Jesus: A Man of Sorrows

Isaiah 53:1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
2 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.
3 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.

INTRODUCTORY THOUGHTS

Most of us would assume that the Lord laughed at some point during His earthly ministry, yet the scripture never focuses on this point. Rather, the scripture seems to focus on the fact that He was “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3). We know very little of any laughter, yet we do know that He wept at the tomb of Lazarus (John 11:35). He further lamented over Jerusalem because of their rebellion (Luke 13:34). We also know that He sighed at the healing of the deaf man who had a speech impediment (Mark 7:34). Heaven affords the Lord great rejoicing, yet His earthly ministry was consumed by heartache rather than mirth. This most likely was a result of dealing with the consequences of man’s sin.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS

(For children): Jesus knew He would take our sins on Him at the cross. That was troubling since He had no sin of His own (John 12:27; 2 Corinthians 5:21). Yet, He endured the cross and completed what He came to do. We should constantly be mindful to thank Him and be willing to go through sorrows for the glory of God (2 Timothy 4:7).

(For everyone): What can we learn from the emphasis on the Lord’s sorrow in His earthly ministry? What might be the overriding theme for those who serve the Lord with their lives?

(For everyone): Why was the Lord’s earthly ministry filled with sorrows? Do the same conditions exist today? Would you be willing to be called a person of sorrows if that meant you walked closer to the Lord because of those sorrows?

PRAYER THOUGHTS

Ask God to remind you that His sorrows brought us great joy.

Thank the Lord for bearing your sin and burdens.

SONG

Hallelujah, What a Saviour!

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