The Labor Of His Soul

He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities. 

Isaiah 53:11 

Christ endured great anguish of soul in His passion and death. Matthew quotes Him as saying, ‘My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death.’ The scene in the Garden is one of great anguish where He ‘sweat as it were, great drops of blood.’ Some of the cries from the cross were expressions of extreme anguish. This indicates, ‘the labor of His soul.’ The prophet employs the language of childbirth. The word translated ‘travail’ or ‘labor’ is the one used for the anguish of birth with its’ pangs. Christ describes it, not in reference to Himself, but to the disciples when He says, ‘A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.’  This describes ‘the labor of His soul.’ Psalm 22, which graphically depicts the crucifixion of Christ, uses the words Christ quoted from the cross, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, and from the words of My groaning?’ These are the utterances of the anguished soul. Why should we dwell upon these things? We should behold the anguish of Christ in order to more fully comprehend the cost of our redemption. This was no easy birth, but was long, arduous painful, and agonizing. This was the labor of Christ’s soul. As we gaze upon Him in the depths of His agony, we come to value Him more highly and appreciate Him more deeply.  

Our Gracious, Loving Savior, 
we rejoice that You were willing to endure such agony for us. 
We praise You that You were willing to endure it 
because of the great purpose You would accomplish. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning