All For Us

“ 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.”

Isaiah 53:3-6

The entire chapter of Isaiah Chapter 53 is familiar to many.

It speaks about Jesus hundreds of years before He comes to earth.

Yet a few verses stood out to me recently as I read them.

Verse 36 says the Messiah is “...a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.”

So often we picture the suffering of Jesus beginning in the Garden of Gethsemane when He prayed.

Yet this verse tells us He was a man of sorrows (plural) and that He was familiar with suffering.

To be sure, no man endured what Jesus did on His way to the cross but suffering was not introduced to Him that day.

Certainly it was more intense but He was familiar with suffering and sorrow throughout His ministry.

He had come from heaven; He saw the effects of the fall of man.

No doubt the unbelief of others – even of the 12 He had chosen – weighed on Him.

Perhaps the rejection of His own people caused great sorrow to Him.

One thing is clear form this verse though, much in His life and ministry prepared Him (as much as one could be prepared for the horror He endured) for the sorrow and suffering of Calvary.

But it was not a fruitless suffering because three days later He rose.

What He endured along with the victory of the resurrection was done for you and for me.

Praise God for His willing obedience!