Satisfaction in the Sufferings of Christ

When you first saw the title to this post did you think of your satisfaction or the satisfaction of God? The cross speaks to the Mick Jaggers and Keith Richards of the world, offering true satisfaction. But it is not the kind of satisfaction that we ordinarily look for in our lives. We live our lives looking for personal satisfaction. The cross is foremost about the satisfaction of God.

The Biblical account of the suffering and death of Jesus on the cross is a peculiar answer to our needs and problems. It only makes sense when we see our lives as part of a greater story, which does not begin with us, but with God. The Bible begins, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth". God does not exist for us, we exist for God. There on the cross, in his agonizing death on our behalf, Jesus accomplished the very thing we were created to do: bring God satisfaction. In our place, Jesus gave his Father perfect obedience and bore the full weight of the punishment we deserved for our disobedience. There on the cross, God was satisfied.

In his book The Economy of the Covenants between God and Man, Herman Witsius writes about the agony Christ this way:

"This exceeding trouble and agony did not arise only from the sympathy of the soul with the body, nor from the mere horror of impending death; it was something else that afflicted the soul of Christ, namely, his bearing the sins, not of one, but of all the elect; he had beheld the awful tribunal of God, before which he was presently to appear, in order to pay what he took not away; he saw the Judge himself, armed with all the terrors of his incomprehensible vengeance, the law brandishing all the thunders of its curses, the devil, and all the powers of darkness, with all the gates of hell just ready to pour in upon his soul: in a word, he saw justice itself, in all its inexorable rigour, to which he was now to make full satisfaction; he saw the face of his dearest Father, without darting a single ray of favour upon him, but rather burning with hot jealousy in all the terrors of his wrath against the sins of mankind, which he had undertaken to atone for. And withersoever he turned, not the least glimpse of relief appeared for him, either in heaven or on earth, till with resolution and constancy he had acquitted himself in the combat. These, these are the things, which, not without reason, struck Christ with terror and amazement, and forced from him his groans, his sighs, and his tears."

There is unexpected satisfaction to be found in the suffering of Christ; for there on the cross God is not only satisfied with Jesus; he is also satisfied with all who seek forgiveness by believing on Christ as their God and Savior. This is not some inner satisfaction that comes from being numb to the world or to the problems that surround us, or from perfect calm and zen-like peace in our lives. It is not the empty promise of consumerism to give us satisfaction in things. It is not even ultimately the hope of a better world (although by changing our lives, it makes us into better neighbors to people near and far). This satisfaction does not begin with us; it begins with God. It flows from the promise that for Jesus' sake God is satisfied with us; that he desires good for us; and that he will take us from this world to live with him forever one day.