A MAN OF SORROWS
If you live long enough, you will suffer; all you have to
do is live long enough. You may get through much of life relatively scot-free,
but eventually, the machinery wears out; you start losing your teeth, your hair
will turn gray, and you may lose it, memory declines, etc. If you live long
enough, you'll experience bereavement. You may lose your siblings, spouse,
children, and friends. However long we may live, we will experience some form
of sorrow and pain.
The General Social Survey asks people to rate their level of happiness. Between 1990 and 2018, the share of Americans who placed themselves in the lowest happiness category increased by more than 50 percent, before the pandemic. Gallup surveys
roughly 150,000 people in over 140 countries yearly about their emotional
lives. Experiences of negative emotions related to stress, sadness, anger,
worry, and physical pain hit a record high in 2021.[1]
The CDC's bi-annual Youth Risk Behavior Survey (2023)
showed that most teen girls (57%) now say that they experience persistent
sadness or hopelessness (up from 36% in 2011), and 30% of teen girls now say
that they have seriously considered suicide (up from 19% in 2011). The boys are
doing badly, too. What are the causes behind this concerning trend? It's
complex, but in a thorough overview of hundreds of studies, researcher Jon
Haidt summarizes the data: There is one giant,
obvious, international, and gendered cause: Social media.[2]
That is the assessment of the World regarding sorrow and
unhappiness. What does the Bible have to say about human suffering? When we
hear about these rising teen suicide deaths, what hope do we have? Who could
turn our sadness into joy and permanently wipe away all our tears? The answers
are found in A Man Of Sorrows, in the prophecy in Isaiah 53:1-12.
The sixth-century B.C prophecy in Isaiah 53 helps us
understand some gory events during the Crucifixion. It also gives us the proper
perspective on human suffering. Anyone who reads and understands the prophecy
knows it is about Jesus, the Messiah. Many Jewish people don't read it, let
alone understand it. "Long ago, the rabbis
used to read Isaiah 53 in synagogues, but after the chapter caused arguments
and great confusion, the rabbis decided that the simplest thing would be to
just take that prophecy out of the Haftarah readings in synagogues."[3]
Another tragic reason why Jews didn't
understand it is that the prophet Isaiah prophesied that the future messiah
would not come as a military commander. Instead, he would come as a suffering
servant. Let's see how this suffering servant will accomplish his mission.
I. Why did Jesus have to suffer and die on the Cross?
Before examining Christ's suffering on the Cross, let's first understand why Jesus had to suffer and die on it. As we look back into the Garden of Eden through the disobedience of Adam
and Eve, sin entered the World, and along with that also came suffering, pain,
fear, and physical death. God planned to redeem and restore humanity, offering them eternal life through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, and His
sacrificial death.
Romans 5:6-8, "You see, at just the
right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the
ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good
person, someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love
for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
According to the Law, the high priest offers yearly animal sacrifices for his
and the people's sins.
In contrast, Christ became the perfect, sinless sacrificial
lamb by offering Himself on the Cross once and for all people. The blood he
shed on the Cross two thousand years ago is still powerful enough to cleanse us
from all our sins.
II. A Man Of Sorrows, Acquainted With Grief.
If we read the whole
chapter, we will see that it talks about the birth, work, death, resurrection,
and future coming of Jesus Christ. It has the salvation message in it. Whoever
believes it will be saved. For that reason, the devil would not want people to
understand it.
Vs. 3, "He was despised and
rejected a man of sorrows, (pains NASB) acquainted with grief (sickness)."
In NIV, it reads "familiar" with pain. The Hebrew word used here is yada,
which has a much deeper meaning than mere familiarity. In this context, the Man
of Sorrows, Jesus, had a firsthand and intimate experience with pain and
grief. He was not just taking note of our pain and suffering. God, in Christ,
actually experienced our pain.
The
Good News is that whatever pain and grief we go through in this life, Christ
has tasted it before while on earth. He understands our pain and comes to our
aid to ease it and alleviate our suffering through the power of His Holy Spirit. On several
occasions when Jesus experienced human pain, suffering, and grief, he moved
into action and relieved the afflicted out of compassion.
On
three occasions, he moved with compassion and fed the hungry crowds (Mark 6:34; Mark 8:2; Matthew 15:32). Out of compassion, he reached out to a leper and healed him. (Mk 1:41). When he
saw a grieving widow in a village called Nain, his heart overflowed with
compassion, and he told the woman, "Don't cry, then raised the dead young Man
to life. Lk 7:14.
Before being crucified, he went to
the home of his dear friends, Martha and Mary. Seeing their grief of losing
their brother Lazarus, his dear friend Jesus wept. Then, he performed one of
the greatest miracles by raising Lazarus, who had been dead and buried for four
days. John 11
Jesus knew what it was to endure
emotional and mental abuse. His own people rejected him. He was called
derogatory names such as drunkard, glutton, deceiver, and demon-possessed. His
own family did not believe in him and thought he was crazy. The leaders hated
his courage.
The crowds he healed, delivered from
demons, and fed turned against him and tried to stone him to death. One of his
friends betrayed him and handed him over to the authorities to be crucified.
One of his closest friends denied him three times, and all his disciples abandoned him when he needed them the most. Only a few faithful women stood by him until the end.
Add to this emotional and mental
agony, Isaiah graphically describes the physical torture this Man of Sorrow
endured in Isaiah 53. Here is a list of his painful suffering: He was despised,
rejected, pierced, weighed down with grief, crushed, whipped, beaten,
oppressed, treated harshly, struck down, buried like a criminal, etc. The
Gospel writers recorded the following torture:
Jesus was stripped, a crown of thorns was placed on his head, and the
guards mocked him, pulled his beard, spat upon him, and repeatedly hit him on
the head with a stick. His hands and feet were nailed to the Cross. A spear was thrust into his side to determine whether he was dead or still alive. This Man
of Sorrows, acquainted with grief, understands our suffering and comes to our
aid to alleviate our pain. What should be our response then to pain and
suffering?
III. How should we approach human suffering?
We need a fresh
understanding of the theology of suffering. Some Christians have a false sense
of suffering. They think if you follow Christ, you should never get sick,
suffer, or experience any pain. God wants you to be healed and be prosperous.
We have several examples in the Bible where the righteous people suffered. We
have examples of God-fearing people among us who are going through physical,
emotional, and mental agony, yet they still love God.
God bless these suffering saints. In our
suffering, remember that we have a high priest who understands our weaknesses,
for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So, let us
come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There, we will find grace to
help us when we need it most." Heb 4:15-16. May this Man of Sorrows be
your source of comfort.
