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Jesus - Man of Sorrows  (2 of 5)

This installment as well as all others in this series is written to help us focus on the person of Christ and the characteristics that He possessed.  This is done so that we can consciously allow God to transform our lives by stamping the image of His dear Son deep on our heart.  If we do not know the traits of the Christ, it is impossible to follow in His footsteps, hence the need for this series.

Concerning the Christ, Isaiah wrote almost eight centuries before His birth, “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.” (Isaiah 53.3).  This passage forms the basis for this miniseries on Jesus, Man of Sorrows.

Bethlehem is the point of beginning for our journey as we take a cursory look at this Man of Sorrows.  It was there that the Messiah was born of a virgin.  It was there that the shepherds came to see the marvelous child who had been heralded as being associated with “…peace on earth and good will toward men.” (Luke 2.14).  The scenes which the shepherds witnessed caused them to go away from Bethlehem as heralds themselves, proclaiming the birth of Jesus while “…glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen.” (Luke 2.20).  Thus far, there seems to be only joy associated with Messiah, but this was soon to change.

Certain wise men came from the East to Jerusalem seeking the one who was to be born King of the Jews so that they might worship Him.  Herod showed great interest in the child, but his motives were far, far different from those of the wise men.  Having heard of the mission of the wise men, Herod was troubled in spirit and sneakily told them to bring back information about the child so, as He put it, “I can come and worship Him also.” (Matthew 2.8).  However, his intent was never to worship but it was to kill!  Thus begins a long series of events which helps us to understand why Isaiah referred to the future Messiah as a man of sorrows.

Herod reacted to the news the wise men brought with great anger fueled by pride; he ordered all male children 2 years and younger to be destroyed in Bethlehem and the regions round about.  Children are a great source of joy, but the infanticide ordered by Herod resulted in great sorrow in Bethlehem and the areas nearby.  Joseph and Mary had secretly fled to Egypt to escape the King’s anger, but the same could not be said for the other infants in the region.  Jeremiah had predicted these events when he wrote, “A voice was heard in Ramah, Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, Refusing to be comforted, Because they are no more.” (Matthew 2.18).

At the very time when parents should be enjoying their children the most, Joseph and Mary found it necessary to go into exile.  The Man of Sorrows got an early start on His mission; hatred without any cause whatsoever blinded the mind of Herod and forced Jesus’ parents to live in hiding for fear of His life.  The Man of Sorrows knew sorrow, but it was imposed on Him by others; He did nothing to cause sorrow to prevail in His life or in the lives of others.  Jesus was not the source of sorrow, but He would be the cure!

"God's Words For US" from Cecelia Lester

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