hellish malice, it is clearly far beyond the preacher's capacity to set it forth to you. Jesus himself must give you access to the wonders of Gethsemane…Oh! dear friends, when the immaculate Lamb of God found himself in the place of the guilty, when he could not repudiate that place because he had voluntarily accepted it in order to save his chosen, what must his soul have felt, how must his perfect nature have been shocked at such close association with iniquity? We believe that at this time, our Lord had a very clear view of all the shame and suffering of his crucifixion. The agony was but one of the first drops of the tremendous shower which discharged itself upon his head. He foresaw the speedy coming of the traitor-disciple, the seizure by the officers, the mock-trials before the Sanhedrin, and Pilate, and Herod, the scourging and buffeting, the crown of thorns, the shame, the spitting….We have glanced at the fountains of the great deep which were broken up when the floods of grief deluged the Redeemer's soul. Brethren, this one lesson ere we pass from the contemplation. 'We have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.' [Hebrews 4:15-16] Let us reflect that no suffering can be unknown to him. We do but run with footmen—he had to contend with horsemen; we do but wade up to our ankles in shallow streams of sorrow—he had to buffet with the swellings of Jordan. He will never fail to succor his people" (Charles Spurgeon)