Do we have the inner peace that comes from God in spite of our trials and difficulties? The shed blood of Jesus Christ paid the penalty for our sins. With his stripes we can be healed of our physical diseases. What about our griefs and sorrows? Does the sacrifice of Jesus Christ deal with the pains of the mind? The purpose of this article is to explain how Jesus Christ bore our griefs and sorrows. The Sufferings of Jesus Christ The prophet Isaiah wrote about the future sufferings of Jesus Christ in Isaiah 53:3-5: "3He 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. 4Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5But 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." (KJV) The Hebrew word for grief refers to pains of the body, and the Hebrew word for sorrows refers to pains of the mind. 12 Ways That Jesus Christ Bore Our Griefs and Sorrows Jesus Christ bore our griefs and sorrows even before his death on the cross. Here are 12 ways in which Christ bore our sorrows: 1. Life threatened by Herod as an infant (Matthew 2:16) 2. Falsely accused of casting out demons through Satan (Matthew 9:34; 12:24) 3. Falsely accused of being demon possessed and mad (John 8:52; 10:20) 4. Life in danger often and the Jews sought to stone him (John 8:40; 10:31) 5. Falsely accused of being a glutton and winebibber (Matthew 11:19) 6. Falsely accused of breaking the Sabbath (John 5:18) 7. Tempted often by Satan (Luke 4:13) 8. Betrayed by Judas Iscariot with whom he had spent three and a half years (Matthew 26:14-16) 9. Forsaken by his disciples (Matthew 26:56) 10. Peter denied three times that he even knew him (Matthew 26:75) 11. Mocked and spat upon (Matthew 27:29-30) 12. Felt forsaken by His father while dying on the stake (Matthew 27:46) Matthew seems to indicate that after Jesus Christ fasted for 40 days and defeated Satan that Satan left him. Matthews account seems to indicate that after having lost this battle that Satan never tempted Jesus Christ again (Matthew 4:11). However, Lukes account provides more complete information. Luke 4:13 tells us that when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time. While Satan is the god of this world (II Corinthians 4:4), Jesus Christ is the prince of peace. He was chastised for our peaceour reconciliation to God. The Peace of God The apostle Paul states in Philippians 4:6-7 that we should not have anxiety, but that we should make our requests known unto God to receive the peace that comes from God: "6Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (KJV) Why do we not seek God when we have anxiety, griefs, and sorrows? One reason is that our sins and the resulting guilt and shame discourage us from seeking God. We may want to hide from God when we sin as did Adam and Eve after they sinned. Indeed, guilt is a major cause of emotional problems. We need to repent, confess our sins, and trust in the blood of Jesus Christ who paid the penalty for our sins. If we do so, God will remove our sins from us as far as the East is from the West (Psalm 103:12). We need faith in Gods promise of forgiveness. Another possible cause of our not seeking God for help with our anxieties and trials is pride. We have pride when we attempt to meet our needs apart from God. The word pride has the letter I right in the middle. We need to trust not in ourselves, other people, or things to meet our needs. We need to trust in the living God to meet our needs and direct our paths. Giving thanks is often difficult when we are worried and going through sore trials. One of the things for which we can be thankful is that Jesus Christ bore our griefs and sorrows. We can also thank God for his past interventions in our lives and in the lives of others. We need to count our blessings one by one and be thankful. Recounting our blessings can give us hope for future blessings from God who is our helper and provider. We also need to need to take our cares and concerns one by one to God in prayer and supplication. Supplication means seeking God continually. When we do so, the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds. Therefore, we can be free from anxiety and distress. Jesus Christ Cares for Us The apostle Peter contributed to the sufferings of Jesus Christ by fleeing from him during his trial and denying three times that he even knew him. Of course, Peter later repented and became one of the leading apostles in the early New Testament Church. What did Peter say about the care that Jesus Christ has for us? Here is what he wrote in I Peter 5:6-7: "6Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: 7Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." (KJV) These are the words that Peter wrote. He was the disciple who denied that he even knew jesus Christ three times. Jesus Christ later asked Peter three times if he loved himthe same number of times that Peter had denied even knowing Jesus Christ. Peter instructs us to cast all our care upon Jesus Christ, including our struggle with sin, our diseases, our anxieties, griefs, and sorrows. We may deny Jesus Christ at times by our sins and actions. However, he still cares for us. We can humble ourselves, repent, and cast all of our cares upon him. Conclusion The sacrifice of Jesus Christ was a total sacrifice. He paid the penalty for our sins; he was beaten for our physical healing; and he bore our griefs and sorrows. If we humble ourselves and let go of pride, we can have peace with God because of the total sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We can also have peace with each other. If we have peace with God and with each other, we are more likely to have peace of mind regardless of our griefs and sorrows. We have trials and tribulations in this world, but we can be of good cheer because Jesus Christ has overcome the world (John 16:33) and now serves as our high priest (Hebrews 4:15). We should go boldly to the throne of grace and cast all our cares upon him. We can find the peace that passes all understanding and guards our hearts and minds. Because Jesus Christ bore our griefs and sorrows, we can cast all of them on him and have the peace of mind that comes from God. |
