The Man of Sorrows – Part I / The Reality of Christ’s Sufferings

  Many times I believe our attitude about Christmas can get a little off kilter. This happens by the world around us and its materialistic focus. Because of this we often forget what Jesus Christ had to go through in order for us to even celebrate this season as we do.

  A great passage to clue us into the reality of Christ’s sufferings is Isaiah 53. Many of you may be familiar with this passage but it is always good to go over it again and again, especially in this season, so that we might love our Saviour more, and acknowledge what He went through for us.

Isaiah 53:1-12 – “Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”

  The main theme that jumps out at me in this passage is the reality of Jesus Christ’s suffering on this earth because of our sin. He was a man of sorrows because of the sin we commit on a daily basis. He did not come down to this earth and live a life of comfort and ease. As a matter of fact, He may have lived a more difficult life then any human being before or after Him. He not only lived in a time of great depression for the Israelites because of the Roman Empire, but also was rejected by His own people and despised.

  He was mocked at and buffeted for our sakes. The God over all (who is sovereign in all) let mankind (who He created) mock, beat, deny, reject and kill Him for that was the only way to provide us salvation from the curse of sin. That is a suffering that none of us would want to go through, but He willingly went through it because of His love for you and me. He became a man of sorrows and endured suffering at the hand of those whom He had come to save.

  What a glorious Saviour we serve at Christmas time! May we never forget His suffering for us during this season of Joy!