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and Luke 24:, it would appear that the idea of a suffering Messiah was repudiated and
resisted by the people of Israel. Acts 3: 18 contains Peter's words, "But those things,
which God before shewed by the mouth of all His prophets, that Christ should suffer, He
hath so fulfilled". In the immediately preceding verses Peter enumerates some of "those
things", saying:--
"The God.
. . . of our fathers hath glorified His Son Jesus Whom
(1).
Ye delivered, and
(2).
denied Him in the presence of Pilate, when
(3).
he was determined to let Him go, But
(4).
ye denied the Holy one and the just, and
(5).
desired a murderer to be granted unto you, and
(6).
killed the Prince of Life."
The words of Acts 17: 2, 3 indicate strong opposition to the idea of a suffering
Messiah:--
"And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned
with them out of the Scriptures, opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have
suffered, and risen again from the dead, and that this Jesus whom, said he, I preach unto
you, is the Messiah."
The Epistle to the Hebrews contains several references to the sufferings of Christ.
"The One who was made for a little while lower than the angels we behold, Jesus,
because of the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour" (2: 9).
"For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things,
in leading many sons to glory, to perfect the Captain of their salvation through
sufferings" (2: 10).
"For that He Himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succour them that are
tempted" (2: 18).
"Though being a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered; and
having been perfected, He became the cause of aionian salvation to all them that obey
Him" (5: 8, 9).
"Nor yet that He should offer Himself often. . . . for then must He often have
suffered since the overthrow of the world" (9: 25, 26).
"Wherefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered
without the gate" (13: 12).
Only one of these occurrences in Hebrews has direct reference to the great offering on
Calvary without having an immediate or contextual reference to its connection with glory
to follow; that reference being 9: 25, 26, where the "suffering" is answerable to the
word "to offer Himself" (verse 25), and "sacrifice of Himself" (verse 26). The other
references do not present the great sacrifice for sin so much as they speak of suffering in
relation to glory and perfecting. The first reference tells us that while we see not yet the
Universal Throne occupied by the Son of God, we see Jesus crowned with glory and
honour on account of, or because of, the suffering of death. The next reference (2: 10),
speaks of leading "many sons to glory", not merely leading them (to use the type of 3:,
4:) out of Egypt, but into Canaan. Here is the true Joshua (4: 8 margin).
The experiences of Israel's wilderness journey may be largely summed up in the word
"tempted". It is the lot of all who, having been saved, are passing on unto perfection. So