The work of the Cross is endlessly faceted. “It is finished,” Jesus proclaimed as He released His spirit to the Father. The work was done. He bore our sins in His own body on that Cross, but he bore something else…our griefs and sorrows. Isn’t that astounding? Isaiah tells us this through the Holy Spirit, 600 years before the Cross.
Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: (Isaiah 53:4)
Life is full of grief and loss. What eats at your heart at 3:00 in the morning? What old memory attacks you in the middle of the night, burying you in regret for what can never be changed? What unjust betrayal, possibly from years ago, stabs you over and over again? Did Jesus really bear our griefs and sorrows as well as our sins? Is this too good to be true?
If it is true, then He is able to lift you above the hurt, the loss. He can heal. He can restore hope that better days are coming, for in Jesus, it all ends well. Really well! We can release the pain to Him, our grief-bearer. Beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. That is His promise to us, His children.