A Different Kind of King: The Suffering Love of Jesus on Good Friday

On Good Friday, we remember that the Lord God of all creation became a Man to bring forth a family and to win Himself a faithful bride. The level of agony and suffering He endured to accomplish this mission is beyond comprehension, yet nevertheless true.

He is a different kind of King. Unlike the rulers who came in power that oppressed or confined, Jesus came as a King who suffered with and for a people He loved and longed to set free.

His love for His bride led Him to the cross. His suffering became our salvation.

My experience with my bride, Lisa, has opened my eyes to this reality over the years.

The King Who Suffered to Save His Bride

The first few decades of our marriage were filled with struggles to stay united and in love. There were numerous and intense attacks against our union, both within and without. Internally, there were seasons where we were so at odds with each other that if it weren’t for knowing God’s will for marriage, we could have easily separated. But we both feared God, and we had made a vow not only to each other but to Him.

The external attacks came through people whose intent was to separate and sometimes even destroy us. What made it so difficult is that most were professing Christians. We also faced circumstances of such pressure that it would have been easy to give up on our calling. There were seasons the pain was so intense it seemed unbearable.

Yet looking back, I realize the multiple challenges we faced were targeted to either thwart our effectiveness or end the union of two becoming one. They could have easily done so, but we endured through strong faith and steadfast love, coupled with fervent prayer, repentance, and forgiveness. The pain of those earlier trials has since passed. It has been replaced by a deeper, stronger bond that emerged through suffering. We are much closer now than the day we married.

Divine Bonding: What Suffering Produces in Love

Walking this path for decades led me to a question: Is there a hidden benefit—one that cannot be fostered any other way—from suffering and hardship?

Why didn’t God devise a pain-free plan for our salvation? Why did He submit to such gruesome suffering?

Of course, much of the pain in our marriage was due to immaturity and selfishness. That is not true of our Groom, Jesus. Yet the question remains.

In addressing this, we begin to see a greater depth of beauty in God’s master plan.

What I once would have rejected in my immaturity I now see more clearly: suffering produces something in covenant love that ease cannot.

One scientific journal observes that shared hardship can deepen attachment, trust, and emotional bonding between people in profound ways. What is naturally true in human relationships reflects something far deeper in divine relationship.

This is why the suffering of Jesus is not a contradiction of His kingship—it is the revelation of it.

Why We Often Miss the Suffering King

Many missed Jesus as King because they were expecting a different kind of kingdom. They expected power without suffering, authority without the cross, glory without sacrifice.

But Jesus revealed a different kingdom altogether.

He is a different kind of King.

Not a King who rules through oppression, but a King who redeems through self-emptying love. Not a King who avoids suffering, but a King who enters into it to save those who are helpless on their own.

His power was never diminished by the cross—it was revealed through it.

This is why many misunderstood Him then, and many still misunderstand Him now. We often fail to recognize that the kingdom of God involves suffering love, covenant endurance, and a glory that is born through sacrifice.

The Mystery of a Love That Endures Pain

Why didn’t God choose a pain-free plan?

Because love that cannot be tested cannot be fully known. And a covenant that cannot endure suffering cannot reach its deepest union.

Jesus did not avoid pain—He entered it. He did not withdraw from humanity’s brokenness—He carried it.

His suffering became the means by which a people were redeemed and brought near.

And in this mystery, we see something breathtaking: the King suffers not because He is weak, but because He is love.

Discover More in The King Is Coming

This reality is only a glimpse of a much larger story—God’s unfolding master plan from creation to return.

To go deeper into this truth, order a copy of The King Is Coming, where the story of Jesus as the suffering King and returning King is revealed in greater fullness.

He is not only the King who came. He is the King who is coming again. We must prepare.