DAY 5 - Man of Sorrows
No one journeys through life unscathed.
Disappointment deflates. Rejection wounds. Betrayal blindsides.
Insecurity taunts. Fear binds. Anxiety paralyzes.
Health declines. Treatments fail. Limitations persist.
Injuries sideline. Aging steals. Death devastates.
Marriages break. Babies are lost. Children stray.
Finances crumble. Losses multiply. Hope fades.
Suffering is universal, yet it feels deeply personal. No one has walked in my shoes. No one has walked in yours. But Jesus—the Man of Sorrows—has walked in all of them.
Our sorrows may take us by surprise, but Jesus always knew what awaited him. Long before he left heaven’s glory for earth’s suffering, it was foretold:
"He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not." (Isaiah 53:3, ESV)
Those who rejected him were not strangers or outsiders. They were God’s chosen people—set apart to know Him, yet they deemed Jesus unworthy, avoided Him, and despised Him.
Isaiah’s prophecy unfolds vividly in Matthew 26:17-75. Jesus knew his “time [was] at hand” (v.18). As his enemies schemed in secret, the treachery of a close companion set into motion the fulfillment of his foretold suffering.
Jesus knew his body would be broken and his blood poured out for the forgiveness of our sins. And so, the unthinkable began:
•He was abandoned by his closest friends when he needed them most (v. 37-45).
•He was “betrayed into the hands of sinners” (v. 45).
•He was treated like a criminal (v. 47, 55).
•He was kissed in pretense while stabbed in the back (v. 48-49).
•He was seized with violence (v. 50).
•He was deserted by those who swore unwavering loyalty (v. 35, 56).
•He was despised by religious leaders who were supposed to prepare the way for him (v. 57-59).
•He was falsely accused (v. 59-60).
•He was condemned to death (v. 66).
•He was spit on, beaten, mocked, and humiliated (v. 67-68).
•He was denied and disowned by the very one who had pledged to stand by him (v. 69-74).
Jesus truly understands our pain.
To know Jesus as the Man of Sorrows is to recognize that he intimately understands our suffering in the most personal, profound, and intensified ways. It is to encounter his compassion—the empathy of one who suffers with us (Hebrews 4:15). It is to trust in the one who will transform sorrow into joy (John 20:22).
How have you experienced sorrow that mirrors what Jesus endured? How does knowing him as the Man of Sorrows bring comfort, strength, and hope to your own suffering—or to someone you love?
Disappointment deflates. Rejection wounds. Betrayal blindsides.
Insecurity taunts. Fear binds. Anxiety paralyzes.
Health declines. Treatments fail. Limitations persist.
Injuries sideline. Aging steals. Death devastates.
Marriages break. Babies are lost. Children stray.
Finances crumble. Losses multiply. Hope fades.
Suffering is universal, yet it feels deeply personal. No one has walked in my shoes. No one has walked in yours. But Jesus—the Man of Sorrows—has walked in all of them.
Our sorrows may take us by surprise, but Jesus always knew what awaited him. Long before he left heaven’s glory for earth’s suffering, it was foretold:
"He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not." (Isaiah 53:3, ESV)
Those who rejected him were not strangers or outsiders. They were God’s chosen people—set apart to know Him, yet they deemed Jesus unworthy, avoided Him, and despised Him.
Isaiah’s prophecy unfolds vividly in Matthew 26:17-75. Jesus knew his “time [was] at hand” (v.18). As his enemies schemed in secret, the treachery of a close companion set into motion the fulfillment of his foretold suffering.
Jesus knew his body would be broken and his blood poured out for the forgiveness of our sins. And so, the unthinkable began:
•He was abandoned by his closest friends when he needed them most (v. 37-45).
•He was “betrayed into the hands of sinners” (v. 45).
•He was treated like a criminal (v. 47, 55).
•He was kissed in pretense while stabbed in the back (v. 48-49).
•He was seized with violence (v. 50).
•He was deserted by those who swore unwavering loyalty (v. 35, 56).
•He was despised by religious leaders who were supposed to prepare the way for him (v. 57-59).
•He was falsely accused (v. 59-60).
•He was condemned to death (v. 66).
•He was spit on, beaten, mocked, and humiliated (v. 67-68).
•He was denied and disowned by the very one who had pledged to stand by him (v. 69-74).
Jesus truly understands our pain.
To know Jesus as the Man of Sorrows is to recognize that he intimately understands our suffering in the most personal, profound, and intensified ways. It is to encounter his compassion—the empathy of one who suffers with us (Hebrews 4:15). It is to trust in the one who will transform sorrow into joy (John 20:22).
How have you experienced sorrow that mirrors what Jesus endured? How does knowing him as the Man of Sorrows bring comfort, strength, and hope to your own suffering—or to someone you love?