The Man of Sorrows

The prophetA prophet is someone who receives a message from God and passes it on to a specific group in the Old Testament, very often Israel. Prophets are, therefore, in close... More Isaiah calls the Lord Jesus the “Man of Sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3). He Himself laments: “I am troubled; I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long” (PsalmPsalm simply means "song." In the Old Testament, this word only occurs in connection with the Psalms of David and the Book of Psalms. Singers sang a psalm with instrumental... More 38:6), and yet says devotedly: “Woe is me for my hurt! My wound is severe. But I say, ‘Truly this is an infirmity, And I must bear it.’” (Jeremiah 10:19).

In Scripture, we learn about the different kinds of suffering that the Lord endured, both in His life and in His death. The following list, which is, of course, not exhaustive, is intended to give a brief overview:

1. Atoning sufferings: These sufferings, which the Lord suffered in the three hours of darkness, were doubtless the climax for Him. They comprise God's punishment for sinThe Bible carefully differentiates between sin and sins. • Sin: the evil power at work in man that causes him to engage in sinful activities (Rom 7:17, 18). God pronounced... More and are, therefore, the most important for God's satisfaction as well as for our salvationSalvation is part of God's plan of saving people. Those who are in danger and cannot help themselves need salvation. We owe our salvation to our Savior, who went to... More. Of all types of suffering, they are the only ones that ultimately pave the way to heaven. Peter speaks of this: “For ChristA title of the Lord Jesus, which is also used as an epithet; Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) mean "anointed one". The title refers to the fact that Jesus is... More also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18).
2. Sufferings of foreboding and premonition: John reports that the Lord knew in advance everything that would come upon Him (John 18:4). These sufferings become particularly clear in the Garden of Gethsemane when He had a vivid and terrible vision of what would happen on the cross. We read: “Now My soul is troubled” (John 12:27) and “He began to be troubled and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, ‘My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death’” (Mark 14:33-34). John Nelson Darby writes: “He approached wrath and anger. He did not yet drink the cup; He was not yet smitten, but He went to meet it.” This will probably have been the case throughout His life.
3. Suffering for the sake of righteousness: The Lord lived as the only righteous among the unrighteous and was hated for His holy life. His life, which was pleasing to God, condemned them as sinners. These sufferings are mentioned, for example, in John 3:20: “For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed” (John 3:20). Incidentally, believers are also called upon to endure this kind of suffering (1 Peter 3:14, 17).
4. Sufferings of being human: From the letter to the Hebrews, we learn that the Lord was indeed a man (Hebrews 2:17; 4:15) and therefore endured weaknesses such as hunger, thirst, tiredness, pain, and so on. It is unimaginable what these limitations must have meant for the almighty God. This suffering is ultimately the basis for His compassion for us.
5. Suffering of mockery: Never before has a person been showered with so much hatred as the Lord by every single group of people. Even the mockery itself has never been surpassed. The often-quoted verse, in particular, gives us an idea of this: “Reproach has broken my heart” (PsalmPsalm simply means "song." In the Old Testament, this word only occurs in connection with the Psalms of David and the Book of Psalms. Singers sang a psalm with instrumental... More 69:20), giving insight into the heart of ChristA title of the Lord Jesus, which is also used as an epithet; Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) mean "anointed one". The title refers to the fact that Jesus is... More. Incidentally, this mockery accompanied Him throughout the entire three years of His ministry, not just on the cross (see, for example, Mark 5:40).
6. Suffering in the face of the consequences of sinThe Bible carefully differentiates between sin and sins. • Sin: the evil power at work in man that causes him to engage in sinful activities (Rom 7:17, 18). God pronounced... More: The Lord Jesus had to see every day that sinThe Bible carefully differentiates between sin and sins. • Sin: the evil power at work in man that causes him to engage in sinful activities (Rom 7:17, 18). God pronounced... More only brought suffering into this worldThe word is used with different meanings. It can mean the whole of humanity (Gen 41:57) or the created world (Rom 1:20), but also a moral system that is opposed... More. When sick and possessedA possessed person has a demon inside of them, which means that this evil, satanic spirit (demons are servants of Satan) controls the body and wreaks havoc and destruction. Sometimes,... More people were brought to Him, this did not leave Him indifferent. In this context, it is interesting that Matthew applies a quote from Isaiah precisely to such situations: “When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophetA prophet is someone who receives a message from God and passes it on to a specific group in the Old Testament, very often Israel. Prophets are, therefore, in close... More, saying: ‘He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses’” (Matthew 8:16-17). When He healed people, He did not do this in a sovereign manner and without any impact on Him; rather, the Lord took part in the suffering. This suffering is particularly evident in His tears at the grave of Lazarus  (John 11:33-35).
7. Suffering because of His rejection as MessiahMessiah is a Hebrew word (Maschíach) meaning “the Anointed One.” In the New Testament, the Greek form “the Christ” is used and applied to the Lord Jesus alone. The Jews,... More: Daniel prophesied that the MessiahMessiah is a Hebrew word (Maschíach) meaning “the Anointed One.” In the New Testament, the Greek form “the Christ” is used and applied to the Lord Jesus alone. The Jews,... More would be “cut off, but not for Himself” (Daniel 9:26). This reached its climax in John 19:15: “But they cried out, ‘Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!’ Pilate said to them, ‘Shall I crucify your King?’ The chief priests answered, ‘We have no king but Caesar!’”
8. Suffering of rejection: The Lord deeply felt the pain of being rejected by people throughout His life. Although this pain is not often shown to us in the Gospels, it is made clear in Luke 19:41-42: “Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, ‘If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.’” Even when the PhariseesThe Pharisees were a small but influential religious group at the time of the New Testament. They demanded a strict separation from the lifestyle and practices of the gentiles and... More demanded a signThe Gospel of John tells us about eight signs that the Lord Jesus performed. These signs, which are also miracles, point to something special. They aim to help us grow... More, He sighed deeply in His spirit (Mark 8:12). Isaiah 49:4 is also particularly moving here: “Then I said, ‘I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and in vain; yet surely my just reward is with the Lord and my work with my God.’”
9. Suffering in the face of the impending devastation of Israel and the scattering of God's people: The Lord Jesus suffers with what would happen to the people of Israel. He also speaks about this when He weeps over the city of Jerusalem (Luke 19:43-44). These sufferings also become clear in His message to the weeping women who followed Him on the way to the cross: “But Jesus turned to them and said, ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, "Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!"’” (Luke 23:28-29).
10. Suffering in the face of seeing His disciples being rejected: Saul, who threw Christians into prison, was shown this kind of suffering in solidarity outside Damascus: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” (Acts 9:4). Opposition to Christ's followers is opposition to ChristA title of the Lord Jesus, which is also used as an epithet; Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) mean "anointed one". The title refers to the fact that Jesus is... More, which He fully felt.
11. Suffering from a lack of compassion: The lack of understanding of the disciples at the announcement of His suffering (Luke 18:31-34), the unbelief of His family (John 7:5), the abandonment of the disciples (Mark 14:50), and the loneliness of the Lord's soul are immeasurable. These sufferings are particularly evident in the Psalms, for example, in PsalmPsalm simply means "song." In the Old Testament, this word only occurs in connection with the Psalms of David and the Book of Psalms. Singers sang a psalm with instrumental... More 69:20: “Reproach has broken my heart, and I am full of heaviness; I looked for someone to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none.”
12. Suffering because of His life in a sinful environment: The Lord Jesus came from heaven, an cloudless, pure, holy atmosphere, to live on a filthy, sinful, perverted earth. How great His longing for heaven must have been! This is prophetically echoed in PsalmPsalm simply means "song." In the Old Testament, this word only occurs in connection with the Psalms of David and the Book of Psalms. Singers sang a psalm with instrumental... More 63:1: “O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my fleshThe term "flesh" is used in different meanings in the Bible: a) as an expression of physicality or humanity, which is inextricably linked to our life on earth. Examples: “the... More longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.”

ChristA title of the Lord Jesus, which is also used as an epithet; Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) mean "anointed one". The title refers to the fact that Jesus is... More is indeed the “man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” What else can we do but thank and worshipIn both Hebrew and Greek, the word "worship" can also be translated as "prostrate / bow down" (Ps 95:6). It is more than praise and thanksgiving because, in worship, honor... More Him for everything He has endured? Praise Him!