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. Isaiah 53:3
I was recently struck by Isaiah 53:3, which talks about Jesus being “acquainted with grief” because our family has recently faced the death of a loved one. I’ve also been dealing with the process of getting a little older, and the loss of activities I used to enjoy due to physical limitations. As I pondered the meaning of Jesus being “acquainted with grief”, I suddenly felt great comfort in the awareness that He understands.
I think, too often, we can overemphasize Jesus’ focus on our happiness or life satisfaction. We pray for help with our debt, a way out of a precarious personal situation or a superficial need. But there is something deeply reassuring about the knowledge that Jesus is “acquainted with grief.” It takes Him out of the realm of “problem-solver” and into the realm of a heavenly father. He knows pain—our pain. He is with us, always.
In recent years, I’ve been particularly aware of Christ’s tenderness toward us—that He knows us fully and loves us completely. Digging in to scriptural examples of Jesus’ words and actions deepens my understanding of those and other aspects of His nature.
