Intuit

The other night I started reading Thomas Case’s book, ‘A Treatise on Afflictions, (1671).’ He opened his treatise by explaining why God’s afflictions benefit his children. In his first explanation, he pointed out how Jesus became man – in human flesh like us – and did so knowing that he would experience pain and suffering. One of  the characters in Case’s treatise asked, “Why? If Jesus is God, and if God knows everything, wouldn’t Jesus have known pain and suffering? If so, why did God become man?”

“Yes, God knew suffering – as a matter of intuition,” Case replied and explained further –

“Indeed, I have no doubt that God could ‘intuit’ or ‘suppose’ pain as no other, but to experience ‘real’ pain and suffering? That is something God could only accomplish by becoming flesh himself. Here, with Jesus becoming flesh, is God’s ultimate love and sympathy shown to us. How often we try to console a friend in their suffering. What do we often say? ‘I can’t imagine what you are going through.’ Sometimes, we might say that we can imagine what they’re going through… yes, because we went through a similar experience. However, even then, our recollection of a similarly painful experience is not the same as what our friend may be going through presently. There are too many differences that come into play – better or worse… our pain threshold… duration of affliction… other extenuating circumstances… to name just a few.” 

You know, bad things happen, and many people blame God… but if I get this right, God foreknew all the bad that would happen… call it intuition, I suppose… and yes, God could’ve relented and not sent his only begotten Son to die on the cross for us. The problem is, once Adam sinned, and his seed fell under condemnation, if God had held Jesus back, what then for us? That wouldn’t have stopped the consequences of our sin. And God was not about to ‘intuit’ his Son’s death in order to save us. No, our Lord Jesus emptied himself of his Deity to become like us. Why? To join us in our suffering, and to comfort those who follow him, because he did.