“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 53:4-5 (KJV)
Have you ever suffered before? Have you really suffered, perhaps as a result of a serious injury or serious surgery? Did you feel alone? Have you ever suffered because of a loss of a job resulting in loss of finances? Thus, you didn’t have the means to pay your bills, even to buy food and purchase some of the necessities of life. What did you do? To whom did you turn?
Along with suffering many times follows a grieving period. The loss of a loved one, treasured friendship, even a much loved pet causes grief. How do you overcome such loss? In moments like these, when we feel deep hurt and are alone, so grief stricken, and the wounds are still so fresh, we must rely on our Savior and God to see us through these difficulties. We must rely on His Word to sustain us and to remind us that He too, suffered, was wounded and rejected for our sakes. In our finite minds, it is almost incomprehensible to understand how much our Dear Lord gave of Himself to bear our griefs and carry our sorrows. Jesus set his sight on Golgotha knowing that He would suffer for the sins of all so that we can have eternal life, free from all the pain and tears of this earthly life.
Get a glimpse of our dear Savior, beaten, scourged, with a crown of huge long thorns on His head, carrying a heavy wooden cross, all the while drops of blood flowing to the ground. Come with me down the Road of Suffering, and listen closely to the crowd jeering hateful words, yelling and screaming:
‘Crucify Him…Crucify Him...Crucify Him!!
Go with me, in your mind’s eye to Calvary and see our precious, innocent, Savior nailed to a cruel Roman cross between two malefactors. See his mother, Mary weeping, along with his closest disciples. How truly awful this is to think about. But the Dear Lord Jesus did this for all of us…for you and me. He paid a sin debt in full that He did not owe so that we would not have to pay.
Down the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem that day
The soldiers tried to clear the narrow street
But the crowd pressed in to see
A Man condemned to die on Calvary.
He was bleeding from a beating, there were stripes upon His back
And He wore a crown of thorns upon His head
And He bore with every step
The scorn of those who cried out for His death.
The blood that would cleanse the souls of all men
Made its way through the heart of Jerusalem.
Down the Via Dolorosa called the way of suffering
Like a lamb came the Messiah, Christ the King
But He chose to walk that road out of His love for you and me
Down the Via Dolorosa, all the way to Calvary. - Patti
Thank you, O Lord, for freely giving of Yourself, out of love for us, as You carried the cross down the Via Dolorosa. Help us to show Your love to others who are suffering and grieving. Thank you for Your great sacrifice! In Your Precious and Holy Name. Amen.
Serving along-side you.
Your friend,
Mark David Jackson
