Why were many Jews disturbed by the way Jesus died? To them, Jesus’ death on a stake made him appear to be a criminal and a sinner​—not the Messiah. (Deut. 21:22, 23) Those among the Jews who stumbled at Jesus failed to recognize that he was innocent, that he was falsely accused, and that he was treated unjustly. Those conducting Jesus’ trial made a mockery of justice. The Jewish supreme court was hastily convened, and the proceedings were most irregular. (Luke 22:54; John 18:24) Rather than impartially listen to the charges and the evidence against Jesus, the judges themselves sought “false testimony against Jesus in order to put him to death.” (Matt. 26:59; Mark 14:55-64) And after Jesus was raised from the dead, those unrighteous judges paid the Roman soldiers who were guarding his tomb “a considerable number of silver pieces” to spread a false story to explain why the tomb was empty.​—Matt. 28:11-15. w21.05 11 ¶12-13

Jehovah could put an end to this wicked system of things at any time. But his patience has proved to be a blessing for us! All descendants of Adam and Eve are imperfect when they come into the world. Still, Jehovah loves them and cares for them, and he has promised to bring an end to this wicked system of things. (1 John 4:19) And he has set the date when he will undo all the maladies that plague his human creation. Should not his love motivate us to endure along with him for as long as it is necessary? Jehovah set the perfect example of endurance. Jesus succeeded in imitating his Father’s endurance. As a human, Jesus endured hostile speech, shame, and a torture stake for our sake. (Heb. 12:2, 3) Jehovah’s example of endurance undoubtedly gave Jesus the strength to endure. It can strengthen us too. w21.07 12-13 ¶15-17

We daily experience our heavenly Father’s mercy. (Ps. 103:10-14) Jesus’ followers were imperfect; yet, he showed them mercy and forgiveness. He was even willing to sacrifice his life so that our sins can be forgiven. (1 John 2:1, 2) We strengthen the bond of love in our spiritual family when we are “freely forgiving.” (Eph. 4:32) Of course, forgiving others can be very hard at times, so we need to work at it. One sister felt that the Watchtower article “Forgive One Another Freely” helped her to do just that. She writes: “[The article] explained that being willing to forgive others does not mean that you approve of their wrong behavior or minimize the damage it causes. But forgiving does mean letting go of resentment for such wrongs and maintaining your own peace.” When we freely forgive our brothers and sisters, we show that we love them and that we imitate our Father, Jehovah. w21.09 23-24 ¶15-16