Joy and suffering – how do these two go together? The suffering servant sacrificed himself and received the joy of seeing others saved. It is one thing to endure a marathon for the joy of finishing like many in Chicago did today. It is another thing to endure the bone chilling death of crucifixion. How do you sacrifice yourself for others and retain your joy?
Isaiah 53; Hebrews 1: 8-9, 12:2
- With what is the servant of God familiar?
- What did the suffering servant take up and carry?
- What did the author and perfector of our faith endure and why?
- How could Isaiah have written in such detail about future events?
- How is Christ’s suffering with a focus on joy a model for us?
Going Deeper
Observation
- How did the suffering servant grow before God?
- With what animal are we compared?
- With what animal is the suffering servant compared?
- With what oil has the Son been anointed?
- Where are we to fix our eyes?
Interpretation
- If Jesus is God how did he develop as a human?
- What do we know about sheep? How are Jesus and other people comparable to sheep?
- How does Jesus’ life show that he loved righteousness and hated wickedness?
- What did God do with Jesus because of his love of righteousness?
- How does Jesus attitude at the cross show the difference between joy and happiness?
Application
- How has suffering caused you to grow?
- How are you like a sheep?
- How do you sacrifice yourself for the sake of Christian brothers and sisters?
- When this week can you sit down and think about Jesus’ death?
- When was the last time you had eucharist/communion/ breaking of bread?
Plymothian 
Check out: At the Heart of the Gospel: Suffering in the Earliest Christian Message by L. Ann Jervis (Eerdmans)
Suffering is at the heart of the Christian life.The problem of evil has been solved by God, not philosophically, but with a call: “come, follow me.”There is no other God with wounds. There is only Christ, and Him crucified.Sinning brings suffering.Doing good brings suffering.And all suffering is purgative: for the Christian, every time one suffers is an opportunity that God will use to bring us closer to Him.And coming closer to God always brings joy.(As well, coming closer to God yields people who progressively sin less and do more good)Praise God for answering our suffering with joy and new creation!