Ten years ago there was a film by M. Night Shyamalan called Unbreakable. The main hero of the film was a man named David Dunn played by Bruce Willis. Over the course of the movie David discovers he has superhero powers and was basically unable to be harmed by normal means. He survived a huge train crash, escaping unscratched and the only survivor. He was indeed unbreakable. He also was gifted with extra-scensory perception that allowed him to sense immoral acts committed by people he touched or rubbed up against. If he could sense a violent crime in someone before they did it, he might be able to stop the act. There is a powerful scene in a train station (pictured above) where he is in a crowd and every time he brushes up against someone he catches a glimpse of some terrible deed or crime they had committed or will commit. It’s an overwhelming scene showing a man who can sense the deep, dark, and evil secrets of humanity. You feel the horrible burden he felt as he came to grips with the rampant evil in the crowd of people. He could only take it for minutes and he had to leave the crowd- it was too much to bear.
I wonder what life on earth for Christ was like? Was it anything like David Dunn's experience? Did Jesus feel the crimes and sins committed by those he rubbed up against? Further, did he feel the crimes and sins committed against the people he brushed past? What person doesn't have great pain and a certain amount of misery associated with their life because of sin? Sin is so pervasive and touches everyone. We often think about the burden Jesus bore during the week of H]his passion, just before going to the Cross. I think His burden for sinful humanity was present every day of His life. He was a Man of Sorrows and not just because of his final awful week, but for all his days on earth, truly understanding and sensing the ravages of sin and the miserable state of humanity.
When Scripture speaks of Jesus rising early to pray in desolate places, I have to believe He was asking for the Father's strength to endure the heavy weight that grew upon him each day He moved among ruined sinners like me.
1 comment:
What a vivid illustration from Sunday’s sermon. As I listened to this powerful analogy, so many NT stories came to mind. Just beginning His earthly ministry with 40 days fasting, constant bombardment of temptations set before Him by the devil, being rejected in His own home town, the women with the issue of blood who simply touched the edge of His cloak, the disciples arguing over who was the greatest, prideful Peter always spouting off when he should have been listening, the throngs of crowds following Him for a handouts and healings, His unbearable pain in the Gethsemane ordeal, seeking His Father in ways get around the cup of agony before Him, abandoned by His closest followers, just at the hour He needed them the most, His betrayal and His mocked trails, Peter’s denial, His scourging, His mocking, and finally His crucifixion. When we think of the accumulative sins of all mankind, that poured upon Him at the cross, knowing He suffered the most horrible death sinful mankind had ever devised, the question of all questions, “how did the Creator, the One who spoke the universe into existence, endure all this?” Because He loves me this much, He willingly paid for my sins. This is ultimate GRACE! Great Rewards At Christ’s Expense.
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