“Yet He [Jesus] Himself bore our sicknesses and He carried our pains, but we in turn regarded Him stricken, struck down by God and afflicted.” [Isaiah 53:4 Christian Standard Bible]
That verse, of course, is part of the prophetic utterance of Isaiah regarding our Savior’s sufferings and cross.
“He carried our pains.” Other translations say that “He carried our sorrows.” Either way, our pain, our sorrows, were borne by our Savior.
As I read that phrase this morning, I was reminded of Matthew 11:28-30: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” [NIV]
Jesus carried our pains and sorrows to the cross. That burden was so heavy, so devastating that the mere thought of what He would have to endure made Him think He might die from the sorrow alone. Because He bore our burden, our sicknesses, our pains … because He was struck down and afflicted, He now offers us a yoke that is easy and a burden that is light.
What a trade! I think I’ll spend today praising Him for taking my heavy burden.
