Hope for Our Humanity
As we have journeyed through this series on the humanity of Jesus, I have found myself most drawn to Isaiah’s prophecy of Jesus as a “Man of Sorrows'.” I think that my reflections on the life of Jesus have been somewhat short-sighted in that I have given a lot of thought to His compassion, leadership, teachings, and miracles, but have largely isolated His suffering to the cross. My eyes were opened to a new revelation of Jesus this time when I read Isaiah’s words in chapter 53 verse 3, “He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief…”
I’m not unfamiliar with the stories of the religious leaders scoffing at, rebuking, and scheming against Jesus, but I haven’t truly taken His humanity into consideration with those events. Was the ridicule and weight so heavy that He was sorrowful? I would be. It’s common to think about Jesus’s human experiences including hunger, exhaustion, joy, and play; but discouragement, anger, sadness, anticipation are things that I have mistakenly left off the list. I wonder if that is in part because those are the very things that we are often trying to move past, overcome, and just get through in our own lives?
I think that American Christianity has afforded us the opportunity to revel in and experience blessing and breakthrough, but we would probably be wise to think of our own brokenness, pain, and limitations as part of our journey with the Lord and not just a season to cycle out of. I don’t mean that we sit down, snuggle up, and make a home for ourselves in our pain and grief, but our tender awareness of His presence and voice is often so high in those moments that it is worth heeding to and calling good.
What I’m learning most about Jesus right now is that because He was well-acquainted with grief and sorrow, His expectation for me is not that I won't be. He’s not disappointed in my humanity.
This leaves me even more in awe of the cross. While pain and disappointment are often the realities of living in a broken world, we are not without hope, redemption, and abundant life. Thank you, Jesus!
“Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested.” - Hebrews 2:117-18
PRAYER: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal situations in your life that you have dismissed, minimized, or avoided sorrow. Pray for His comfort and clarity to be present and for renewed healing in those places. Thank Him for the gift of hope and peace that we get to experience daily because of Jesus.
I’m not unfamiliar with the stories of the religious leaders scoffing at, rebuking, and scheming against Jesus, but I haven’t truly taken His humanity into consideration with those events. Was the ridicule and weight so heavy that He was sorrowful? I would be. It’s common to think about Jesus’s human experiences including hunger, exhaustion, joy, and play; but discouragement, anger, sadness, anticipation are things that I have mistakenly left off the list. I wonder if that is in part because those are the very things that we are often trying to move past, overcome, and just get through in our own lives?
I think that American Christianity has afforded us the opportunity to revel in and experience blessing and breakthrough, but we would probably be wise to think of our own brokenness, pain, and limitations as part of our journey with the Lord and not just a season to cycle out of. I don’t mean that we sit down, snuggle up, and make a home for ourselves in our pain and grief, but our tender awareness of His presence and voice is often so high in those moments that it is worth heeding to and calling good.
What I’m learning most about Jesus right now is that because He was well-acquainted with grief and sorrow, His expectation for me is not that I won't be. He’s not disappointed in my humanity.
This leaves me even more in awe of the cross. While pain and disappointment are often the realities of living in a broken world, we are not without hope, redemption, and abundant life. Thank you, Jesus!
“Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested.” - Hebrews 2:117-18
PRAYER: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal situations in your life that you have dismissed, minimized, or avoided sorrow. Pray for His comfort and clarity to be present and for renewed healing in those places. Thank Him for the gift of hope and peace that we get to experience daily because of Jesus.
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