As a whole, we’re not a sorrowful people.
There are so many things to give thanks for: our health, our freedom, our jobs, our spouse, our friends, our shelter, our food, our comfort. While there are things that bring us down and hurt us, we generally bounce back rather quickly because of the numerous blessings that fill our every day.
Our Savior, on the other hand, was a man of sorrows (Isaiah 53). Reading that passage often breaks my heart, because every time I see the picture of my sorrowful Savior, I understand why He was: Jesus was a man of sorrows because I am a man of sin.
Jesus was Creator (John 1:3). He was in heaven with the Father, living in perfect peace and love and light and holiness. Jesus is God, and so His entire existence was untouchable by sin or darkness. Satan had no hold on Him; no power. Nothing could reach Jesus and the holiness He exuded. However, Satan could reach the created. Could, and did.
So, man fell. The very ones Jesus had formed turned away from Him, following their own desires. For thousands of years, these people did what was right in their own eyes. When they finally wanted to pursue righteousness (after enduring much suffering and bondage), they had no means of forgiveness. Their sins rolled over from year to year, but the sacrifices of bulls and goats couldn’t save them. Instead, their ugly, staining sin was upon them constantly. A reminder of the perfect God they’d forsaken.
So Jesus left heaven. He humbled Himself and became a bondservant (Philippians 2:5-11). He put Himself on the earth He’d created, surrounded by the ones He’d created, and He was abused. He was mocked and tortured. He was disrespected and ignored. He was teased and tested, beaten and betrayed. He was away from the Father’s presence, and the sin of the world plagued Him from every side.
Why?
If you’re Jesus, why leave heaven? Why leave perfection? Why leave a place so pure and above our comprehension? Why leave a place filled with the Father’s glory?! For the same reason we said above: because we are people of sin.
It is evident that Jesus loves us so much. To leave a place like heaven, you’d have to be so completely in love with Your created. You’d have to be, otherwise it wouldn’t be worth it. It wouldn’t be worth the scourging and the crucifixion. It wouldn’t be worth separation from the Almighty. But it was. It was worth becoming a Man of sorrows, because we needed Him. Even though we didn’t love Him, we needed Him. And His love for us is so deep and pure, He did the unthinkable and came here to save us.
How easily we forget Jesus’ sacrifice. How quickly we forget where He was before humbling Himself to put on humanity. How quickly we forget what His existence was before coming here. How quickly we forget that it was an option – a choice – to go to the cross for sinners. A choice to clothe Himself in my sin and yours, even though He had never committed sin. Instead, Jesus went to the cross as the only One who didn’t deserve to be there. He took my place. Your place. Humanity’s place. And how do we thank Him?
Our lives should be an outward expression of gratitude every single day. When we wake up, we should praise our God for the deliverance from sin. We should excessively thank Him for the forgiveness – the complete removal of – our sins. We should thank Him for letting Jesus come to save us. We should thank Him for loving us that much that He’d put our sorrows on Jesus, instead of letting us live with them for all eternity.
Today, be joyful. Rejoice that you have life in Jesus. You have hope in Jesus. You have eternal life because of Jesus. All because He chose to be a Man of sorrows, a perfect Man who carried our sins and our iniquities to the cross, so that we could be people of joy.
Don’t continue to be a man of sin – not after all the Man of sorrows has done for you. Instead, live in Him and live a forgiven, free, joyful life. That’s why He came. Don’t let His coming (and suffering) be in vain.
