Man of Sorrows…I sat down this afternoon to do some reading and came across this theme in two different, randomly chosen readings. As I reflected on the significance, or possible coincidence, I was struck by one thought. I feel like I have been missing an important piece on this journey lately. It’s just that I lost sight of it somewhere along the way. I have discovered a lot about myself on this Journey to the Cross but today I realized that while I have been focused inwardly on creating a more Christ-like character, I have dropped my eyes from the destination that we started out towards, the cross. This season is not just about reshaping me into a better person. It is about preparing my heart to understand the true sacrifice and ultimately horror of the cross. I know that sounds like a harsh way to put it but in truly understanding what happened that day, there is no other way to describe it. And the celebration occurs because that isn’t where the story ended. It’s the juxtaposition that only God can achieve when he takes the atrocity of the cross and changes it into the most beautiful and loving act ever known to mankind.
Today I bring you this reminder of the cross. A reminder of why we sacrifice as well as the undeserved grace and love that were poured out on our behalf at the cross. If you drop your defenses enough to allow these words and their implications into your heart, you absolutely cannot be affected.
Isaiah 53
Who has believed our message?
To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm?
2 My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot,
like a root in dry ground.
There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance,
nothing to attract us to him.
3 He was despised and rejected—
a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
He was despised, and we did not care.4 Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
it was our sorrows that weighed him down.
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,
a punishment for his own sins!
5 But he was pierced for our rebellion,
crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
He was whipped so we could be healed.
6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him
the sins of us all.7 He was oppressed and treated harshly,
yet he never said a word.
He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.
And as a sheep is silent before the shearers,
he did not open his mouth.
8 Unjustly condemned,
he was led away.
No one cared that he died without descendants,
that his life was cut short in midstream.
But he was struck down
for the rebellion of my people.
9 He had done no wrong
and had never deceived anyone.
But he was buried like a criminal;
he was put in a rich man’s grave.
10 But it was the Lord’s good plan to crush him
and cause him grief.
Yet when his life is made an offering for sin,
he will have many descendants.
He will enjoy a long life,
and the Lord’s good plan will prosper in his hands.
11 When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish,
he will be satisfied.
And because of his experience,
my righteous servant will make it possible
for many to be counted righteous,
for he will bear all their sins.
12 I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier,
because he exposed himself to death.
He was counted among the rebels.
He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.
Read that through again if you need to. Absorb the words. To the cross he was nailed, weighted down with my weakness, my sorrow, my sin. He was pierced for my rebellion, beaten to make me whole, whipped so I could be healed. Yet I have strayed away. This is the sorrow that must be suffered before the celebration of the resurrection. We can’t gloss over it or page through it because it makes us uncomfortable. We can’t skip to the celebration of Easter without understanding why we are celebrating. Yes, Christ was raised from the dead after three days, a miracle unlike any other. But why was he crucified in the first place? Because we put him there! We must understand what was done on our behalf. Understand the value of the gift that has been offered to us. It pierces my heart and I want to be drawn closer, to worship at the foot of the cross with an unabashed joy and unashamed love on Easter morning with an understanding of why.
Hillsong writes this companion to go along with their song Man Of Sorrows (which you can listen to here. I would highly recommend it.)
“We have so many pictures of Christ – a beautiful baby, a skillful carpenter, an amazing teacher, a loving and gentle healer, a miracle worker, demon destroyer, and a up-turner of tables. Kind, forgiving, good, and compassionate, yet also bold, fierce, and a Pharisee’s worst nightmare.
One of the clearest of all pictures is that of a sorrowing Savior, suffering for us as he was crucified. The image burns deep. It is a cutting, cold, and callous reminder of our sin paid in full, refreshing our appreciation by giving us a perspective from the foot of the Cross.
The Cross, like a stake God uses to lay claim to the earth, is the focal point for every Christian. It is the starting point of a journey; the place where we see Christ for who He really is. He had no appeal or striking appearance to draw attention to heaven’s love, only a relentless determination to pay the price for our sin. It is the clearest picture of his deity cross-beamed with his humanity. Rejection, unbelief, disregard and dismissal pay a terrible toll in sorrow.”
The cross…all for you…all for me…what an amazing love.
How deep the Father’s love for us
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure
How great the pain of searing loss
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the Chosen One
Bring many sons to glory
Behold the Man upon a cross
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers
It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished
I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection
Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom
[STUART TOWNEND]
Run and Be Still 