Jesus, the Man of Sorrows: Run to His Feet

Jul 12, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: The Teacher Calls: Running to Jesus When Pain Comes

When grief weighs heavy, Mary shows us how to rise from despair and run to Jesus. She didn’t let sorrow chain her to the house. She didn’t wait for answers. She ran to the One who knew her pain. Jesus isn’t a distant CEO or a cruel bully—He’s the friend who weeps with you. When life cracks open, your first step isn’t to fix it, but to fall at His feet. [53:45]

“When Mary heard this, she rose quickly and went to him… When she came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet.” (John 11:29, 32, ESV)

Reflection: What pain have you been sitting with instead of running to Jesus? What makes it hard to rise and go to Him today?

Day 2: Honest Questions at the Feet of the Healer

Martha and Mary’s identical cry—“Lord, if you had been here”—holds both faith and frustration. Jesus doesn’t scold their raw honesty. He leans into it. Your unanswered “why” doesn’t scare Him. Like David’s desperate psalms, your questions become worship when laid bare before the One who carries your ache. [57:31]

“How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?… But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.” (Psalm 13:1, 5, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you been pretending “fine” instead of telling God, “I don’t understand”? What disappointment needs airing at His feet?

Day 3: Grieving With One Eye on Eternity

Martha’s grief collided with her theology: “I know he’ll rise… someday.” Jesus redirects her gaze from temporary loss to eternal reality. Hope isn’t denial—it’s holding sorrow in one hand and resurrection in the other. Your tears matter, but they’re not the final scene. The Man of Sorrows guarantees the story ends in joy. [01:06:14]

“Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed… so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13, ESV)

Reflection: What current grief needs the balm of eternal perspective? How can you honor your pain while clinging to hope?

Day 4: Burdens Belong on His Back, Not Yours

Jesus didn’t just observe pain—He absorbed it. The Hebrew word for “sorrows” in Isaiah 53 means physical agony and heart-wrenching grief. He carried it all so you wouldn’t collapse under the weight. Your job isn’t to tough it out but to transfer the load to the One who chose the cross. [48:18]

“Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering… But he was pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities.” (Isaiah 53:4-5, ESV)

Reflection: What burden have you been hauling alone that Jesus already carried? What step will you take to release it today?

Day 5: The Spoiler Alert That Changes Everything

Like a friend who knows the movie’s ending, Jesus whispers, “Just wait.” Lazarus’ resurrection was a preview—not the finale. Your chronic pain, broken heart, or unanswered prayer isn’t the last frame. The Man of Sorrows guarantees a plot twist: eternal glory where every tear gets rewritten. [01:08:48]

“I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.” (John 11:25, ESV)

Reflection: What current struggle needs the “spoiler alert” of eternity? How might today’s pain look different through heaven’s lens?

Sermon Summary

Jesus stands in this series as the man of sorrows, not a remote deity or only a glorified king, but God who chose to become human, step into pain, and carry it. Isaiah names him “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief,” which means he bears pain in body, mind, and soul, not just sadness. The New Testament shows him hungry, tired, angry, moved, and weeping. He is not God the bully, not God the CEO, not God the employee. He is the King of kings who is moved with compassion.

John 11 becomes a road map for what to do with pain. Lazarus is four-days dead, which is to say, really dead. Martha moves toward Jesus. Mary, after hearing “the teacher is calling,” rises quickly, finds him, and falls at his feet. That move names the first pattern. Because he is the man of sorrows, the sufferer can run to Jesus. Hebrews says a sympathetic High Priest invites bold approach to the throne of grace. The question is not why pain exists. The question is who Jesus is in the middle of it, and whether the sufferer runs to him or away from him.

The text then legitimizes honest questions. Both sisters say the same line, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” That sentence holds two truths at once. It confesses faith in his power and admits disappointment in his timing. Scripture gives language for this kind of prayer. David pounds the steering wheel in Psalm 13 and still lands in trust. Jesus meets that honesty with tears. He is deeply moved and he weeps, not a polite dab, but bursting into tears. Questions do not threaten him. Honesty moves him.

Then Jesus lifts Martha’s eyes to a larger horizon. “I am the resurrection and the life.” He can give a miracle now, and he does, but he is after more than immediate relief. He anchors hope beyond the temporary into eternal life in himself. Paul says believers grieve, but not as those without hope. The cross answers the question of whether God understands suffering. He has entered it, carried it, and turned the ending. The call sounds simple and strong. The teacher is calling. Pick up the questions and the weight and run to his feet. This is not how the story ends.

Key Takeaways

1. Run to Jesus with pain [51:54] Because he is the man of sorrows, the sufferer is not sent away to tough it out. Mary rises quickly when “the teacher is calling” and throws herself at his feet. That movement is worship and protest in one act, and Jesus receives it. Real help starts where honesty kneels. [51:54]
2. Bring honest questions to him [57:31] “Lord, if you had been here” carries faith and disappointment in the same breath, and Scripture permits that tension. God does not require fake smiles or spin. Naming grief in his presence keeps the heart soft instead of hard. Honesty is not unbelief, it is trust refusing to go silent. [57:31]
3. Reject false pictures of God [47:15] God is not a sadistic bully, a cold CEO, or an employee on demand. Jesus is the King who is moved with compassion, the God who bleeds and weeps. False images breed bitterness or entitlement. The true image births reverence and access. [47:15]
4. See Jesus sharing your tears [01:01:24] At Lazarus’s tomb, Jesus bursts into tears. He does not rush past pain or scold mourners for feeling it. Divine power stands alongside divine empathy, and neither cancels the other. His tears make space for yours and sanctify lament as a path to life. [61:24]
5. Hold grief and hope together [01:04:20] “I am the resurrection and the life” shifts the gaze from immediate outcomes to ultimate reality. Miracles matter, but they are signs pointing to a greater country. Christian hope does not deny loss; it insists loss will not have the last word. Eternity reframes the middle of the story. [64:20]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:30] - Youth camp ripple and rising tide
[01:10] - Who is Jesus series focus
[02:00] - Jesus the man of sorrows
[03:30] - Comfort craving vs God choosing pain
[05:00] - Not bully, CEO, or employee
[07:00] - A King moved with compassion
[08:30] - Isaiah 53 and carrying pain
[10:00] - John 11 setup and four days
[11:30] - “The teacher is calling”
[13:00] - Where do you run in pain
[15:30] - Honest questions without faking
[18:00] - Jesus weeps and is deeply moved
[20:30] - Psalm 13 and faithful lament
[22:30] - Resurrection and life, bigger picture
[25:00] - Grieve with hope, not as those without
[27:30] - This is not how it ends
[30:00] - The teacher is calling, come respond

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
John 11:17-44 (ESV)
17 Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 28 When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 32 Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. 35 Jesus wept. 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?”

Observation Questions

In John 11:32, Mary falls at Jesus’ feet and says, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” What two emotions or truths does this statement combine, according to the sermon? [57:31]
How does the cultural context of Lazarus being dead for four days (John 11:17) emphasize the significance of Jesus’ miracle?
What physical and emotional reactions does Jesus display in John 11:33-35, and how does this contrast with common expectations of how a divine being might respond to grief?

Interpretation Questions

Why might Jesus have delayed going to Lazarus (John 11:6) even though he loved him, and how does this relate to the idea of trusting God’s timing in suffering? [52:41]
The sermon says, “Honesty is not unbelief, it is trust refusing to go silent.” How does Mary’s raw honesty with Jesus (John 11:32) model this kind of faith?
Jesus tells Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25). How does this statement shift the focus from immediate circumstances to eternal hope? [01:04:20]

Application Questions

When facing disappointment or grief, what practical steps could you take to “run to Jesus” instead of isolating yourself or relying on temporary comforts? [55:01]
The sermon mentions that “honesty moves [Jesus]” rather than threatening Him. What is one unresolved question or frustration you’ve hesitated to bring to God, and how could you express it honestly this week? [59:00]
How might holding onto the truth that “this is not how the story ends” (eternal hope) change your daily perspective on a current struggle or loss? [01:09:19]
The sermon warns against viewing God as a “bully,” “CEO,” or “employee.” Which of these false images do you most struggle with, and what specific truth about Jesus (e.g., His tears in John 11:35) could replace that lie? [47:15]
Psalm 13 shows David lamenting yet ending in trust. Try writing or praying a “Psalm 13-style” prayer this week: name your raw feelings first, then reaffirm one specific promise of God’s faithfulness.

Sermon Clips

51s

#JesusInTheMiddle

“You see, I don't think it's fruitful to ask the question, why does God allow pain? Why is there suffering? We have been going around that mountain for centuries, and it doesn't take away the fact that even if we answered it, which I don't think we'll fully answer it until we get to heaven, even if we answered it, there's still going to be pain and suffering. There's still going to be cavities and canker sores and bad neighbors and empty gas tanks and broken hearts, and there's gonna be sickness and disease and death. If we found out why, it wouldn't change the fact that we still have to walk through it. So I think the better question to ask ourselves today is who is Jesus to me in the middle of it? Who is Jesus to me in the middle of my pain, in the middle of my sorrow?”

44s

#JesusIsMySource

“So he's saying, I could heal you right now, and that would be for a minute, and you're still gonna die. you could come to me, the true resurrection and the true life, and I will purchase for you eternal glory in heavenly places with me forever and ever. So you say, Martha, do you believe this? Not do you believe I can heal him now, but do you believe that I am your source forever? Do you believe that every answer is in me, not in your miracle? Every hope you have is in who I am, not in your comfort here on earth. Do you believe that there is a bigger picture going on?”

50s

#RunToTheThrone

“But there comes a point for all of us when we're in the middle of just trying to, like, comfort ourselves and cope and, like, I'm just trying to get through this where we have to get up, and we have to run to the throne of grace and say, Jesus, I can't do this on my own. This weight is too heavy for me to carry. As the man of sorrows, he carried it for us. So when the teacher is calling, we can run to him. We can do as Hebrews says, and because he has gone before us, we can boldly come to the throne of grace and come before his feet. When we're in pain because of who Jesus is, you can run to him. And the second thing is, when I don't understand, I can bring him my questions.”

61s

#FixYourEyesOnJesus

“If you are in the middle of it, chronic pain, depression, mental anguish, and torment, if you have a broken heart, the Lord is saying today, hey, just wait. Keep watching and fixing your eyes on Jesus. This is not how it ends. We know how the movie ends because of what Jesus did on the cross, because he chose to become human and experience your pain for you. So you don't have to sit there in your sadness anymore. He doesn't say, get over it. Forget it. He says, no. Pick those things up and bring them to my feet. Put them on my back. He bore it with the stripes on his back and the crown of thorns on his head. He said, I already carried it for you. I'm just waiting for you to get up and run to me and bring those things before my feet.”

51s

#TheTeacherIsCalling

“Today, at all of our campuses, everybody watching in this room, I think the call is very clear. The teacher is calling you. the teacher's calling for you. Whatever you've been wrestling with or like, I don't know if he can handle this. This might be too much. No, he's gonna strike me with lightning. No, I gotta just fake it till I make it. No, no, no. The teacher is calling for you. Pick up your questions, pick up your burdens, pick up your weight, and run quickly to the feet of Jesus. Tell them what you need. Tell them you can't carry it on your own, and watch him take the burdens and usher you into a greater reality, a greater hope, a greater peace to come.”

46s

#CompassionateKing

“But if we look at scripture, you will see that the almighty God and the man of Jesus is not an angry CEO, he's not a sadistic bully, and he's also not your employee. He is the king of kings who was moved with emotion for you. If we look throughout the New Testament, you'll see that Jesus looked at a crowd and was moved with compassion. Jesus experienced deep distress and agony in prayer before he went to the cross. Jesus got hungry. Jesus got tired. Jesus got angry. Jesus yelled. Jesus stood at his dear friend's funeral, and he wept.”

48s

#GodBecameHuman

“Here's what that means that Jesus was the man of sorrows. It means that he wasn't just the glorified king in heaven. He's just not not just the risen savior or the one who did miracles here on earth. He is God who became man. He is God who chose to become human and walk among us and experience what we experience in humanity. All the aches and pains and heartbreak, Jesus was a preteen, you guys. He went through it all. He experienced all of that because he said, I know that they're going to experience things I wanna experience with them. That's so mind blowing to me that God would choose pain.”

52s

#KeepWatchingJesus

“And every parent in the room knows this feeling, and they're freaking out, what's gonna happen? And you're like, no, no, no, Just wait. Just wait. Keep watching. And that's what Jesus is telling Martha. That's what he's saying through his scripture. No, no, no. You just wait. You keep your eyes on the teacher because I have experienced this for you, and I know how this ends. And this does not end in pain and grief and suffering. It ends in eternity with Jesus, a greater hope, a greater reality, a bigger picture.”

35s

#RunToHisFeet

“She didn't question it. She didn't hesitate. She didn't put up an emotional guard. She got up, and everyone with her is trying to follow her. Where is she going? Oh, she's going to run to lay herself at the feet of Jesus because she knew that even in the middle of this sorrow, I know who has the answers. Even in the middle of my questions, I know who has the joy. I know who has the hope. So no one who can help me over here, I know who can help me. And I'm running to his feet, and she threw himself herself before him.”

52s

#KnowJesusPersonally

“She could have said, you know, Jesus didn't rush to us. Why would I rush to him? You know, if he really wanted to come speak with me, why would I go to him? He can come find me right where I'm at. But Mary doesn't do those things because Mary knew Jesus. Mary had spent time with Jesus. Mary had spent time sitting at the feet of Jesus hearing his teachings. She had heard him laugh. She had seen him eat. She had watched him heal. She knew the power and the authority and the humanity of the man who was Jesus. So when Martha said, Mary, I know you are in grief and mourning right now, but the teacher is calling, She got up quickly and ran to the feet of Jesus.”

62s

#WhoIsJesusToYou

“We all know somebody. Right? You know someone in your brain. Or maybe you walked through this before where you have seen someone come to the house of God, and they're worshiping God, and they're serving God, and they're in the small group, and they're full of faith, and they're, yeah, I love God. No, I'm I'm on the team. And then the thing happens. The misunderstanding, the sorrow, the disappointment, the loss, the grief, the thing happens. And instead of running to the man of sorrows, they say, no. No. I'll carry this thing on my own. No. I'm I'm gonna walk away, and their hearts become hard and their spirits become bitter. How you answer the question, who is Jesus to me when pain happens will actually set the course and the trajectory of your life and your faith in Christ. So who is Jesus to you when pain happens? There's a couple different answers that we have for this that all of you will have experienced individually.”

57s

#NotGodTheCEO

“And that's how some of you see God. He's just God the bully. And then for some of you, he's God the CEO. He doesn't care about you. He's just numbers, numbers, numbers, productivity, productivity. He doesn't have time to comfort you in your pain. He's got a flight to catch. You're just a number. He's dismissive. You're just one of the flock. And so if something happens to you, it doesn't really matter to him as long as he gets to accomplish his goal and his mission. He's God the CEO. And then the last one, this came to me last night. I thought, oh, interesting. For some of us, he's God the employee. He works for us. He's on our clock. He's on my watch, and so he has to produce what I want him to produce. And if he doesn't show up for me in the way that I expect him to show up for me, well, then he's dismissed. I no longer have need of him, and I'm gonna do this thing on my own. He's my employee.”

52s

#YouKnowHowItEnds

“You guys know that feeling when you're watching a movie with someone and you have seen the movie, but your friends, they haven't seen the movie. And you brought them to see this movie, and it's like an epic movie. And you're so excited, you're like, just wait till you see this movie. And they're next to you, and they're like, It better be good. Like, what? Okay, two and a half hours, here we go. And then the movie's going, and they're into it, and then the climax of the movie happens, and someone dies, they break up, the good guy gets beaten down, and they're looking at you like, why the heck did you bring me to this movie? This is this is horrible. I hate this movie. I just wasted an hour and a half. What's gonna and they're freaking out. But you get to sit back with the quiet confidence of someone who has experienced it before, and you already know how it ends.”

73s

#DisappointedInGodAllowed

“You know, a couple years ago, I was trying to unpack all the feelings I was feeling as a new mom of a disabled daughter, and I don't think I handled it super well. I mean, as you heard, guacamole in the office. That's basically what was happening. And I thought, no. God is good, and Rich and I were still preaching on the weekends, leading worship, and leading at the church. And I'm like, no. It's great. Like, this is this is our testimony. This is good. But the symptoms started coming out of, oh, there's a lot of repressed feelings here, anxiety, panic. And I talked with pastor Lee, and after crying to her for probably, I don't know, four and a half ish hours straight, just tissues after tissues, she graciously looked at me and said, Hillary, can I ask you a question? Are you disappointed in God? And I was like, you're not allowed to say that. That's like, I don't know if you I don't know. You're not allowed to say that. And I asked her, I said, is that allowed? Am I allowed to be disappointed in God? And she's like, well, I mean, if you are, don't you think he already knows?”

52s

#EternityOverToday

“While she's still in the middle of the grief and the questions, Jesus is telling her, yes, Martha, I could raise your brother here on Earth. I can give you a miracle, and he does. I can give you hope. I can give you breakthrough. But I need you to realize that there is a bigger reality than what you see temporarily right in front of you. That no matter what happens right now in your loss or your suffering or your pain, I have purchased a bigger picture. Because of who he is as the man of sorrows, he has carried our sickness. He has carried our grief. He has become one with it, and he has put it on the cross so that we don't have to live for today. We have our eyes set on eternity.”

58s

#HopeBeyondSuffering

“Paul is telling the church, be encouraged you who are grieving. Be encouraged you who are suffering. This isn't how it ends. There will be a day where perfect health will come, where all the hope of glory will be revealed. And yes, I will give you miracles here on earth, and I will give you bouts of hope, and I will give you the energy and the joy to get through the day, but that is nothing compared to the reflection of my glory in eternity that you will stand in forever when you realize that I paid the price. He carried it all. He carried the shame. He carried the torment. He carried the pain so that you don't have to. He put it on the cross so that you could have a greater hope, a greater picture of a reality in heaven with him forever.”

63s

#ManOfSorrows

“Man of sorrows does not mean Jesus was depressed and sulking in his life. No. It actually says in the word that he had the oil of joy above his peers. So when you saw Jesus, you were like, that's a happy guy. Man of sorrows means this. He is the one who knows my pain, carries my hurts, and gives me hope to get through it. That's who Jesus is as the man of sorrows. And as we look into the word, I want us to go to John chapter 11. It gives us a picture of how Jesus interacted with those who were closest to him who were walking through a time of pain and loss. He was really close to these three siblings, Lazarus, Mary, and Martha. And in John 11, it says that Lazarus got sick and then eventually passed away. And as we look at the response of Mary and Martha to the losing of their brother, we will see a road map of how we can interact with Jesus when we're walking through times of suffering.”

43s

#DontFakeItFaith

“You don't have to fake it. You don't have to fake it. You don't have to be a weird Christian. Okay? Why are Christians so weird sometimes where we're like, no. God has given me this pain and this burden. I'm grateful he chose me. You're like, what are you saying? You don't have to be happy that life totally stinks right now. You don't have to pretend like he chose us because we're his angels. What are you even saying? No. I want an easy life. I chose the Lord because I want him to bless like, can we be honest this morning? You don't have to fake it.”

66s

#RunToJesusInLoss

“The first thing that we can see from the response of these sisters is that because he is the man of sorrows, when I'm in pain, I can run to Jesus. You know, Mary had lost a lot in losing Lazarus. She had lost a brother. She had lost a friend. And according to Jewish culture, she had probably lost the head of household and one of her main financial providers. This was a big loss that had occurred in their family. And, you know, Jesus knew Lazarus was sick. They had sent word and said, Lord, the one you love is sick. And Jesus does not rush to the bedside to heal him. For some reason, he allows the passing to happen. And it's interesting when Martha comes to Mary and says, Mary, I know we just lost our brother, but the teacher is calling to you. Mary had an opportunity to remain seated in the house, to remain broken in her heartache.”

67s

#WhereDoYouRun

“Let me ask you a question this morning. Where do you run when pain comes? What do you run to when you experience loss and suffering and sorrow and disappointment and grief? Do you run to anger? Do you put up walls of defense? Do you get ice we all run to something. Do you get isolated? Do you run to food, entertainment? Do you go shopping online? What do you run to when life gets hard? You know, when Rich and I took on the role as caregiver for our oldest daughter, we watched so much of The Office, and we ate so much guacamole. It was like just a loop of like, and then guacamole, guacamole, guacamole. And I thought, you know what? It's not hard drugs. So we're doing okay. You know? We all cope in different ways. We chose network TV and organic holy guacamole packs from Costco. Like, I think there could be worse things. You know what I'm saying?”

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Jesus, the Man of Sorrows: Run to His Feet

Devotional

Day 1: The Teacher Calls: Running to Jesus When Pain Comes

Day 2: Honest Questions at the Feet of the Healer

Day 3: Grieving With One Eye on Eternity

Day 4: Burdens Belong on His Back, Not Yours

Day 5: The Spoiler Alert That Changes Everything

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Jesus, the Man of Sorrows: Run to His Feet

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