Jesus Faced the Wrath of Man, Not the Wrath of God

 Jesus Faced the Wrath of Man, Not the Wrath of God


In many Christian circles, it’s often said that Jesus died under the wrath of God, bearing divine punishment in our place. But is that truly what Scripture teaches? A closer look reveals a different story—one in which Jesus suffered the wrath of man, not of His heavenly Father. Let's explore how the Bible supports this perspective.


The Prophets and the Pattern of Persecution


The story of Jesus doesn’t begin in a vacuum. His rejection follows a well-established pattern. Stephen, moments before becoming the first Christian martyr, asks this piercing question:


 “Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered.” (Acts 7:52)


Jesus was not the first to be rejected. The prophets before Him were mistreated and even killed by their own people. Far from being divine wrath, this was human rebellion on full display. Jesus, the Righteous One, was executed not by God’s hand, but by human hostility.


Misunderstood and Mistakenly Judged


The prophet Isaiah foretold how the Servant of the Lord would be misunderstood in His suffering:


 “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.” (Isaiah 53:4)




Notice that phrase: “we esteemed him smitten by God.” The people thought God was punishing Him. But Isaiah corrects that mistaken judgment. The reality? Jesus bore our sorrows—He was carrying our burdens. The people wrongly assumed His suffering was divine judgment, when in truth, it was the wrath of those who hated truth and light.


God’s Discipline, Not His Wrath


Some may point to verses like 2 Samuel 7:14, where God says of the future Davidic king:


 

“I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men…”


While Jesus committed no sin against his enemies, this verse still reveals something significant: God’s discipline, when applied to His anointed, is often administered through human agents. Jesus, the Son par excellence, was “disciplined” in the sense of being tested and made perfect through suffering (Hebrews 5:8), and He endured the stripes of men, not divine lashes. Also, when this verse is quoted in the NT, the latter part about being disciplined by men is omitted.


Human Wrath Is Not God's Righteousness


James reminds us of an essential truth:


“The anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” (James 1:20)




When we look at the cross, we see the fury of human religion, politics, and fear. The rulers were enraged by Jesus’ challenge to their power. The crowds cried for blood. Roman soldiers carried out a brutal execution. But none of that was God’s wrath. Man’s wrath was on full display—and it led to the unjust killing of the only sinless person who ever lived.


Jesus Responds with Mercy, Not Retaliation


If Jesus had been under God’s wrath, we might expect Him to cry out for justice or condemnation. But from the cross, we hear this instead:


 “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)




This is not the cry of someone crushed by divine fury. This is the prayer of someone embodying divine mercy. Jesus doesn’t return wrath for wrath. He absorbs the violence of man and responds with love and forgiveness.


Enduring Hostility, Not Divine Judgment


The author of Hebrews encourages believers with this reminder:


“Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.” (Hebrews 12:3)




Who opposed Jesus? Sinners. Who delivered Him to death? Sinners. The “hostility” He endured was not from His Father in heaven, but from humanity on earth. And by enduring it, Jesus revealed the heart of God—not a God eager to punish, but a God willing to suffer for the sake of His enemies.



Conclusion


Jesus did not absorb God’s wrath so we wouldn’t have to. Rather, He endured the full force of human wrath to show us what love looks like in the face of hatred. He was rejected by men, not forsaken by God. At the cross, God was not venting His anger—He was revealing His love.


The gospel isn’t about an angry God punishing an innocent substitute. It’s about a faithful Son who faced the worst of human evil and conquered it through self-giving love. That’s good news worth sharing.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ezekiel 38-39 has been fulfilled in the book of Esther-Quick Reference

Ezekiel 38-39 has been fulfilled in the book of Esther-Quick Reference ***The Jews’ victory caused 75,310 people (Esther 9:10, 15, 16). This corresponds with the enemy deaths in Ezekiel 38-39. ·          Esther 9:10 10 the ten sons of Haman son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews. But they did not lay their hands on the plunder . ·          Esther 9:15-16 15 The Jews in Susa came together on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar, and they put to death in Susa three hundred men , but they did not lay their hands on the plunder . 16 Meanwhile, the remainder of the Jews who were in the king’s provinces also assembled to protect themselves and get relief from their enemies . They killed seventy-five thousand of them but did not lay their hands on the plunder. ·          Ezekiel 39:11 11 “‘On that day I will give Gog a burial place in Israel, ...
Read more

Ezekiel 40

Image
INTRODUCTION Picture yourself as a Jew in the exile. You lost your home, your family, and even questioning your faith in the midst of God’s promises. You are traumatized and broken by the events that have transpired. All hope seems loss. Then Ezekiel the Priest says that you will inherit a new Temple and a new land with more responsibility added to you. More responsibility that you couldn’t fulfill the first time, which is why you are exiled in the first place. And get this, it is all invisible. This would have not gone well for Ezekiel by simply telling the Jews their inheritance was invisible. However, that’s not the case. Thankfully, our God is very descriptive about the measurements and dimensions of the Temple. We have a basis to compare the old Temple and old land to these new promises. Since the Jews were involved in the construction, they would be familiar with the size of the Temple and the land. When Ezekiel was telling the Jews about these measurements, it blew their mind...
Read more

A Preterist Postmillennial Commentary-Revelation 1-11 (PPC)

Image
Revelation 1 Setting: 65-66AD/during the reign of Emperor Nero. V1-3: God the Father uses His Son, Jesus to reveal the last days of the Old Covenant. Jesus' angel (the Principle of agency)  shares the Father's message to John.   V4: This letter is to the seven churches in Asia Minor. Not the entire modern world. The seven spirits can be the seven fold nature of the Holy Spirit’s presence at all seven churches in Asia Minor (See Revelation 5:6, Zechariah 4:1-6, Isaiah 11:2-3). Alternatively, it can just be seven messenger spirits. V5: Jesus' titles are listed in order to express his supremacy over His New Covenant Creation and love for his Elect. V6: The Acknowledgement of Christ’s blessing over his Elect. V7: Imagery from Daniel 7:13-14 and Zechariah 11:12-13 is used in order to demonstrate Christ's exalted power-given by God the Father. Jesus is the  ruler of Heaven and Earth. He pronounces judgment and execution on the Unfaithful Jews. There are no T...
Read more