Pain and suffering are part of life. No one likes to suffer. We don’t seek out pain, but when we experience it, we usually cry out to God for relief. We may question God when relief doesn’t come when and how we want it to, but one thing we can’t do is accuse God of being indifferent to suffering. Certainly, I had no idea that I was about to have the major problem that came my way. I was hit with cancer and diabetes 2 at the same time- with no real warning. My response, after a bit of time to try to understand this problem, I turned to God to we will get through this together. All of your prayers were vital and provided the help I needed at that time. Jesus knew suffering to a degree we can’t imagine when He was rejected and crucified. Jesus willingly experienced pain and suffering for our salvation. My suffering and problem were nothing compared to His.

                                        Read Isaiah 53:2-4

For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant. The He in this verse is the Messiah -Jesus.
Which springs out of the earth without notice; low in its beginning, slow in its growth, liable to be crushed with the foot, or destroyed with the frost, and no great probability of its coming to any perfection; or rather as a little “sucker”, as the word signifies, which grows out of the root of a tree, at some little distance from it, of which no notice or care is taken, nor anything hoped for from it; and the figure denotes the mean and unpromising appearance of Christ at his incarnation; which is the reason given why the Jews in general disbelieved, rejected, and despised him. For this phrase of “growing up” does not design his exaltation, or rising up from a low to a high estate; but His mean entrance into the world, like that of the springing up of a low and insignificant plant or shrub out of the earth. The phrase “before him” is to be understood of God the Father, by whom he was taken notice of, though not by men; and in whose sight he was precious, though despised by men; or his growing up, and the manner of it, or his mean appearance, were all before the Lord, and according to his will: or else it may be understood of Christ himself, and be rendered “before himself”, who was meek and lowly, and was mean and low in his own eyes.     

         and as a root out of a dry ground;
or rather, “as a branch from a root out of a dry ground”; agreeably to ( Isaiah 11:1 ) , meaning not so much the land of Judea, where he was born; or the country of Galilee, where he was brought up; as the family of David, from whence he sprung, which was reduced to a very low condition when he was born of it. He hath no form nor comeliness; like a poor plant or shrub just crept out of the ground, in a dry and barren soil, ready to wither away as soon as up; has no strength nor straightness, of body; without verdure, leaves, blossom, and fruit things which make plants comely and beautiful. This regards not the countenance of Christ, which probably was comely, as were his types Moses and David; since he is said to be “fairer than the children of men”; and since his human nature was the immediate produce of the Holy Spirit, and without sin: but his outward circumstances; there was no majesty in him, or signs of it; it did not look probable that he would be a tall cedar, or a prince in Israel, much less the Prince Messiah. When we shall see him: as he grows up, and comes into public life and service, declaring himself, or declared by others, to be the Messiah: here the prophet represents the Jews that would live in Christ’s time, who would see his person, hear his doctrines, and be witnesses of his miracles, and yet say,

          There is no beauty, that we should desire him; nothing that looks grand and majestic, or like a king; they not beholding with an eye of faith his glory, as the glory of the only begotten of the Father; only viewing him in his outward circumstances, and so made their estimate of him; they expected the Messiah as a temporal prince, appearing in great pomp and state, to deliver them from the Roman yoke, and restore their nation to its former splendor and glory; and being disappointed herein was the true reason of their unbelief, before complained of, and why they did not desire him, who is the desire of all nations.

         He is despised, and rejected of men
Or, “ceases from men”; was not admitted into the company and conversation of men, especially of figure; or ceased from the class of men, in the opinion of others. He was not reckoned among men, was accounted a worm, and no man; or, if a man, yet not in his senses, a madman, nay, one that had a devil: or “deficient of men”; he had none about him of any rank or figure in life, only some few fishermen, and some women, and publicans, and harlots. The Vulgate Latin version renders it, “the last of men”, the most abject and contemptible of mankind; despised, because of the meanness of his birth, and parentage, and education, and of his outward appearance in public life; because of his apostles and audience; because of his instructions.

         A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: or “known by grief”; he was known by his troubles, notorious for them; these were his constant companions, his familiar acquaintance, with whom he was always conversant; his life was one continued series of sorrow, from the cradle to the cross; in his infancy his life was sought for by Herod, and he was obliged to be taken by his parents, and flee into Egypt. He ate his bread in sorrow, and with the sweat of his brow; he met with much sorrow from the hardness and unbelief of men’s hearts, and from the contradiction of sinners against himself, and even much from the forwardness of his own disciples.  Much from the temptations of Satan, and more from the wrath and justice of God, as the surety of his people; he was exceeding sorrowful in the garden, when his sweat was as it were great drops of blood; and when on the cross, under the hidings of his Father’s face, under a sense of divine displeasure for the sins of his people, and enduring the pains and agonies of a shameful and an accursed death; he was made up of sorrows, and grief was familiar to him. Some render it, “broken with infirmity”, or “grief”.

       And we hid as it were our faces from him; as one loathsome and abominable as having an aversion to him, and abhorrence of him, as scorning to look at him, being unworthy of any notice. Some render it, “he hid as it were his face from us”; as conscious of his deformity and loathsomeness, and of his being a disagreeable object, as they said; but the former is best.

       He was despised, and we esteemed him not; which is repeated to show the great contempt cast upon him, and the disesteem he was had in by all sorts of persons; professors and profane, high and low, rich poor, rulers and common people, priests, Scribes, and Pharisees; no set or order of men had any value for him; and all this disgrace and dishonor he was to undergo, to repair the loss of honor the Lord sustained by the sin of man, whose surety Christ became.

         Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; Or “nevertheless”; notwithstanding the above usage of him; though it is a certain and undoubted truth, that Christ not only assumed a true human nature, capable of sorrow and grief, but he took all the natural sinless infirmities of it; or his human nature was subject to such, as hunger, thirst, weariness. To all the sorrow and pain arising from them; the same sorrows and griefs he was liable to as we are, and therefore called ours and hence he had a sympathy with men under affliction and trouble. To show his sympathizing spirit, he healed all sorts of bodily diseases; and also, to show his power, he healed the diseases of the soul, by bearing the sins of his people, and making satisfaction for them. though the principal meaning of the words is that all the sorrows and griefs which Christ bore were not for any sins of his own, but for the sins of his people; wherefore these griefs and sorrows signify the punishment of sin, and are put for sins, the cause of them and so the apostle interprets them of Christ’s bearing our sins in his own body on the tree, ( 1 Peter 2:24 ).   The Targum is, “wherefore he will entreat for our sins;” these being laid upon him, as is afterwards said, were bore by him as the surety of his people; and satisfaction being made for them by his sufferings and death, they are carried and taken away, never to be seen any more.

        Yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted; so indeed he was by the sword of divine justice, which was awaked against him, and with which he was stricken and smitten, as standing in the room of his people; but then it was not for any sin of his own, as the Jews imagined, but for the sins of those for whom he was a substitute; they looked upon all his sorrows and troubles in life, and at death, as the just judgment of God upon him for some gross enormities he had been guilty of; but in this they were mistaken. The Vulgate Latin version is, “we esteemed him as a leprous person”; the unbelieving Jews call the Messiah a leper. They say, “a leper of the house of Rabbi is his name” as it is said, “surely he hath borne our griefs”; which shows that the ancient Jews understood this prophecy of the Messiah, though produced to prove a wrong character of Him. The words are by some rendered, “and we reckoned him the stricken, smitten of God”, and “humbled”; which version of the words proved the conversion of several Jews in Africa, by which they perceived the passage is to be understood not of a mere man, but of God made man, and of his humiliation and sufferings in human nature.

                                     Read Isaiah 53:5-9

      But he was wounded for our transgressions, Not for any sins of his own, but for ours, for our rebellions against God, and transgressions of his law, in order to make atonement and satisfaction for them; these were the procuring and meritorious causes of his sufferings and death, as they were taken upon him by him to answer for them to divine justice, which are meant by his being wounded; for not merely the wounds he received in his hands, feet, and side, made by the nails and spear, are meant, but the whole of his sufferings, and especially his being wounded to death, and which was occasionally by bearing the sins of his people; and hereby he removed the guilt from them, and freed them from the punishment due unto them: he was bruised for our iniquities; as bread corn is bruised by threshing it, or by its being ground in the mill. He was being broken and crushed to pieces under the weight of sin, and the punishment of it. The ancient Jews understood this of the Messiah; in one place they say, “chastisements are divided into three parts, one to David and the fathers, one to our generation, and one to the King Messiah; as it is written, “he was wounded for our transgressions; and bruised for our iniquities”.  and weep over the wicked among them; as it is said, “he was wounded for our transgressions”, the chastisement of our peace was upon him; that is, the punishment of our sins was inflicted on him, whereby our peace and reconciliation with God was made by him. Sin is a disease belonging to all men, a natural, hereditary, nauseous, and incurable one, but by the blood of Christ; forgiving sin is a healing of this disease; and this is to be had, and in no other way, than through the stripes and wounds, the blood and sacrifice, of the Son of God. Christ is a wonderful physician; he heals by taking the sicknesses of his people upon himself, by bearing their sins, and being wounded and bruised for them, and by his enduring blows, and suffering death itself for them. 

         The Iniquity of us all – For “iniquity,” the ancient interpreters read “iniquities,” plural. And the Lord hath caused to meet in him the iniquities of us all. He was the subject on which all the rays collected on the focal point fell. These fiery rays, which should have fallen on all mankind, diverged from Divine justice to the east, west, north, and south, were deflected from them, and converged in him. So, the Lord hath caused to meet in him the punishment due to the iniquities of All.

         He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, He was injuriously treated by the Jews; they used him very ill and handled him very roughly; he was oppressed and afflicted, both in body and mind, with their blows, and with their reproaches. He was afflicted, indeed, both by God and men: or rather it may be rendered, “it was exacted”, required, and demanded, “and he answered”, or “was afflicted”; justice finding the sins of men on him, laid on him by imputation, and voluntarily received by him, as in the preceding verse, demanded satisfaction of him; and he being the surety of his people, was responsible for them, and did answer, and gave the satisfaction demanded: the debt they owed was required, the payment of it was called for, and he accordingly answered, and paid the whole, every farthing, and cancelled the bond; the punishment of the sins of his people was exacted of him, and he submitted to bear it, and did bear it in his own body on the tree; this clearly expresses the doctrine of Christ’s satisfaction.

       Yet he opened not his mouth; against the oppressor that did him the injury, nor murmured at the affliction that was heavy upon him: or, “and he opened not his mouth”; against the justice of God, and the demand that was made upon him, as the surety of his people. He owned the obligation he had laid himself under; he paid the debt, and bore the punishment without any dispute or hesitation: “he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb”; or, “as a sheep to the slaughter, and as an ewe before her shearer”; these figurative phrases are expressive, not only of the harmlessness and innocence of Christ, as considered in himself, but of his meekness and patience in suffering, and of his readiness and willingness to be sacrificed in the room and stead of his people. He went to the cross without any reluctance, which; when there was any in the sacrifice, it was reckoned a bad omen among the Heathens, yea, such were not admitted to be offered; but Christ went as willingly to be sacrificed as a lamb goes to the slaughter house, and was as silent under his sufferings as a sheep while under the hands of its shearers. He was willing to be stripped of all he had, as a shorn sheep, and to be slaughtered and sacrificed as a lamb, for the sins of his people: so he opened not his mouth: not against his enemies, by way of threatening or complaint; nor even in his own defense; nor against the justice of God, as bearing hard upon him, not sparing him.

      He was taken from ^l prison and from judgment: ^m and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off from the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

 From the cross and grave, after that he was condemned. Though he died for sin, yet after his resurrection he will live forever and this his death is to restore life to his members, (Romans 6:9).

                                 Read Isaiah 53:10-12

      Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.

     When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of his experience, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins.

     Therefore, I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was number with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors.

      Jesus willingly submitted to death. Second, Jesus was counted among the rebels or sinners. This is a reference to Jesus’ crucifixion. Being considered as one of the rebels might be seen as negative, but it is clarified as positive in the final line of verse 12. Jesus interceded for the rebels by His death on the cross. To intercede means “to intervene” or “to plead” on the behalf of someone. Jesus dis this when He bore the sins of many at Calvary. The many includes all who trust in Him for salvation. He indeed suffered for our benefit and He does really understand our suffering.

                Next: HOW DO I HONOR GOD IN SUFFERING?

LIFE IN THE COMMUNITY

This is about why we help others. Many choose to help others because it is about helping themselves. Serving people who can benefit us is not difficult if the reason for helping others is all about what it can do for themselves. It is not about the other person. That mindset is absent in Scripture and is to be absent in the church. Believers are called to serve even those who have no means to repay a kindness. Loving Jesus means personally helping those in need. Understanding God’s Word will help us to thank Him for the blessing of neighborhoods and communities so we can have opportunities to serve Him. It is about having Jesus in our heart and serving Him for the right reasons.

Read Matthew 25:34-36

As some background to these passages, Jesus described a day when He would come to reign so King and sit on His glorious throne (Matt. 25:31). Jesus would gather the nations before Him and separate them one from another as a shepherd separates sheep from goats (vv.32-33). In verse 34 (just read) Jesus highlighted the eternal reward His children would receive.

In Matthew 16:27, Jesus had stated that “the Son of man is to come with His angels to the glory of His Father”, and then He will repay every man for what He has done”. Jesus’ last parable in Matthew’s Gospel (25:31-46) tells us how (on what basis) that repayment will be made. We will notice that this parable differs from others. It is a vivid, poetic word picture foretelling the way Jesus will judge the world. The parable pictures Jesus as the heavenly Son of man, seated on a throne, surrounded by angels. In the parable, Jesus is described as judge, King, and shepherd. As the people of all nations stand before Him. Jesus will make a separation. He will act as a shepherd acts in separating the goats from the sheep. In this parable “sheep” symbolize God’s righteous people. “Goats” symbolize the unrighteous.

At the last judgment, Jesus will put the “sheep” at His right hand, the place of favor. The “goats” will be at His left. He will invite the “sheep” to share in His Father’s kingdom because of their ministry to Him on earth. He will declare that they had fed Him, quenched His thirst, welcomed Him when He was a stranger, clothed Him when He was naked, visited Him when He was sick and when He was in prison. The righteous will be totally surprised. When, they will ask, had they ever done these things for Jesus? And Jesus will tell them that in performing these acts of kindness for those in need, they performed them for Him. That is how total Jesus’ identification with suffering humanity is.

This parable describes the consequences of two attitudes toward Christ’s return. The person who diligently prepares for it by investing his or her time and talents to serve God will be rewarded. The person who has no heart for the work of the Kingdom will be punished. God rewards faithfulness. Those who bear no fruit for God’s Kingdom cannot expect to be treated the same as those who are faithful.

God will separate His obedient followers from pretenders and unbelievers. The real evidence of our belief is the way we act. To treat all persons we encourage, as if they were Jesus is no easy task. What we do for others demonstrates what we really think about Jesus’ words to us: Feed the hungry, give the homeless a place to stay, look after the sick. How well do our actions separate us from pretenders and unbelievers?

Read Matthew 25:37-40

Jesus used sheep and goats to picture the division between believers and unbelievers. Sheep and goats often grazed together but were separated when it came time to shear the sheep. Ezekiel 34:17-34 also refers in the separation of sheep and goats. This parable describes acts of mercy we all can do every day. These acts do not depend on wealth, ability, or intelligence, they are simple acts freely given and freely received. We have no excuse to neglect those who have deep needs, and we cannot hand over the responsibility to the church or government. Jesus demands our personal involvement in caring for others’ needs (Isa. 58:7).

There has been much discussion about the identity of the “brothers and sisters”. Some have said they are the Jews, others say they are Christians, still others say they are suffering people everywhere. Such a debate is much like the lawyer’s earlier question to Jesus: “Who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29). The point of this parable is not the who, but the what- the importance of serving where service is needed. The focus of this parable is that we should love every person and serve anyone we can. Such love for others glorifies God by reflecting our love for Him.

Verses 41-46 offers some helpful incites and follow-up to verses 37-40. This Jesus will turn to the “goats” on His left. For them the verdict is a different one, though the criterion for judgment is the same. These are to face “eternal fire” (v. 41) because they did not care for Jesus when He was suffering. These too will question Jesus. They cannot remember ever seeing Jesus sick, naked, thirsty, hungry, or imprisoned. If they had, they would surely have ministered to Him.

And Jesus will solemnly tell them that He present in all the suffering people they did encounter. By not ministering to these, they were failing to minister Him. “Eternal punishment” (v. 46) is the fate which awaits these. But “eternal life (v. 46) is the reward of the righteous. The second half of this parable (vv.41-46) is symmetrical with the first half. With the “goats- those on the left- failed to do everything the righteous freely did. “The righteous will go into eternal life” (v.46b).

The Lord gives us many opportunities to meet basic human needs in the community around us. Churches can get involved with meeting needs and also ministering spiritually. We can share the gospel as we meet the needs of others.

JESUS SAVES

What is something you would love to add to your celebration of Christmas? Today we look at the birth of Jesus and we are reminded that He came to be with us. He is Immanuel, God with us. The Christmas story is a familiar one to many. However, familiarity may cause many people to lose sight of what God accomplished with the birth of Jesus and the reason He came. Of many just don’t believe Jesus is God. Unfortunately, there are so many people who leave Jesus in the manager, and fail to look beyond His birth to discover that God came to earth to bring us to Himself. So, Jesus was born to bring us into a relationship with God.

Read Luke 2:4-7

The Gospel of Matthew begins with the genealogy from Abraham to Jesus. Then Matthew writes how Jesus was born, with no background or great detail. The Gospel of Mark begins with the prophecy from Isaiah about how John the Baptist would be sent to prepare the way for the Messiah. Mark does not write about the birth of Jesus. The Gospel of John begins by stating that Jesus existed before the birth. Then John writes about why John the Baptist came but does not tell about Jesus’ earthly birth. The Gospel of Luke is the only account of the birth of John the Baptist and that the mother of John the Baptist and Mary (mother of Jesus) were cousins. Luke then describes the birth of both John and Jesus. Luke also tells us more details about Jesus’ birth than does Matthew or the others. So, when we read about Jesus’ birth at Christmas, we almost always go to Luke.

Here we see that Joseph and Mary was facing discomfort and a lot of inconvenience. They may have thought that they may have misread God’s will or that God had made a mistake in having them travel so far because Mary was “with baby”. We all probably have all thought at some time that you were being obedient so why aren’t things going better. God did not soften Joseph and Mary’s bumpy road, but strengthened them. God did not provide a luxurious inn for Joseph and Mary, but brought His Son into the world in humble surroundings. When we see God’s will, we are not guaranteed comfort and convenience. But we are everything, even discomfort and inconvenience, has meaning to God’s plan. He will guide us and provide all we need. Like Joseph, live each day by faith, trusting in God.

When Mary gave birth, she wrapped baby Jesus “snugly in strips cloth” (NLT). Strips of cloth were used to keep the baby warm and give the baby a sense of security. These cloths were thought to protect the internal organs of the baby. The custom of wrapping babies this way is still practiced in many Mid-eastern countries. In the U.S., babies are wrapped to keep them warm if the child is the first born. However, the second baby may be lucky to even get a blanket.

Read Luke 2:8-14

God continued to reveal the news about His Son, but not to those we might expect. Luke records that Jesus’ birth was announced to shepherds in the fields. These may have been the shepherds who supplied the lamb for the temple sacrifices that were performed for the forgiveness of sins. Here the angels invited these shepherds to greet the Lamb of God (John 1:36), who would take away the sins of the world forever. What a birth announcement! The shepherds were terrified, but their fear turned to joy as the angels announced the Messiah’s birth. First the shepherds ran to see the baby. Then, they spread the word. Jesus is our Messiah, our Savior. We have discovered a Lord so wonderful that we should that we can’t help but “spreading the word” like the shepherds did.

While the sheep were considered valuable, the shepherds were among the lowest members of the Jewish society. Many were known to be dishonest, and they were unclean in respect to the Jewish ceremonial laws. The fact that the shepherds played such an important role in the nativity account, indicates how Jesus came to restore those who were “sinners” and social outcasts- the least of these. The choice was deliberate. Since the gospel is for all people, “polite society”. But God would not exclude them from the good news.

Verse 11 focuses on the One whose coming was heralded. Each of the three titles- Savior, Christ, Lord-is significant. The word Savior was familiar to Jews and Gentiles. It meant healer, deliverer, benefactor. It was a word often used of the great men of the day. Caesar Augustus, for example, was often heralded as a savior. Christ means Messiah, the anointed one to rule as King in fulfillment of God’s promises to David. Lord is the word used in the Greek translation of the Old Testament to represent Yahweh, thus it speaks of the divine nature of the One who was born.

The angel who spoke verses 10-12 was joined by a heavenly host who praised God with theses words: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests” (v. 14 NIV). Some translations have “peace to men of good will”. The word translated “good will” is consistently used of God’s goodwill, not humanity’s. A paraphrase of this passage would be, “peace to people who are the objects of God’s good will”. The angels were not distinguishing a select group of people of goodwill on whom God bestowed His blessings. Rather, the heavenly host praised God for the good news of great joy to all people described in verse 10. This indicates that some translations were not done as accurately as they should. (I will try to remember to copy the chart that tells how accurately all translations are and bring a copy for all.)

Read Luke 2:15-20

The shepherds were not only the first to hear the proclamation of the good news, but they also were the first humans to tell others. They were quick to respond to the announcement by the heavenly messengers, and they were equally diligent to make this known to others. They also returned praising God for what they had seen and heard. The reference to Mary’s pondering all these things in her heart (v.19) probably means that Luke considered her the source of much of what is told in Luke 1:5- 2:52. This is the same statement made in 2:51.

The greatest event in history had just happened. The Messiah had been born! For the ages the Jews had been waiting for this, and when it finally occurred, the announcement came to humble the shepherds. The Good News of Jesus is that He came to all, including the plain and ordinary. He comes to anyone with a heart humble enough to accept Him. Whoever we are, whatever we do, Jesus is there for any of us to accept through belief. We don’t need extraordinary qualifications- He accepts us as we are.

The story of Jesus’ birth resounds with music that has inspired composers for 2,000 years. In fact, Isaiah chapter 9 has inspired one of the greatest musicals of all time – Handel’s Messiah. I had the blessing of leading a good portion of this musical with a choir in The First Baptist church of Klamath Falls Or. in 1965. The angels’ song, here in Luke, is often called the “Gloria” after its first word in the Latin translation, is the basis for many modern choral works, traditional Christmas carols, and ancient liturgical chants.