The Green Mile: He Took Up Our Pain (Isaiah 53:4-5)

John Coffey, a giant of a man wrongly condemned to death, possesses the gift of healing. He draws sickness into himself, bearing others' pain at great personal cost. "I'm tired, boss," he says. "Tired of people being ugly to each other. Tired of all the pain I feel and hear in the world every day." Isaiah's suffering servant comes to mind: "Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering... by his wounds we are healed." Coffey is a Christ figure—not Christ himself, but a reflection of the One who bore our burdens. His initials are J.C. His execution is an innocent man dying for others. The Green Mile asks: What does it cost to carry others' pain? The cross answers: Everything.