Man of Sorrows

“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.” (Isaiah 53:3-5)

Good morning, my friend…

In today’s reading we find a very familiar passage of scripture – one we have heard quoted hundreds of times, perhaps even quoted ourselves. We are learning of the life Christ lived and the one to which we are called to live.

We often talk about taking up our cross and following Jesus, yet do we truly comprehend all that encompasses? Years ago I took a class through Rhema Bible College that taught us about interceding for others. It concentrated on all the verses in scripture that gave direction in this matter. I learned, through that class and the personal experiences that followed, that intercession – true intercession – goes far beyond merely praying for somebody else. That’s good, of course. But to truly interceded, to effectually intercede for another, I begin to feel their pain, sense their loss, live inside their heart and mind. I feel what they feel. I cry when they cry. I hurt how they hurt. The word intercede means to come between two parties – to step in front of the enemy for another, so to speak. Whatever pain or punishment they were to receive, I receive in their place. That is true intercession. That, my friend, is what God is calling you and I to become and do for others. We have the life of Christ living within us, so the enemy cannot harm us as he would somebody outside the covenant relationship with Jesus. So, we endure their pain, we suffer their sorrow, we feel their hurt – but we are not consumed with it or destroyed by it. We carry it to the One Who can save and deliver. We feel that pain and loss only as long as it takes us to carry it to the foot of the cross.

We read in the New Testament that Jesus has ascended back to the Father, sitting at His right hand in heaven, where He lives to make intercession for the saints. Thank God for that intercession on my behalf! But, just as Jesus ascended back into heaven to do that for us, He left us the commission to go fulfill His mission on this earth. I have tattooed on my left arm, “As He Is, so am I” in contemplation of I John 4:17: “Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.” We are, therefore, called to take the pain of others and carry it to Christ, interceding on their behalf. That is our calling, that is our mission.

So many Christians have either not known this part of our calling or have neglected it because of the constant pain and suffering it can bring to us. Walking with Jesus through the gospel accounts, we see Him constantly surrounded by sickness, suffering, pain, and death. He walked through this world, feeling our pain and experiencing firsthand the effects of man’s fallen condition in sin. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist or a genius to see those effects all around us in our world today. Most Christians have gotten to the point that it is just easier to condemn and criticize sinners than to try to reach them for Christ. We have the answers they so desparately are seeking – it just gets wearying trying to get them to see and hear the message of hope we carry. Perhaps that is why Christ didn’t heal everyone who needed it: He healed those who came to Him truly seeking. That is our downfall. We go out and try to win people over who aren’t seeking, who aren’t asking. We are like salemen making cold calls – trying to convince people of their need, then selling them the answer to a problem they didn’t really want to address in the first place.

Sure, we are open and willing to share the gospel with all; yet, we are called to seek the lost children who know they are lost. That sounds cold-hearted to say it that way. Most people we meet who are living in sin are content living that way and we merely frustrate them, causing them to reject our message and our Savior. We, as Christians, have probably done more damage to the world than Satan has – just by forcing our beliefs down peoples’ throats uninvited. Trust me, when they are thirsty they will come. When they are hurting, they know who to go to. That’s when you hear comments from people like, “Hey, the next time you’re talking to the Man Upstairs, put in a good word for me, will you?” That person is seeking, that person is open. People around us aren’t blind – they know (or they should know) by our lifestyles that we have a relationship with God. They can see it in our countenance, in the way we carry ourselves, in our attitude, in the way we handle adversity in our personal lives. That is being salt and life. Salt, when used properly, causes thirst, preserves perishables, and brings flavor. Used improperly or forcefully, salt kills, destroys, and ruins. Salt, for example, in savory cooking brings flavor and brings out the subtle, hidden tastes that make our meals good. Salt, in baking, however, can bring disaster to an otherwise sweet dessert. Light, when used properly, exposes what is hidden and reveals desired things. Light, when used forcefully, causes pain to the eyes and blinds. See the difference?

Today, dear reader and listener, we are called to take up the cross of being men and women of sorrows, carrying the message force with tears to those who are hurting, those who are seeking, those who are dying. We are to be, like Jesus, acquainted with grief and suffering in the lives of others. Just as He did, we are to walk in the light, having our eyes open and our ears attentive to the cries of those around us who are reaching out. Only then can we minister the life-giving salvation and deliverance of Jesus to the hurting masses. Any other handling of the Word of God becomes destructive and brings death.

My challenge to you today, dear one, is to attune your heart to the heart of the Father and your spiritual senses to the world around you. Go forth in the love of Christ and be in this world as He Is – an interceder, an intercessor, one who stands between life and death on behalf of those who come to you. May you see the power of Jesus manifest in your life as never before.

Be blessed.