February 27 – The Weight of God's Wrath

"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." (Isaiah 53:6, KJV)

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Christ bore the weight of humanity’s sin. The horror of guilt pressed upon Him so heavily that His human nature trembled under its burden. In deep agony, He cried out:

"O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt." (Matthew 26:39, KJV)

The same divine power that upheld justice and poured out retribution upon Christ as the substitute for mankind was the power that strengthened Him to endure the crushing weight of God's wrath against sin. Jesus was suffering the death that had been pronounced upon all transgressors of God’s law.

It is a fearful thing for an unrepentant sinner to fall into the hands of the living God. This was demonstrated in the destruction of the ancient world by the flood and in the fire that rained down upon Sodom. Yet, never before was the full measure of divine justice seen as it was in Christ’s agony—when He bore the wrath of God for a sinful world.

Humanity was not created to carry the burden of sin, nor can it fully comprehend the horror of its curse as Christ did. No suffering can compare to what He endured when the wrath of God fell upon Him with crushing force. Human nature can only withstand a finite amount of pain and distress before it succumbs. But Christ, in whom divinity and humanity were united, had a greater capacity to suffer. His divine nature enabled Him to endure the full penalty of sin for all mankind.

His suffering reveals the true depth of sin and the certainty of divine judgment upon those who refuse to turn from it. "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23, KJV)

For those who repent and believe, Christ’s sacrifice offers the hope of life eternal.