Why does Jesus' "suffering" matter?

[Randy Carson]

Yep. No sacrifice at all.

Again, it is not a sacrifice to suffer if you get to be worshipped and adored forever. Remember mythological Jesus supposedly exists in heaven where his every need is catered to and angels constantly tell him how great he is. No, it wasn't a sacrifice so much as a very smart career move on his part. Besides, he set up the system of sin/hell/heaven in the first place.

It is sort of like a politician who has stripped programs to help the needy but helps out at a food bank because he knows it will earn him more votes

If Jesus is merely a man (as atheists insist), then he is simply dead, and he gained nothing. As man, he had no way to fulfill his own predictions of rising from the dead after three days. Why did he believe he would be able to rise from the dead?

If he was only a human and thought he would be worshiped forever simply for getting himself killed, then that was a really stupid career move...one NOT made by the founders of other great world religions. Consequently, merely dying was completely unnecessary for one who was simply seeking immortality and worship.

If Jesus is God, then He does not have "needs" that are catered to because God has no needs.

The crucifixion is meaningless without the resurrection. As others are fond of pointing out, LOTS of people got crucified; only one rose again as he promised in advance. Jesus' crucifixion is unique in that He predicted both his death and his resurrection in advance as EVIDENCE that He was who He claimed to be - the divine Son of God.