Last time we defined the word passion by examining the Hebrew and the Greek, with a look at the English. In this devotion, we begin with the Latin.
The word passion is from the Latin pati, which simply means “to endure” or “to suffer.” We see this as it is played out in scripture from the Garden of Gethsemane to His death on the cross, which is the greatest time of suffering in the life of Christ. We see the passion of Christ recorded in:
- Matthew 26:36-27:56
- Mark 14:32-15:41
- Luke 22:39-23:49
- John 18:1-19:37
Scripture gives us a clear understanding of the events surrounding and involving the crucifixion of Christ. This is considered the apex of human history, the grand theme of the apostles’ teaching about the life, ministry and the death of the Messiah.
For I didn’t think ⌊it was a good idea⌋ to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. (1 Corinthians 2:2 HCSB)
Through the passion of the Christ we are made right with God.
What transpired on the cross was real and prophesied by the Old Testament writers. He did not simply appear to suffer, He experienced the full and complete sorrow of the sins of the people. He did not simply appear to die-or as some say, He fainted-He died. He experienced a moment in which He prayed in Gethsemane, “My Father, if is possible, may this cup be taken from me.” (Matthew 26:39)
As He prepared for this time to come, shortly, he was in great anguish as He anticipated the suffering it would entail. (Luke 22:44) Leading up the crucifixion He was beaten and mocked, a crown of thorns was pressed down on His head. He was shuffled from one place to another, appearing before one ruler to another, being treated like a piece of meat to be devoured. All of these things were leading up to the great moment of sacrifice.
That time of the cross was much more severe. He was nailed to a cross. He was left there in the heat of the day. He hung there in the balance between God and man, between heaven and earth. He experienced genuine, truly extreme and excruciating pain as He suffered to pay the debt we could not pay. A debt for the sins we committed against a Holy, Just God; suffering for sins He did not commit. All was endured by the precious Savior Jesus Christ to save those who would trust in Him.
Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was punished.
He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.
After he has suffered,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.Isaiah 53:4-12
Passion involves a strong emotion, but we are not equated that to the modern understanding of something which last for a short time or for a period or season. The strong emotion we see in the suffering Jesus endured is not something which was for a moment of time, because Jesus came with the purpose of laying down His life for us. This is something we see throughout His teachings in the gospels and it is something from which He never wavered. He came with the passion to redeem lost humanity. Jesus is the Lamb of God which is slain from the creation of the world. (Matthew 16:21-23 and 21:24; Revelation 13:8)
It is best said, that Jesus’ passion (suffering) was not due to passion (strong emotion) but to a settled purpose!
