“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. “Isaiah 53:3
September 27, 2023
Rejection is a terrible thing. Have you experienced it? We all have to some extent. Parental rejection, to have love thrown back in your face is either a life-long scar or a living wound. The Servant of God, Jesus Christ, tasted the pain of rejection. In what is the second stanza in the fourth Servant Song we meet unbelief (53:1-3). Israel’s Messiah and the world’s Savior was misunderstood. The contrast to what the world values is the humiliation of the Servant. Great people receive applause and cheers, but not so the Servant. The Jewish leaders of Jesus’ day were looking for political restoration. They wanted a Messiah who would throw off the hated Roman yoke. The longing for political supremacy and personal security eclipsed what was the underlying need of sinners, that spiritual regeneration must come before all else. Jesus was a man of sorrows, lived His entire life totally misunderstood, and finally thrown on the ash heap of history. Oh! But how wrong. The paradox is astounding, alone all His life. His disciples were disappointed in Him. Who was the real Christ? In the words of one British pastor, “The cross threw its shadow back over His entire life.” Do we recognize His true worth? We would not want to have lived and failed to have truly known Him.
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Who are some of those in your circle of acquaintances who either don’t care or who totally misunderstand who Jesus Christ is? Pray for them.