If you have been viewing the studies here for any length of time, you have probably heard me mention that Jesus has made complete redemption available, and that He has made complete provision for your spirit, your soul, your body and even your finances. And indeed we have studied about His provision for your spirit, His provision for your body, and His provision for your finances.
Yet it occurred to me that we had not really explored His provision for your soul (that is your mind and emotions), in quite some time. And this area of His provision is just as important, just as powerful, and just as freeing as the others; and so we will be looking at it today in this study.
As we begin today, a good place to start is by recognizing how important your soul (your mind and emotions) actually are, and not only are they important, but God has just as much care for your soul as He does for the other aspects of your life, such as obviously your spirit, your body, and even your finances. This is important precisely because if we don’t understand that God does indeed care about our mind and emotions, as much as any other part of our life, then our tendency will be to try and handle such things ourselves rather than to rely on God. And also, if we hold to an ideology that suggests God doesn’t care about our emotions, or that He allows us to suffer for some “divine purpose”, then we will never even have the confidence to go to Him with our issues, or to honestly rely on His care.
So let’s see what the scriptures say regarding this, beginning with Isiah 53:3-8:
“He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was on him; and with his stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opens not his mouth.
He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.”
Now the most famous verses of Isaiah chapter 53, are verses 4 and 5, which speak of Jesus being crushed for our iniquities and carrying our sicknesses and diseases. However so many people stop reading there and miss the verses surrounding those.
However, these verses together paint a rich picture of the complete provision of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for you, and for me; provision for our spirit, soul and body, for our health on every level – which just happens to also include our emotional and mental health as well.
Notice what is mentioned first in verse 3 here: Jesus was despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows. Now, it’s important for us to understand and remember here that everything that Jesus suffered, was for our redemption… everything!
Verses 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, and 12 of this same chapter make this fact clear. This scriptures mention it repeatedly because God wants us to know that we are indeed freed from bondage by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ!
So whenever you read about something that Jesus suffered, just keep in-mind that He did not suffer it for His own sake, He suffered it for your sake. Everything that Jesus suffered, demonstrates something that He has released you from!
And look at what it says here… In verse 3, Jesus was despised – that means He was hated, He was seen as vile, and people counted Him as utterly worthless! He was also rejected, socially ostracized, shunned. If you ever have the idea float through your head that you are a social outcast, Jesus was a larger one first, and people were not just apathetic about Him, they absolutely hated Him with a deep, seething hatred to the point of death – and remember that He suffered that for your sake, and to free you from the bondage of it. Receive this truth, my friend.
We can also see that He was a man of sorrows. The word “sorrows” there in most English translations is the Hebrew word מַכְאוֹב, which is “pains” in both the physical and mental/emotional sense. Jesus suffered both physical and emotional pains, stresses, hurts, worries – mental and emotional anguish. All of it. Again, not for Himself, but for you.
As a reminder, as we look at these things that Jesus suffered, these are things which He has paid to free you from, receive them personally for you.
Jesus was also burdened with sickness, which is confusingly translated as “griefs” in some English translations. But the word is actually “sicknesses” there (Hebrew: חֳלִי)… and as well as being a payment for those sicknesses, we should also recognize the emotional pain that often accompanies physical sickness – and we see the payment for such deliverance right here in this verse.
Then moving to verse seven, we read that Jesus was oppressed. The Hebrew word here has a very strong connotation – the same phrasing is used when speaking of the slave-masters in ancient Egypt were beating their slave-workers.
Jesus was afflicted. Which means to be brought low. He was pushed down – emotionally-speaking, as well as physically. He was “kept under heel” to use an idiom. He was always on the bottom rung – He could never get ahead. And think of all the emotional suffering that accompanies that position and status. And He never once spoke out against any of it.
Now in-case you may be wondering what Jesus’ emotional state was during all of His suffering, and how deep His anguish went, the Psalms give us some insight into what Jesus was thinking and feeling. And as we close this study today, we are going to take a look at one of the Messianic Psalms and read about what Jesus was experiencing, I want you to see your deliverance in it, my friend. He suffered this, so that you could be free.
So let’s read Psalm 22:6-18:
“But I am a worm, and not a man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.
All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they sneer, they shake their head, saying,
He trusted on the LORD that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.
But you are he that took me out of the womb: you did make me hope when I was on my mother’s breasts.
I was thrown on you from the womb: you are my God from my mother’s womb.
Stay not far from me; for trouble is near; there is no-one to help.
Many bulls have surrounded me: strong bulls of Bashan have boxed me in.
Their mouths are open wide, as a ravening and a roaring lion.
I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the middle of my bowels.
My strength is dried up like a piece of pottery; and my tongue sticks to my mouth; and you have brought me into the dust of death.
For dogs have surrounded me: the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.
I may number all my bones: they look and stare on me.
They part my garments among them, and cast lots on my clothing.”
Just listen to some of the things this Psalm allows us to see about Jesus’ physical and emotional state:
I am a worm and not a man. God do not stay far from me, there is no one to help!
My heart melts like wax, I am poured-out like water … a picture of having no strength left! Being utterly spent!
I can count all of my bones, because they are all exposed! You have brought me to the very dust of death!
Behold the payment made by Jesus Christ, for your emotional peace, my friend. Look upon your savior and see your complete redemption; for your spirit, soul, body, and your entire life.
Be blessed.