Read: John 11:32-43
. . . a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. (Isa. 53:3)
Some people are spared much of the pain and sorrow of life. For them the sun always seems to be shining. They live and love and work and play and are scarcely touched by trouble or loss. But Jesus was not one of those. He was one of the others, one of the many whose souls are rubbed raw with suffering.
When the prophet named him centuries before his birth, he called him “a man of sorrows” (Isa. 53:3). He could have called him a man of eloquence, for no one ever spoke like Jesus did. He could have called him a man of love, for love motivated every deed he ever did, every word he ever uttered. He could have called him a man of holiness, for his life was perfect and pure in every way. But he didn’t. He called him a man of sorrows.
The ancient stoics valued one quality more than any other. They called it apatheia, which literally means “nonfeeling.” Their defense against the pain of life was to cultivate apathy, blocking it out by not caring about anything or anyone. Jesus Christ, the God who is also man, embraced sorrow and suffering for our sakes. What sort of sorrow have you known? The man of sorrows is acquainted with that grief. What a comfort it is to know that this is what God is like. It means that whenever sorrow comes to any of us, God not only cares, he knows how it feels.
As you pray, thank God for knowing you and caring for you.
About the Author
Rev. David Bast
David Bast is a writer and pastor who served for 23 years as the President and Broadcast Minister for Words of Hope. In his more than 40 years of devotional writing and preaching, he has been encouraging believers around the world to be shaped by God and his Word.
Prior to his ministry and work at Words of Hope, Dave served as a pastor for 18 years in congregations in the Reformed Church in America. A graduate of Hope College and Western Theological Seminary, he is the author of nine devotional books and Bible studies, includingWhy Doesn't God Act More Like God,Christ in the Psalms, andA Gospel for the World.
Dave and his wife, Betty Jo, have four children and eight grandchildren. Dave enjoys reading, growing tomatoes, and avidly follows the Detroit Tigers.
