He Hath Borne Our Griefs and Carried Our Sorrows
Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted (Isa. 53:4 KJV)
Isaiah said the Messiah would bear our griefs and carry our sorrows. This prophecy is one of the most mysterious in scripture that describes what Christ did for us. It begins with two parallel clauses: “He hath borne our griefs” and “(He) carried our sorrows.” What do they mean, and how do they apply to us?
First, the verbs “to bear” and “to carry,” as action words, describe what Jesus did. They are figurative, using familiar everyday occurrences to explain what happened spiritually. Think of the stress and suffering we would endure if we carried a 100kg load on our heads. Therefore, to bear or carry means Jesus suffered the spiritual burden of our griefs and sorrows. Scripture teaches us that weight was the divine judgment that Christ endured as suffering in His body and heart.
Second, the nouns “grief” and “sorrow” describe the things whose weight Jesus endured. The context of Isaiah 53 tells us this load was both sins and diseases. Though some scholars reject the idea of disease, Mathew 8:16-17, which is a direct interpretation of this verse, replaces the word “sorrow” with “sicknesses.” There can be no better interpretation of Isaiah 53:4! Sin’s weight encompasses all the sufferings due to us: guilt, shame, condemnation, and death in all its forms (physical, spiritual, and eternal). Similarly, the weight of disease refers to the effects of disease on our bodies and hearts: all the physical manifestations and accompanying psychological distress. Jesus bore all the weight of sin and disease—of all human beings.
Lastly, if Jesus bore and carried these weights for us, we do not have to carry them anymore; otherwise, His work was useless. Brethren, this is the mystery of our forgiveness and physical healing in Christ. The Lord opens your eyes to see His work on the cross fully.
Read more: A Man of Sorrows.
Please ponder and mutter the words in Isaiah 53:4 above.
Apply the Word
Christ’s work is both finished and unfinished. As long as we are not what Christ died for and are still carrying what He carried, Christ’s work is not yet finished. Look and live!
Ask the Father to help you see Christ bearing your griefs and sorrows( Isaiah 53:4).
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What does it mean “that Christ would carry/carried/carries our griefs, sickness, and sorrows,” when we are still sick and sad, and we still have sorrows? It sounds like just repeating Scripture, not explaining how or what Scripture means. Please provide examples of HOW Christ does this. Thanks.
Hi Val.
Thank you for this insightful comment. I am sure it will be very helpful to many believers who read this page daily.
Christ bearing or carrying our sorrows and griefs means He suffered for us to be healed, implying there was a due suffering or punishment for us to be healed. Isaiah 53 was a vivid prophetic description of the sufferings of Christ that will bring forgiveness and healing to people.
The meaning is of this passage is straightforward: Christ suffered for us to be healed. The real difficulty is what you have pointed out so clearly: why are we still sick and suffering today from sicknesses?
And the answer to this is also simple.
Let me begin with sins, as that is easier to understand. Sin and disease are two entities that Christ’s suffering paid for in strikingly similar ways. I will explain why we are still suffering from disease in three step while incorporating the parallel idea of sin.
First, Christ suffered and died for the sins of the whole world, sinners and Christians alike.
But only a handful of people are saved from sins. There are many out there who are under sin as and sadly will be lost for eternity, which breaks God’s heart.
Why are people still lost in sin though Jesus has suffered? Everyone has to personally understand, believe and accept to appropriate the salvation He brought.
The second step is us as Christians dealing with sin everyday. Christ has suffered for our sins and broken the power of sin over our lives. Scripture tells us plainly that sin should not have dominion over us.
Our sins are atoned. Sin’s power is broken. Yet there is hardly any of us that can say thry live every day free from some sin. That is why He made provision for abundant forgiveness even for us, His people.
The interesting question is this: why do we still sin even as Christians though Jesus has suffered already?
You can immediately tell the answer is not straightforward here, and it depends on our individual standing with God.
Some have made remarkable strides to enjoy freedom from sin, others are still working on it and still others are under its control daily.
That leads us to the the answer, which is directly related to your question: why are we still sick though Jesus has suffered for us to be healed?
The two questions above should help with this.
Why are people still lost in sin though their sins have been atoned for?
Why do Christians still struggle and even sometimes suffer the consequences of sinful behaviors when Jesus already suffered for their sins?
Salvation from sin as well as healing of our bodies are clear benefits from the scripture pf the suffering and death of Christ. But whether every person will appropriate it is an individual question.
Scripture is plain that all the provisions of Christ are the benefits of grace that we receive by faith.
As a doctor and minister, I have seen Christians suffer and die of diseases and seen others healed. I have heard different teachings on why some Christians are not healed, from healing is no longer for today, to God having special plans to allow some people to be sick.
The Bible is very plain: He has suffered and died for our sins and diseases. If we are struggling with sin or disease, we can be sure it has to do with our understanding, faith or surrender to His Spirit. I cannot explain why some Christians are not healed. God alone knows what is truly in our hearts, what we know, believe and allow to control our lives.
Hope that helps. Please let me know if that answers your question and if there is an aspect of the question I missed.