“Man of Sorrows” (2012), by Brooke Ligertwood and Matt Crocker, is a beautiful picture of the cross and tomb, and gives us an opportunity to rejoice in the gift of redemption. The first two verses present pictures of the cross and of Christ’s sufferings there. The chorus allows a chance to rejoice for our salvation through Christ’s blood poured out on the cross. In the third verse we draw back from the intimate picture of the cross to remember Christ’s overarching goal in coming to the earth. The bridge allows the singing believer another opportunity to claim the work of Christ. The final verse leaves Jesus not at the cross or in the tomb, but risen and alive. Throughout this song there are allusions and even direct quotes of Scripture, and I hope to bring these to your attention so that as you sing this song your heart and mind can be filled with the Word of God.
The first verse is an image of Christ as He is preparing to go to the cross. It reads, “Man of sorrows Lamb of God/ By His own betrayed/ The sin of man and wrath of God/ Has been on Jesus laid.” The phrase “Man of Sorrows” comes from Isaiah 53. Here the Christ is described, “He was despised and rejected by men;/ a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;/ and as one from whom men hide their faces/ he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” This powerful name well describes Jesus’s dejection as the sin of the world was placed upon Him. The line continues, and not only informs us of Christ’s suffering, but also His role in redemptive history; He is described as the “Lamb of God.” This is obviously referring to the sacrificial Lamb on which the sins of a Jew would be placed before it was killed in order to pay for them. This picture, set up by the law, parallels Christ’s actions for sinners. The sin of the world was placed upon Him, and then He died in order to pay the price for that sin. Jesus Himself is called the Lamb of God by John the Baptist in John 1:29. John sees Jesus and says, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” Jesus was in fact “By His own betrayed.” Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, betrayed Him only a few hours before the events depicted in this song. Luke 22:3&4 reads, “Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve. He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them.” This plan comes to fruition in 47&48: “While he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him, but Jesus said to him, ‘Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?’” This betrayal left such an impact on the other disciples that every mention of his name is qualified with the phrase, “the one who betrayed Him.” For example, in Matthew 10, when Matthew is listing the twelve disciples, the list concludes in verse 4 with, “Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.” Jesus bore the sins of the world, as previously mentioned. Peter reminds us of this truth: “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:24) Not only did He bear our sins, but He also bore the wrath of God. The word John uses to convey this truth is propitiation, which means a wrath absorbing sacrifice. This has the idea that Jesus took upon Himself the wrath of God against the sin that He was bearing, and His death satisfied this wrath. 1 John 4:10 reads, “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
The second verse depicts Jesus’s sufferings as He was being tried and His submission to God’s will that He should become our sacrifice. The first line sings, “Silent as He stood accused.” Jesus, incredibly, remained silent as He was taunted. Matthew 26:59-63 recounts the story, “Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death, but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward and said, ‘This man said, “I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.’” And the high priest stood up and said, ‘Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?’ But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, ‘I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.’” The song goes on, “Beaten, mocked, and scorned.” These three awful treatments are described in Matthew 27:27-31, “Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.” The last line of this verse recounts part of these verses as well: “He took a crown of thorns.” The third line, however, “Bowing to the Father’s will,” describes the amazing submission that Christ exemplified in taking this treatment on Himself, so that God’s plan of redemption might be accomplished. This was no easy task. Jesus prayed, “‘Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me.Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.’” (Luke 22:42)
The third verse brings to the forefront of the congregant’s mind the meta-narrative of Scripture and God’s plan for redeeming sinners, even the sinners who perpetrated such crimes against Christ. The verse opens with, “Sent of heaven, God’s own Son.” Jesus was, indeed, sent from heaven. He was not, as some heretical theories might say, created during His conception. He was there at creation, and has been with God the Father, within the Trinity, before the beginning of time. John 1:1 informs, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Not only was Jesus in the beginning with God, but because He is the God-Man, He is also the Son of God as stated in 1 John 4:15: “Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.” The song continues, “To purchase and redeem.” These are two things that Jesus came to earth to accomplish. First, He has purchased us from the bonds of sin. Therefore, since redemption is by definition the paying of something’s ransom, He has redeemed us to God the Father. We understand this concept from Ephesians 1:7: “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses,according to the riches of his grace.” Not only are we redeemed, which implies the purchase, but we are also reconciled, meaning we have been restored to a relationship with God that sin had once breached. This can be gathered earlier in the Ephesians text when we are promised adoption in Christ: “In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.” (Ephesians 1:4-6) The song makes a strong statement that this reconciliation is extended even to those who committed the atrocities of crucifying Jesus. “And reconcile the very ones/ Who nailed Him to that tree.” We see that Jesus, in some of His final moments, calls out for the Father to forgive Jesus’s executers. This would indicate that Jesus knew that His blood was being shed for the sake of His oppressor’s forgiveness. “And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. And Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’” (Luke 23:33-34)
The last verse leaves us with the hope that the resurrection provides. Instead of describing the empty tomb, in invites us to imagine seeing it empty and the stone rolled away. “See the stone is rolled away/ Behold the empty tomb.” This picture is the one presented in Luke 24:1-3: “But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.” This particular song invites us to rejoice at this fact with the following lines, “Hallelujah God be praised/ He’s risen from the grave.” Peter tells us to be glad for the work Christ accomplished not only on the cross, but in the tomb. He instructs us, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy,he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading,kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” (1 Peter 1:3-9)
The chorus provides a repeated opportunity to marvel and rejoice in the cross and the work that God accomplished through it. Its beginning word, “Oh,” should not be overlooked or thought of as simply a syllable to fill a beat. The word is one of great emotion and expressivity. It must be used with the understanding that it reflects the overwhelming emotions that freedom from sin implies. The first line is, “Oh that rugged cross my salvation.” The cross truly was rugged; this is another word that, due to overuse, has lost its meaning. The tree on which Jesus was hung to die was rough and course. It would have torn His already mutilated flesh a considerable amount more. This was coupled with the fact that in order to just breathe, our Lord had to push Himself up through agony, as His joints were already dislocated. Each push upward brought with it the necessity to run His back along the tree’s jagged surface. This cross is the symbol of our salvation; it was the medium on which Christ accomplished His atoning work. Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 1:18: “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” The second line of the chorus parallels Romans 5:5 (“and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”) by stating, “Where Your love poured out over me.” Then the song again encourages the believing singer to rejoice and thank God for His gift of Salvation: “Now my soul cries out hallelujah/ Praise and honor unto Thee.”
Lastly, the bridge of “Man of Sorrows” provides an opportunity to realize the powerful and lasting implications of Salvation. It begins, “Now my debt is paid/ It is paid in full.” Our debt has indeed been paid on the cross. Colossians 2:13&14 tell us, “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.” Our debt has been paid with a very unique price, the blood of Christ. The bridge continues, “By the precious blood/ That my Jesus spilled.” Peter again reminds us, “knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” (1 Peter 1:18&19) Then it moves on to realize that because of this freedom in Christ’s death, we are no longer bound by the curse. The crushing of the curse is understood in light of Romans 5:18&19, “Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.” Here Paul alludes to the curse brought upon the world through Adam’s sin and its abolition brought to the world through the blood of Jesus Christ. “Man of Sorrows” puts it this way: “Now the curse of sin/ Has no hold on me/ Whom the Son sets free/ Oh is free indeed.”
“Man of Sorrows” is a beautiful tool to lead a believer’s mind to the cross and the work that Jesus Christ accomplished on it. The song instructs the believer to praise and teaches about the details of God’s plan for redemption. It has encouraged me greatly, and I hope that it continues to be a help to many.
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