Carrying Your Cross: What Jesus Said About Suffering
by: Janie Denney
April 16, 2025
“‘Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.’”
Holy Week is my favorite time of year. It is a sacred, powerful time to slow down and intentionally reflect on the final days of Jesus’ ministry on earth. Each day holds deep meaning, pointing us toward the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
This Easter, the Lord has been drawing me to the principle of suffering. In a culture that often seeks to avoid pain at all costs, the Gospel invites us to see suffering through a redemptive lens. So we ask: What did Jesus say about suffering? Why do Christians suffer?
Jesus did not shy away from teaching about hardship. In John 16:33, He says, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” He assures us that while we will face trials, we are never alone—and our trials are not without purpose.
Jesus Himself, the Son of God, chose to enter human history during one of its most brutal periods. His crucifixion was not an accident or misstep—it was divinely appointed. As the National Library of Medicine has documented, crucifixion was one of the cruelest, most excruciating methods of execution. Jesus endured this not just to fulfill prophecy, but to experience human pain in its fullest depth. This was not by accident. Jesus endured trials so that He would be able to experience and empathize with our weaknesses. Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.” He felt sorrow, betrayal, physical pain, and even the weight of abandonment and betrayal.
In Luke 22:42, we read the raw humanity of Jesus as He prays in the garden: “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”Moments leading up to his arrest, we see both the pain of the cross and the faithful submission to the Father’s will. And even in that turmoil, we read that “...an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened Him” (Luke 22:43-44). In the middle of agony, he was strengthened by divine presence.
So, why did Jesus endure the cross? The answer is simple: Because of his great love for us. John 3:16 tells us: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Jesus willingly bore the weight of sin, shame, and death so that we might be free. As He said in Mark 10:33-34, He knew what was coming—the betrayal, mocking, and death. Yet, He embraced it, all for our sake, out of his great love for you and me.
As followers of Christ, we are not promised a life free of suffering. In fact, we are called to take up our own crosses—to bear the weight of the cross. Jesus clearly communicates the cost of discipleship in Matthew 16:24: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
True discipleship means:
Unconditional Commitment – Surrendering every part of our lives to Christ (Matthew 16:24).
Faith Over Family – Prioritizing the Kingdom of God above all, even close earthly relationships (Luke 9:60).
Willingness to Sacrifice Comfort – Just as Christ suffered in the body, we are called to arm ourselves with the same mindset (1 Peter 4:1).
Suffering, while painful, is not without purpose. In fact, suffering refines us. Romans 5:3-5 says, “We glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame...”
I want to encourage you in the unwavering hope we have in Jesus. He is the anchor of our soul. As we reflect on the cross and celebrate the resurrection this week, may we also embrace the call to carry our cross and follow Jesus fully—even through trials—knowing that in Him, all things are being made new.
Worship: To The One We Love
Prayer
The Lord’s Prayer, Matthew 6:9-13
Further Study
Luke 22, Ecclesiastes 3
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An animal lover asked me the other day, “Why would God require the slaughter of sweet innocent animals just to wash away people’s sins in the Old Testament?” And then another person said to me, “I find the Cross problematic. Why would God sacrifice His Son Jesus for my sin? I would never do that to my child!”