Isaiah 53:3
He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. (NIV)
Today’s Reading: Isaiah 53:1-3
This is one of those verses that I prefer to read the KJV due to its poetic language:
“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.”
Jesus, our Messiah, was a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. The Suffering Servant had an intimate knowledge of grief and suffering. His ministry was filled with constant sorrow and pain as he constantly bore the physical and spiritual pains of those around him. Recall the time a funeral procession passed by Jesus and he felt the pain of the mother:
“As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, ‘Don’t cry’” (Luke 7:11-13).
Or the time that his friend Lazarus died, he wept with sorrow:
“When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. ‘Where have you laid him?’ he asked. ‘Come and see, Lord,’ they replied. Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, ‘See how he loved him!’” (John 11:33-36).
Even though he had the power to heal and take away the pain, Jesus chose to bear the pain of everyone he encountered. He didn’t simply take away their pain, he put it on himself first.
The word translated as “sorrows” or “suffering” is the Hebrew word mak’ōb which describes all types of pain – bodily pain, emotional grief and spiritual anguish. It portrays the entire spectrum of human suffering. Jesus lived as the man who was the very embodiment of sorrow. He was characterized by the mental and emotion anguish that he carried. Sorrow defined him.
The word translated as “grief” or “pain” is the Hebrew word ḥᵒlî (pronounced kho-lee’) which will occur again in verse 4. It can also be translated as “grief.” It can denote bodily sickness or disease but it also can describe the misery resulting from affliction. The consistent theme of ḥᵒlî is that the pain is chronic – it never ends. Whether it is grief or physical pain, it is constant. Jesus’ closest companion was grief. It never left his side.
The word translated as “acquainted” or “familiar” is the Hebrew word yādaʽ which occurs almost 1000 times in the Old Testament. Its basic definition is “to know” or “to understand.” It ranges from simple awareness to the deepest intimacy. Jesus was more than simply acquainted with grief and familiar with pain. He was intimate with them. It’s as if Jesus had so much experience with pain and suffering that he knows them personally.
David Thompson says in his commentary, “As Jesus walked on this earth as the Savior of Israel and the world, and He continually saw all the sin and wickedness, and as He saw that He was rejected, and that no one even looked to Him for the salvation He could give, it just wore Him down. It grieved Him and made Him sad. There were things that happened to Him that caused Him to weep. Think about this – Jesus Christ had to endure animosity His entire life. Satan hated Him, demons hated Him, Israel rejected Him, His own disciples abandoned Him, and His own Father had to turn against Him and pour out His entire wrath on Him. His whole existence in this sin-cursed world was that of sorrow and grief.”
Jesus’ life was hard y’all. And to be honest, it was so much harder than any of our lives. When life hits hard, it’s easy to get down and wallow in self-pity. But my life is not characterized by sorrow and pain. Yes there have been moments and even chapters of my life that were painful. But nothing compared to the pain that Jesus willingly took onto himself. And to know that he did it for you and me. On purpose, he lived as the Man of Sorrows.
One of my favorite modern hymns is Man of Sorrows written my Matt Crocker and Brooke Ligertwood. It captures the poetic style of Isaiah and allows us to worship our Savior for willingly bearing our pain and suffering. He didn’t have to do it. But he chose to live an earthly life that was intimate with pain and sorrow so that we could live with him for all eternity free of all pain and sorrow.
“Man of sorrows Lamb of God
By His own betrayed
The sin of man and wrath of God
Has been on Jesus laid
Silent as He stood accused
Beaten mocked and scorned
Bowing to the Father’s will
He took a crown of thorns
Oh that rugged cross my salvation
Where Your love poured out over me
Now my soul cries out hallelujah
Praise and honour unto Thee.”
Christ in the Old Testament 
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