Infinite Suffering

[Daily Devotional]

Infinite Suffering 

For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour
them that are tempted. Heb. 2: 18. 

Would that we could comprehend the significance of the words, Christ
"suffered being tempted." While He was free from the taint of sin, the
refined sensibilities of His holy nature rendered contact with evil
unspeakably painful to Him. Yet with human nature upon Him, He met the
archapostate face to face, and single- handed withstood the foe of His
throne. Not even by a thought could Christ be brought to yield to the power
of temptation. 

What a sight was this for Heaven to look upon! Christ, who knew not the
least taint of sin or defilement, took our nature in its deteriorated
condition. This was humiliation greater than finite man can comprehend. God
was manifest in the flesh. He humbled Himself. What a subject for thought,
for deep, earnest contemplation! So infinitely great that He was the Majesty
of heaven, and yet He stooped so low, without losing one atom of His dignity
and glory! He stooped to poverty and to the deepest abasement among men. For
our sake He became poor, that we through His poverty might be made rich. 

The world had lost the original pattern of goodness and had sunk into
universal apostasy and moral corruption; and the life of Jesus was one of
laborious, self- denying effort to bring man back to his first estate by
imbuing him with the spirit of divine benevolence and unselfish love. While
in the world, He was not of the world. It was a continual pain to Him to be
brought in contact with the enmity, depravity, and impurity which Satan had
brought in; but He had a work to do to bring man into harmony with the
divine plan, and earth in connection with heaven, and He counted no
sacrifice too great for the accomplishment of the object. He "was in all
points tempted like as we are" (Heb. 4: 15). Satan stood ready to assail Him
at every step, hurling at Him his fiercest temptations; yet He "did no sin,
neither was guile found in His mouth" (1 Peter 2: 22). "He . . .suffered
being tempted," suffered in proportion to the perfection of His holiness.
But the prince of darkness found nothing in Him; not a single thought or
feeling responded to temptation. 

>From God's Amazing Grace - Page 165