by Chuck Muether
In this week’s Heidelbit, we reflect on Lord’s Day 15 of the Heidelberg Catechism.
37. What do you understand by the word “suffered”?
That all the time He lived on earth, but especially at the end of His life, He bore, in body and soul, the wrath of God against the sin of the whole human race; in order that by His suffering, as the only atoning sacrifice, He might redeem our body and soul from everlasting damnation, and obtain for us the grace of God, righteousness, and eternal life.
38. Why did He suffer “under Pontius Pilate” as judge?
That He, being innocent, might be condemned by the temporal judge, and thereby deliver us from the severe judgment of God, to which we were exposed.
39. Is there anything more in His having been “crucified” than if He had suffered some other death?
Yes, for thereby I am assured that He took upon Himself the curse which lay upon me, because the death of the cross was accursed of God.
What do you understand by the word “suffered”?
Sadly, too many in the broader evangelical church would wince at this question because these churchgoers want a convenient faith; they want their creature comforts, and so they pursue the Christian faith as a give and take proposition. “I will give Jesus His due on the Lord’s Day by attending a worship service, and He in turn gives me six days of prosperity.”
A good exercise for us is to meditate upon what Jesus actually gave us. Drawing from biblical text, the catechism tells us, “That all the time He lived on earth, but especially at the end of His life, He bore, in body and soul, the wrath of God against the sin of the whole human race; in order that by His suffering, as the only atoning sacrifice, He might redeem our body and soul from everlasting damnation, and obtain for us the grace of God, righteousness, and eternal life.”
Dear believer, never cease to be amazed that Christ should love the unlovable and suffer and die for that person. Blessed is the man who knows that he was once estranged from God by his sin and had to be reconciled by Christ, and can now call God “Abba” because of the atoning sacrifice.
Blessed is the man who understands, is humbled and grateful, praises God over why Jesus had to suffer under the judge Pontius Pilate. The catechism reminds us, “That He, being innocent, might be condemned by the temporal judge, and thereby deliver us from the severe judgment of God, to which we were exposed.” Jesus took upon Himself the judgment of a human judge, so that you, who believe in the Father and the Son and confess Christ, would not receive the greater judgment of the one-only divine Judge.
Blessed also is the man who knows why Jesus had to die in the manner He did. The sobering text tells us, “And if a man has committed a crime punishable by death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God” (Deut. 21:22, 23).
Again, dear believer, never cease to be amazed that not only did Jesus die for you, but He was sacrificed by taking upon “Himself the curse which lay upon me, because the death of the cross was accursed of God” (HC, 39).
The idea of giving Jesus His due by simply attending a worship service and then expecting a prosperous return is a grievous attempt at compartmentalizing the faith. First, no one could ever give Jesus His due, as if what He achieved at Calvary could be matched by human effort; second, what is expected from us is a true life of discipleship to the One who has bought us body and soul, both in life and in death.
Dear believer, He suffered for you, and you now have assurance that you are not your own, but belong to your faithful Savior Jesus Christ, who with His precious blood has fully satisfied for all your sins (HC, 1). Live as one who has been assured of eternal life, as one who has been made heartily willing and ready from now on to live unto Him.