Suffering can come in many forms. We can suffer emotionally and psychologically. We can experience physical suffering. At the moment it is agonising watching and hearing stories of those suffering in our hospitals.
Suffering is one of those things that we seek to stay clear of if we can.
In verse 3 of Isaac Watts’ hymn we are reminded of two things that we see in Jesus’ suffering on the cross; pain and love.
See from his head, his hands,
His feet, Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e'er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
Seeing the 'Pain'
When we look at the cross we see the pain that Christ went through as Watts references Jesus' head, hands and feet.
The suffering Jesus endured was foretold over 600 years before the event.
The prophet Isaiah describes how the Lord’s servant appearance will be,
“disfigured beyond that of any human being” (Isaiah 52:14)
He will also be,
“a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.” (Isaiah 53:3)
That prophecy looked ahead to the Lord Jesus being crowned with a crown made of thorns.
“The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head.” (John 19 v 2)
Isaiah looked ahead to his hands and feet being nailed to a cross, marks that would still be there when Jesus appeared to his disciples after his resurrection.
It is a scene that brings us sorrow.
An innocent man suffering in this way.
Seeing the 'Love'
That same scene of pain is also the greatest demonstration of God’s love for us. Watts exclaims ‘was there ever a time when sorrow and love met so perfectly than on the cross?’.
It was out of love for His Father that Jesus went to the cross.
It is through the Lord Jesus that we see God’s love for us.
John 3:16 is a familiar but hugely significant verse which describes this truth.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Easter time is a time to reflect upon God’s love displayed through Jesus.
It’s also a time to remember how we should respond to this love.
A few verses after John 3:16 we read,
“Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” (John 3:18)
Jesus suffered and died so that we may be forgiven (not condemned).
Trusting that Jesus died for all of your sins and turning to Him is the invitation we have at Easter.