This is Part 4 of 6 parts answering the question, “Who Is The One Person Who Should Have Escaped the Suffering God Allows?” in the larger question, “Why does a loving God allow suffering?” Parts 5-6 will be posted on succeeding days.

Jesus Suffered in the Course of His Pre-Passion Ministry

The most significant suffering Jesus endured was on the cross when He became sin for us and the Light of the World was “shut down” (Luke 23:44). But before the cross, Jesus endured a multitude of different forms of suffering.  Mark Bailey makes a tremendous summary of 50 experiences Jesus endured in the 52 identified days recorded in the Gospels of His Pre-Passion ministry,

1. Jesus’s life was threatened by Herod at his birth (Matt. 2:13–21)
2. Jesus was tempted by Satan when he was hungry in the wilderness (Matt. 4:1–11; Mark 1:12, 23; Luke 4:1–13)
3. An attempt was made on the life of Jesus in Nazareth after his synagogue message (Luke 4:16–30)
4. Jesus had no permanent place of residence (Matt. 8:19–22; Luke 9:27–62)
5. Jesus was chased out of the region of the Gadarenes (Matt. 8:34; Luke 8:37)
6. Jesus was charged with blasphemy when he claimed to forgive the sins of a paralytic (Matt. 9:3; Mark 2:7; Luke 5:21)
7. Jesus was questioned by the religious leaders for eating with tax collectors and sinners (Matt. 9:11; Mark 2:16; Luke 5:30)
8. Jesus was questioned as to why his disciples were not fasting (Matt. 9:14; Mark 2:18; Luke 5:33)
9. Jesus was ridiculed with laughter when he raised Jairus’s daughter (Matt. 9:23; Mark 5:40; Luke 8:53)
10. Jesus was charged with performing miracles by the power of Satan (Matt. 9:34; 12:24; Mark 3:22, 30)
11. Jesus was maligned as a glutton, drunkard, and a friend of sinners (Matt. 11:19; Luke 7:34)
12. Jesus was challenged about his disciples violating the Sabbath (Matt. 12:2; Mark 2:24; Luke 6:2)
13. The Pharisees were planning to accuse Jesus of violating the Sabbath if He healed the man with a withered hand in the synagogue (Matt. 12:10; Mark 3:2; Luke 6:7)
14. The furious Pharisees and the Herodians plotted to kill Jesus following his healing activity in the synagogue (Matt. 12:14; Mark 3:6; Luke 6:11)
15. Jesus’s family sought to take control of him because they thought he was out of his mind (Mark 3:20–21)
16. The Pharisees and scribes demanded a sign from Jesus (Matt. 12:38; cf. 16:1; Mark 8:11–12)
17. Jesus was doubted at home in Nazareth (Matt. 13:57–58; Mark 6:1–6)
18. Some attempted to make Jesus a king after he fed the five thousand (John 6:15)
19. Jesus experienced racial discrimination and rejection by the Samaritans, since he had determined to go to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51–53)
20. Jesus was aware of his rejection and that of his followers (Luke 10:16)
21. Jesus was tested about the doctrine of eternal life by a young lawyer (Luke 10:25)
22. After he healed the speech – impaired man, Jesus was charged with getting power from Beelzebul (Luke 11:14–15)
23. Others asked Jesus to show them a heavenly sign even after he had performed many miracles (Luke 11:16)
24. The scribes and Pharisees sought to question Jesus on many subjects with great hostility in order to trap him (Luke 11:53–54)
25. Jesus experienced the indignant response of the synagogue officials after healing the demonized woman with spinal difficulties (Luke 13:40)
26. Jesus endured the grumbling of the Pharisees and scribes because of his associations with sinners (Luke 15:1–2)
27. The Jews grumbled against Jesus when he said he was the bread of life (John 6:41)
28. Jesus was challenged as to whether he paid the temple tax (Matt. 17:24–27)
29. In their unbelief, Jesus brothers challenged him to manifest himself in the feast at Jerusalem (John 7:1–3)
30. Jesus was charged with having a demon at the Feast of Tabernacles (John 7:20)
31. The Jews were seeking to seize Jesus at the Feast (Luke 7:44)
32. The Pharisees sought to trap Jesus when he was talking with the woman caught in adultery (John 8:6)
33. Jesus exposed their desire to kill him throughout his address at the Feast (John 8:37, 40)
34. Jesus was called a Samaritan and was accused of being demon – possessed (John 8:48, 52;10:20)
35. The Jews attempted to stone Jesus (John 8:59)
36. At the Feast of Dedication, after his claim to be the good Shepherd, Jesus was charged with having a demon and being insane (John 10:20)
37. Believing that Jesus had committed blasphemy, Jews took up stones to kill Jesus (John 10:31)
38. Jesus experienced deep emotional stress at the death of Lazarus (John 11:33, 38)
39. The Pharisees sought to entrap Jesus with the questions about marriage and divorce (Matt. 19:1–9; Mark 10:1–12)
40. People thought of Jesus as no more than a prophet (Matt. 21:11)
41. The Pharisees demanded that Jesus rebuke his disciples for the adulation he was given in his triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Luke 19:39)
42. Three legislators plotted how they might destroy Jesus (Luke 19:47–48)
43. The religious leaders continued to seek a way to seize Jesus and kill him (John 11:53)
44. Jesus reminded his disciples of the persecution and hatred he had experienced, which they too would have to experience (John 15:20, 23–25)
45. The indignation of the religious leaders was manifest against the children who were praising Jesus in the temple (Matt. 21:15)
46. The chief priests and elders challenged Jesus’s authority (Matt. 21:23; Mark 11:27–28; Luke 20:1–2)
47. The chief priests and the Pharisees looked for ways to arrest Jesus (Matt. 21:45–46; Mark 11:12; Luke 20:19)
48. Jesus was challenged by the Pharisees and her audience about paying taxes to Caesar (Matt.22:15–22; Mark 12:13–17; Luke 20:20–26)
49. The Sadducees, who said there was no resurrection, questioned Jesus about the resurrection (Matt. 22:23–33; Mark 12:18–27; Luke 20:27–40)
50. The Pharisees sought to entrap Jesus with a question about the most important commandment in the law (Matt. 22:34–40; Mark 12:28–34)³

Did Jesus suffer in life? The evidence is plain. It was not an easy life, let alone His crucifixion. That is why He said to His disciples, “Remember the word that I said to you, `A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.” (John 15:20 NKJ)

Part 5 will be posted tomorrow.