5. JESUS WAS BRUISED BY HIS CONFLICTS WITH ISRAEL'S RELIGIOUS LEADERS.

The traumatic effect on Jesus of His conflicts with Israel's religious leaders.

As we have see before in Ps.69v19-21., Jesus was very badly emotionally effected by the violent verbal abuse of His enemies. We are told in Heb.12v2,3., v2. "Looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. v3. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted." RSV. The gentle and kind soul of Jesus was attacked and ravaged by every kind of lie, insinuation, and vicious verbal abuse from the vast majority of Israel's religious leaders. Murder was in their hearts, and they planned to kill Jesus, as soon as it became possible. They got plausible people to ask Jesus trick questions, in order to accuse Him to Pilate, and so get Jesus executed for treason. Israel's religious leaders knew the merciful and forgiving nature of Jesus, and looked upon the case of the women taken in adultery as another good opportunity for them to accuse Jesus of breaking God's Law.

a. We must "look away to" Jesus, and "consider" Jesus. Heb.12v2,3.

In Heb.12v2., "looking away to," is "aphorontes eis." "Aphorontes," is the present active participle of "aphorao" 872, to look away to, to look away from one thing to concentrate on another. Unto" is "eis" 1519, which means "into," as well as, "to," or "unto." We should not just look to Jesus, but also actively and continuously look into all the glorious splendour and majesty of His inner being and Godhead, "looking away into Jesus." Fix your eyes into all that Jesus is, He is our goal. Imitate Moses, who "accounted the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt: for he kept on looking away to the recompense of reward." Heb.11v26. "For he kept on looking away to," is "apeblepen gar eis," the imperfect active of "apoblepo" 578. The reward of Moses and ourselves is knowing the fullness of Jesus. We should ceaselessly and perpetually look away to Jesus the Author and Pioneer ("archegon" 747, see Heb.2v10.) of faith, and the Perfecter, "teleioten" 5051, one who brings to the goal, Jesus will assuredly bring our faith and our characters to the goal of conformity to His image. Rom.8v29. Christ's life of suffering, and the sufferings of His atoning death, has made Jesus the perfect Saviour and High Priest. Heb.5v5-10. Jesus has fully earned and merited the position that God the Father has given to Him, and is worthy of all the praise that we can give Him.

In Heb.12v3., The King James Version reads. "For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds." In Heb.12v3.. The New King James Version reads. "For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls." In Heb.12v3., "consider" is "analogisasthe," the aorist middle imperative of "analogizomai" 357, which means, to reckon up, to count up, to compare, to weigh, to consider, it only occurs here in the New Testament. "The verb can also include the idea of meditation."

In Heb.3v1., "consider," is "katanoesate," the aorist active imperative of "katanoeo," 2657, to put the mind down on a thing, to fix the mind on something, it speaks of a continuous observation and attention. Meditating on, knowing, and understanding Jesus is the key to all our problems, the cure for all our doubts, fears, and uncertainty.

b. Consider the astounding steadfast and brave endurance of Jesus in vicious opposition.

In Heb.12v2., "he endured," is "hupemeinen." It is the aorist active indicative of "hupomeno" 5278, to patiently endure, to steadfastly and bravely endure. Jesus despised, ("kataphronesas" the aorist active participle of "kataphroneo" 2706, to think down on something, to despise and treat as contemptible), the shame and disgrace, ("aischunes" 152), of "the death of the Cross," Phil.2v8., the most shameful and discreditable of deaths. In Gethsemane He briefly shrank from the suffering ahead, but love for us drove Him forward, and He submitted to the Father's will, and at immeasurable cost and personal suffering, anguish and grief, brought about our salvation. Christ's glorious sacrificial victory, justly won and made Jesus a co-partner of His Father's throne. "Hath sat down," is "kekathiken," the perfect active indicative of "kathizo" 2523, the perfect tense informs us that He still sits at the right hand of the Father, and has all authority and power. Heb.1v3. Eph.1v20-23. Mt.28v18-20.

In Heb.12v3., "endured," is "hupomemenekota." This is the perfect active participle of the same verb, "hupomeno" 5278, that is used in Heb.12v2., to speak of Jesus bravely enduring the Cross, is here used to speak of our Lord's brave endurance of the vicious verbal attacks spoken against Jesus by His enemies. The A.V. "gainsaying," is "antilogia" 485, (from "antilogos," and "antilego" 483), which means speaking against, controversy, dispute, contradiction, and opposition. In opposing Jesus, Christ's enemies became enemies of their own souls. However, in Heb.6v16. and 7v7., "antilogia" is used in a positive way to state that God's Word and oath end all possibility of strife and contradiction. Christ' superlative example under extreme opposition, slander and persecution, should strengthen us against ever being "weary and faint in our minds," in the temptations, trials and conflicts of life. "Faint," is "ekluomenoi," the present passive participle of "ekluo," 1590, to release, to loosen out; in the passive, to be tired out and enfeebled, to become extremely weary, to faint from exhaustion, here in Heb.12v3., in soul, as in Heb.12v5.

In Psalm.22., we see the amazing prophetic accuracy of the events concerning the crucifixion of Jesus. It gives us a clear insight into how the vicious verbal attacks on Jesus affected Him. In the Gospels, generally speaking, we see the outward acts of Jesus, in the Psalms and Isaiah, we see the inner pain and conflicts of Jesus. We see how Israel's religious leaders baited, reviled, and mocked Jesus in the most terrible and blasphemous manner.

c. Consider the horrors Jesus endured which are recorded in Psalm 22.

We read in The Amplified Bible in Psalm.22v7-20. v7 All who see me laugh at me and mock me; they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, [Matt 27:43.] v8 He trusted and rolled himself on the Lord, that He would deliver him. Let Him deliver him, seeing that He delights in him! [Matt 27:39,43; Mark 15:29,30; Luke 23:35.] v9 Yet You are He Who took me out of the womb; You made me hope and trust when I was on my mother's breasts. v10 I was cast upon You from my very birth; from my mother's womb You have been my God. v11 Be not far from me, for trouble is near and there is none to help. v12 Many [foes like] bulls have surrounded me; strong bulls of Bashan have hedged me in. [Ezek 39:18.] v13 Against me they opened their mouths wide, like a ravening and roaring lion. v14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart is like wax; it is softened [with anguish] and melted down within me. v15 My strength is dried up like a fragment of clay pottery; [with thirst] my tongue cleaves to my jaws; and You have brought me into the dust of death. [John 19:28.] v16 For [like a pack of] dogs they have encompassed me; a company of evildoers has encircled me, they pierced my hands and my feet. [Isa 53:7; John 19:37.] v17 I can count all my bones; [the evildoers] gaze at me. [Luke 23:27,35.] v18 They part my clothing among them and cast lots for my raiment (a long, shirt like garment, a seamless under tunic). [John 19:23,24.] v19 But be not far from me, O Lord; O my Help, hasten to aid me! v20 Deliver my life from the sword, my dear life [my only one] from the power of the dog [the agent of execution]. AMP

After the precise and accurate description of the awful scenes around the cross, and the inner and outward suffering of our dear Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit takes us to the scene in Heaven. All the massed angelic choirs sing for joy at our Saviours glorious victory, and Jesus rejoices before the Father with all those dearly loved saints that He has redeemed and brought out of the darkness of Hades into His Father's kingdom. What a day of rejoicing that was, and that rejoicing continues today when sinners repent. Lk.15v7,10.

Ps.22v22-31. v22 "I will declare Your name to my brethren; in the midst of the congregation will I praise You. [John 20:17; Rom 8:29; Heb 2:12.] v23 You who fear (revere and worship) the Lord, praise Him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify Him. Fear (revere and worship) Him, all you offspring of Israel. v24 For He has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither has He hidden His face from him, but when he cried to Him, He heard. v25 My praise shall be of You in the great congregation. I will pay to Him my vows [made in the time of trouble] before them who fear (revere and worship) Him. v26 The poor and afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; they shall praise the Lord - they who [diligently] seek for, inquire of and for Him, and require Him [as their greatest need]. May your hearts be quickened now and forever! v27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall bow down and worship before You, v28 For the kingship and the kingdom are the Lord's, and He is the ruler over the nations. v29 All the mighty ones upon earth shall eat [in thanksgiving] and worship; all they that go down to the dust shall bow before Him, even he who cannot keep himself alive. v30 Posterity shall serve Him; they shall tell of the Lord to the next generation. v31 They shall come and shall declare His righteousness to a people yet to be born - that He has done it [that it is finished]! [John 19:30.] AMP

Jesus has won a glorious victory, and in Heaven His brethren will give Him the praise that He truly deserves.

d. Consider how Jesus was persecuted and murdered because of the envy in Israel's religious leaders.

Pilate knew that Israel's religious leaders had delivered Jesus up out of envy. Mt.27v17,18. Mk.15v9,10. Envy, "phthonos," is even more destructive and malignant than "zelos," jealousy; "zelos," casts hostile grudging looks; "phthonos," "envy," has arrived at the stage of hostile and even murderous acts. It is grief at another person's good fortune, it is not just the pain that they do not possess the other person's good fortune or blessing, but the bitterness that the other person does. It is not so much the desire for what another person has; it is the desire to take away from them what they have, or prevent them from possessing it. "Zelos," "jealousy," can sometimes speak of noble ambition, and a desire for something good, as well as a covetous evil desire; whereas. "phthonos," "envy," can only speak of a bitter and evil ill will. It is not just grief over an enemy's good fortune; it can even be anger at a friend's good fortune. The Jews went beyond jealously to the active hatred of the more malignant "phthonos," "envy." Though they were certainly inspired by Satan, we are not told that they were possessed by Satan, like Judas was. The jealousy and envy in their hearts drove them to oppose and murder Jesus, and fulfil Satan's desires.. Mk.2v5-7,16,23,24. 3v1,2. 15v10. Mt.27v18.

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