They only who have suffered are able to save

I often wonder why God allowed Jesus to suffer so much pain on the cross . Why make him suffer the prolonged agony of crucifixion rather than a relatively painless sword thrust ? The result would have been the same the death of the body followed by the miracle of resurrection. Did in someway God need to feel the pain of human suffering or was it a matter of showing us the depth of the love that he has for us. I believe that it was a combination of both the Old Testament shows us the struggles that God had with his creation  . Up to the birth of Jesus God had tried everything direct engagement , relationship by proxy via the prophets and long periods of silence now with the sacrifice of his son he draws a line in the sand. It seems to me that he is  saying three things I'm going to experience humanity at its most intense I'm going to demonstrate through my son the ways of God to man and finally I'm going to take away mans sin for all time.

Suffering is never fun but sharing in suffering does bring about compassion and understanding. If we have had money all our lives and suddenly we loose it we can understand for the first time the plight of those with nothing .A friend looses his job if we have been employed all our lives it is difficult to comprehend the lack of self worth and shame in not being able to provide for our families. It is only in experiencing ourselves the pain and suffering of others that we can come to truly understand them. So in a way that borders on the counter intuitive suffering becomes a necessary part of a becoming a better person. Pain is a two edged sword as it not only reminds us of our own frailty and mortality but in doing so makes it possible for us to treat others with compassion. It reminds us that we are not in control and that we need to reach out of this world in order to find lasting comfort. So it was, Christs suffering led to understanding and acceptance  ' father forgive them for they know not what they do' to the resurrection that places Christ and ourselves forever beyond the pain of the world.