A Man of Sorrows, and Acquainted with Grief"

Devotional

Day 1: Jesus understands our grief and suffering.

The weight of sorrow can feel isolating, but we are never alone in our pain. Jesus, fully human, experienced the depths of grief and is intimately acquainted with our struggles. He does not observe our suffering from a distance but draws near with compassion and understanding. His heart is moved by our tears, and He offers the comfort of His presence to all who are heavy-laden. [02:02]

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
- Isaiah 53:3-4 (ESV)

Reflection: As you reflect on a recent experience of grief or disappointment, how does the truth that Jesus is a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief, change the way you bring your pain to Him in prayer?

Day 2: God brings profound good from profound evil.

Human history is marked by tragedy and injustice, yet God’s redemptive power is greater than any evil. The cross stands as the ultimate testament to this truth, where the greatest crime became the source of our greatest hope. What was intended for evil, God intended for good, accomplishing the reconciliation of mankind to Himself. This divine reversal is the foundation of our faith and our eternal hope. [00:49]

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
- Romans 8:28 (ESV)

Reflection: Where in your own life or in the world around you are you struggling to see God’s redemptive hand at work? What might it look like to trust in His promise to work all things for good, even when you cannot see it yet?

Day 3: Our tears are seen and remembered by God.

In moments of deep sorrow, it can feel as if our pain goes unnoticed. Yet, not one tear falls without God’s attentive care. He collects our tears and records our struggles, affirming that our suffering has meaning and will not be wasted. Our present grief is held in the promise of a future where every tear will be wiped away, and sorrow will be replaced with eternal joy. [01:06:20]

You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?
- Psalm 56:8 (ESV)

Reflection: What burden or sorrow have you been carrying that you need to entrust to God’s faithful remembrance, believing that He sees your tears and will one day turn your mourning into dancing?

Day 4: Christ’s sacrifice opens access to God.

The separation caused by sin was vast and insurmountable by human effort. Yet, through the willing sacrifice of Christ, the barrier between humanity and God was torn in two. His death on the cross served as the ultimate atonement, bridging the gap and granting us direct access to the Father. We can now approach God’s throne with confidence, not based on our own merit, but through the blood of Jesus. [47:08]

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.
- Hebrews 10:19-22 (ESV)

Reflection: How does the truth that you have direct access to God through Jesus’ sacrifice influence the way you approach Him in prayer today?

Day 5: Grace offers restoration after our failure.

Failure and denial do not have the final word in the life of a believer. The same grace that saves us is the grace that restores us when we fall. God’s heart is not to condemn us for our weaknesses but to meet us with compassion and offer a new beginning. His question is not one of accusation but of invitation, calling us back into fellowship and purpose. [39:10]

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
- 1 John 1:9 (ESV)

Reflection: Is there an area in your life where you have experienced failure or denial, and how might you receive Christ’s gracious invitation to be restored and recommissioned for His purposes?

Sermon Summary

Good Friday stands as a paradox: out of the greatest suffering God accomplished the greatest good by reconciling humanity to himself through the Son’s death. The week of the passion unfolds as a tapestry of tears—sorrow over sin, grief for a fallen world, anguish at unbelief, and the quiet devotion of love that anoints a coming grave. Isaiah 53 frames the work: the Servant grows from dry ground, endures despising and wounds, bears iniquity, and by his stripes heals many. Scripture underscores that the just suffered for the unjust so that sinners might stand righteous before God.

Scenes from the passion reveal deep sympathy. At Lazarus’s tomb Jesus groans and weeps for a world entangled by death and sin; his tears express indignation at evil’s ruin, not surprise at death’s presence. In Bethany a costly anointing anticipates burial and models costly devotion—hair, ointment, and tears mark worship that costs everything. On the triumphal approach to Jerusalem the scene turns to lament over unbelief; the city’s rejection provokes prophetic grief and a warning of coming judgment.

Gethsemane exposes the cup of divine punishment condensed into a single moment: the Son experiences a human agony as he chooses obedience over escape, praying “not my will but yours.” Betrayal and abandonment follow—disciples flee, one denies and later weeps bitterly—but grace returns: restoration awaits the repentant, and love commissions renewed service. On the cross darkness falls, and the cry “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” marks the moment of bearing sin’s alienation; then the veil tears, the earth quakes, and access to God opens through blood that reconciles.

The tomb cannot hold what obedience and love accomplish. The risen Lord speaks a name and a grieving woman recognizes her shepherd; the sheep hear and answer his voice. Communion joins memory with proclamation: the bread and cup display the death until the coming. Revelation’s vision closes the arc—God will wipe away every tear, end death and sorrow, and make all things new—turning present sorrows into eternal rejoicing.

Key Takeaways

1. Sin necessitated the cross The cross answers the problem at the root: sin alienated creation from God, and the Son endured that alienation to remove it. Redemption does not bypass justice; it meets wrath and transforms it into reconciliation by the shedding of blood. This act upholds God’s holiness while opening personal access to him through mercy. [08:47]
2. Jesus shares human sorrow Jesus experiences genuine grief—he groans, weeps, and identifies with brokenness—so divine sympathy meets human suffering. Those tears reveal outrage at sin’s ruin and compassionate solidarity with the grieving, not sentimentalism. Trust rests in a Savior who enters sorrow fully and knows its weight. [09:22]
3. Obedience conquered the cup In Gethsemane the Son faces the concentrated punishment for all sin yet submits to the Father’s will. That obedience reverses Adam’s failure and becomes the instrument of salvation. Suffering served purpose when yielded in trust to God. [24:46]
4. The veil’s rent opens access The crucifixion culminates in the tearing of the temple veil, signaling direct fellowship with God through atonement. Reconciliation now leads to worship unmediated by ritual sacrifice and anticipates a restored eternal presence. The torn veil invites approach, not distance. [46:52]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:31] - Why Good Friday Is Good
[01:06] - Theme: Tears
[03:12] - Isaiah 53: The Suffering Servant
[09:22] - Lazarus: Jesus Wept
[12:45] - Mary Anoints Jesus
[21:01] - Triumphal Entry and Lament
[24:46] - Gethsemane: The Agony
[36:22] - Peter’s Denial and Repentance
[44:35] - The Cross: Darkness and Forsakenness
[46:52] - Veil Torn: Access to God
[47:45] - The Risen Lord Appears
[54:09] - Communion: Remembrance and Proclamation
[64:31] - New Heaven, New Earth
[67:15] - Closing and Song

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
Isaiah 53:3-5 (ESV)
He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.

Observation questions

According to Isaiah 53:4-5, what specific things did the Servant bear or carry for us?
What was the emotional state of Jesus at the tomb of Lazarus, and what was the specific reason given for his tears? [12:00]
What was the significant event that happened in the temple at the moment of Jesus’s death, and what did it signify? [46:52]
What was the final promise from Revelation 21 concerning tears and sorrow? [01:05:23]

Interpretation questions

The sermon described Jesus’s weeping at Lazarus’s tomb as an expression of "outrage" and "grief for a fallen world entangled in sin" rather than simple mourning. [11:27] Why is this distinction important for understanding God’s view of sin and death?
The tearing of the temple veil from top to bottom signaled that access to God is now open. What did this act mean for the Old Testament system of sacrifices and the role of a priest?
In Gethsemane, Jesus prayed, "not my will, but yours be done." [25:30] How did this act of obedience contrast with Adam’s failure in the garden, and why was it necessary for our salvation?
Peter wept bitterly after denying Jesus, yet later was restored and commissioned to "feed my sheep." [39:10] What does this sequence of failure, grief, and restoration reveal about the nature of God’s grace toward those who fail him?

Application questions

Sin necessitated the cross because it alienates creation from God. [08:47] In what practical ways does your life show that you are taking the problem of sin seriously, as God does?
Jesus shares human sorrow and can sympathize with our suffering. [02:33] When you are grieving or carrying a heavy burden, what difference does it make to know that Jesus is not a distant God but one who has wept himself?
Obedience conquered the cup in Gethsemane when Jesus submitted to the Father’s will. [24:46] Where is God calling you to choose his difficult will over your own desire for escape or comfort?
The torn veil opens direct access to God through the atonement of Christ. [46:52] How does this truth change the way you approach God in prayer, especially when you feel unworthy or distant?
Mary’s anointing of Jesus was an act of costly devotion, symbolizing that her Savior was worth everything. [14:27] What is one thing—your time, a treasured possession, a personal dream—that God might be asking you to offer to him in worship as a similar act of devotion?
God keeps track of our tears and promises that one day he will wipe them all away. [01:06:20] How can the future hope of a tearless eternity provide comfort and strength for dealing with present sorrows and pain?

Sermon Clips

59s

#CupOfAllSins

“Let this cup what cup? What was in that cup that Jesus was trembling about. It was the punishment for all the sins of all the world. Imagine that. Imagine the volume of sins of all humanity, past, present, future, condensed into that cup of suffering that he was going to drink. No wonder he was sorrowful. Remember, he was fully man, fully human. He knew what was coming. He knew that there will be a moment, a time where he will be separated from his father for what will seem like eternity.”

42s

#VeilTornAccess

“He suffered infinite amount of pain and suffering in that finite amount in your place. And then Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And behold, the veil of the temple was rent and twain from the top to the bottom, and the earth did quake and the rocks rent. God gave the Jewish people another symbol. He tore the veil from top to bottom. It's humanly impossible to do it by hand. God said, access to me is now open. There is no more separation”

57s

#MadeSinForUs

“Welcome to our goods Good Friday service. I'm glad you could be here and spend this time with us as we remember what Jesus Christ did for us. We call it Good Friday. Why is it good? Why is it good? Because out of an unspeakable tragedy and suffering, god accomplished something good. He accomplished something great. Through his son's death, he reconciled mankind with himself. It's a Good Friday. Something good came out of something really evil, and only god can do that. Amen?”

39s

#CupOfSuffering

“In second Corinthians five twenty one, Paul said, for he had made him to be sin for us. Him who knew no sin. Sin was a foreign subject to him. He could not be touched with sin, but he became sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. What was the reason for the cross? I'll give it to you in one word. That one word is sin. That is the reason for the cross.”

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A Man of Sorrows, and Acquainted with Grief" | Apr 3, 2026