Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Isaiah 53: 1-3
The description of Christ in those three verses is unlike any version depicted today. What is seen today is a tall lean man that has the common beauty that is accepted by the generation of that era; hence the difference between the images created during medieval times, the renaissance, the victorian era and modern society. The changes only begin at the Messiah’s physical appearance. His message and doctrine seemed to morph from the stern figure in the dark ages that could only be approached via his (supposedly) still virgin mother to a being that accepts all people; even mass murderers and sodomites.
The people of the earth do not see any benefit in adhering to his teachings or following his examples. Why? Because Christ lived a life that was not comfortable and he submitted his will at all times to God the Father. These two things go against the grain of the flesh that seeks pleasure and comfort. Which is why the doctrine of Lord Jesus was despised in the past and why it has been warped and ridiculed today.
Why is it important to understand how Christ sacrificed while he lived? We know that he died for us. We know that his death enabled us to have an opportunity to gain eternal life. Well here’s the thing in order to be a true Christian we have to study and understand the works of Christ. These works are not just limited to when he healed or how he taught the people in parables.
The best analogy I can think of is when a person decides on a particular course of study so they can obtain a job later. For me it was pharmacy. In order to be a legitimate pharmacist I had to have a knowledge base in pharmacy. I also needed to know how to obtain information in tricky situations. For example when a physician orders viagra for a young child; I need to know what to look for on the prescription. I need to understand where to get more information in the drug information database; to see if this is at all logical. You cannot call yourself a pharmacist if you do not know how drugs work in disease states. You are suppose to be the drug information source. This means always keeping your knowledge current; which means studying and researching all the time. I know this applies to other professions. I just cannot call myself a nurse because I want too or call myself an accountant because I choose too. I have not studied the things required nor have I performed those type of duties that involve those professions.
True Christians
We should know what happened when he became scared or continued on even when he was betrayed and everyone had left him. He experienced the same emotions we deal with on a regular basis. His flesh craved for comfort and safety just as ours do. Yet, Christ never sinned.
All of God’s creation have some type of attribute that comes from God. For example the regal nature of a tall redwood is just a tiny portion of a trait from God. The glorious light from the sun and how it impacts everything its rays touch; another small portion that comes from God. Just as we have a portion of God’s glory; we will have a portion of Christ’s suffering and sacrifice. Just as Jesus drunk a cup that contained bitterness; so have all of his children throughout the ages.
Rejected by Men
He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. This is what it said Isaiah 53. To reject something means to throw it out like it is worthless and with determination not to accept. This happened to Christ with great frequency. The Pharisees were persistent in their campaign to discredit Jesus. They said that he deceived the people and casted out devils through Satan. They accused him of breaking the very law that he established; the 4th commandment.
He was not believed by his brothers, sisters and those he grew up with. In Matthew 13 : 54-58; it speaks about the time Jesus went to Nazareth and taught there the people were in disbelief because they knew him since he was a child and his sisters and brothers were with them. However in Luke it describes their reaction in greater detail. In Luke 4: 16-30. Christ spoke to the residents of the town he was raised in. He told them that the prophesy had come true that was preached in Isaiah about healing the broken hearted, deliverance was being preached, blind was given their sight. The people did not believe him and said that this is Joseph’s son. Christ replied that prophets were not accepted in their own country and gave two examples of this. The people in the synagogue became enraged and physically grabbed him and removed him from the city. That was not enough for them. They decided to to throw Jesus head first from the brow of hill the city was built on. The people in the synagogue became enraged and physically grabbed him and removed him from the city.
It never said if someone from his family tried to stop the mob from killing him. What if no one believed you not even your family; what if the people you knew since you were a child began to envy you and became angry and decided to try to kill you? All children of God will be rejected in some form or another. Why? Because God said we would be because we are not part of this world. St. John 15: 18-21. The portion of this type of suffering is determined by God the Father and differs from person to person.
In Jeremiah 38 it speaks of a time when he was placed in pit full of mire because he spoke of Jerusalem being captured by the Babylonians. Jeremiah did not speak of his own words in fact he tried to tell the Lord he could not speak because he was a child. Jeremiah 1: 4-10. It was the will of God that Jeremiah to say the words he would place in his mouth. Jeremiah did not resist God but carried his cross as he was commanded.
Mercy means compassionate or kindly forbearance shown toward an offender, an enemy, or other person in one's power; compassion, pity, or benevolence. Lord Jesus exemplified this in every action. He made the sick whole just by speaking and cast devils from those who were grievously tormented. He did not do this for fame or monetary gain. This example showed us that true devotion to God means you must also think of the needs of others even if it goes against the needs and desires of the flesh. In Mark 3: 1-6.
Christ healed a man whose hand was withered on the Sabbath day. Christ was angry at the Pharisees because they would rather let that man have a damaged hand than be healed.
Now if you read those passages how did Jesus conduct himself? He did not shout or scream; he was angry but did not sin. He knew that the leaders of the people were more concerned about maintaining their positions of power (their self-interests) instead of serving God. In John 8: 1-11 here we can see that Jesus forced the leadership to look within themselves. What I learned from this is that is very easy to not show mercy when you do not see yourself clearly (imperfections and all). We must remember we have all sinned and in order to not receive eternal punishment; we are dependent on the mercy of God. We cannot obtain that mercy if we are only interested in our welfare only or cannot see that we are guilty of sin as well.
It should be noted that the rejection of Christ’s word is still occurring today. If you do not engage in the accepted norms (even those that contradict the Word of God) you will not be accepted. However we must remember to yield to the will of our Father just as Lord Jesus did.
We are all given the chance to show mercy. Often we fail at it first. The flesh craves for vengeance.It can be tempting to kick someone when everyone else is doing it. It can be inconvenient to think about others. It is so much easier to dwell on your own needs and desires. King David had this same dilemma. Before he was king he was a servant of King Saul. He was married to one of his daughters. Saul had behaved wickedly and God had David anointed king. Saul attempted to kill David on multiple occasions and David was forced to flee. In I Samuel 24: 1-12. It would have been well within David’s self interests to kill the man who stood in the way of him being king and was trying to kill him. Instead he showed compassion and decided to let God avenge him instead. David did not allow his emotions: anger, frustration and even fear cloud his judgment. He drank that portion of his cup as he was suppose to.
No matter it is the will of the Father that his children show mercy even when it is not convenient. We must show it even when it is not reciprocated. The people of this earth were not kind or forbearing to Lord Jesus; they slapped, mocked and crucified him. As his children we cannot expect better treatment. Christ imparted knowledge and guidance to his children in multiple ways.
For example Jesus taught the multitudes the beatitudes. He also spoke in parables to convey the message to the people again. Lord Jesus would then give examples of situations in which the testimonies would be utilized. One of the most powerful methods of educating was what Christ did. He lived the testimonies and the commandments. He did not place any burden on his children that he did not carry himself. Now think about that for a moment; all of the beatitudes Christ kept. When he said turn the other cheek; not only when he said it he actually did it (which means someone did something to verbally or physically strike him).
One of these verbal strikes occurred when Christ was in the country of Gadarenes. This was an area populated by gentiles (Greeks) and this occurred after the rein of Alexander the Great. Christ and his disciples disembarked in this land a man with multiple unclean spirits came to him.and the people of that area found him dressed in clothes and in his right hand.
As soon as this man saw Jesus he worshipped him and the evil spirits within him begged Christ to not send them out of the country. When you read about the condition this man was in; it is disturbing. He was naked as he traveled in the mountains, wilderness and tombs; crying and cutting himself with stones. Luke 8:26-33. Mark 5: 1-10. His situation would seem hopeless. Yet Jesus healed him from his affliction and sent those evil spirits into a herd of swine.
When Christ healed people in the cities of Israel, for the most part people were happy. In fact it became more difficult for him to walk openly because so many people were trying to be healed. In the land of Gadarenes the people did not thank Christ for this miracle or rejoice in the glory of God. Instead they told him to leave. Lord Jesus had just freed a man from a horrific prison and he did not even get a thank you from the people of that area; most people would have been insulted.
This should not be shocking because it was written in Isaiah 53:3 that Jesus would not be esteemed. Esteem means to hold in high opinion and in more extreme cases to revere. It was the will of the Father that Christ was not going to be esteemed. However Jesus did not rail against these people or destroy them; he simply left. This was not the first or last time that Christ was rewarded with indifference, belittlement, or hatred when he did a good work. Yet he continued to do these works because that was what God the Father required. The esteem he received from God the Father matter so much more than the honor of men.
It can be discouraging when you receive evil for good that you do or if it is not even acknowledged. Jacob was one of the patriarchs and this happened to him often. When he had to flee his father’s house he went to live with his Uncle Laban. He was an excellent worker and did his best work so that he could wed Rachel, Laban’s daughter. However Laban deceived him and gave him Leah instead. Laban’s pattern of deceit did not change during the entire time Jacob lived with him. In fact it is written that Laban changed Jacob’s wages ten times while he lived with him and would have left him with nothing if God had not protected him. Even when Jacob wanted to leave the first time; Laban requested that he would stay.
What is amazing is that Jacob did not rail against his Father in-law. He did not sabotage Laban or alter his integrity. He continued to serve God and do good. He did not seek acceptance or esteem from those in Laban’s house; he was meek and leaned upon the Lord instead.
We must remember to maintain our integrity, no matter how we are treated. We cannot yield to the yearnings of the flesh that may want to strike out when it is being treated badly. Our focus must be on the kingdom of heaven and our goal is to be esteemed by God not men. If we stay true to the doctrine of Christ then we will be protected just as Jacob was.
What is wonderful about the gospels is that our Savior showed us by example how to deal with difficult experiences without sinning. The lost of a loved one or friend can often be unbearable.
When this occurred with Lord Jesus he leaned upon the promise of his Father and not emotion. In John 11: 19-36. It discusses the death of Lazarus.Christ wept with Mary and was troubled due to all of the grief that he witness. He could have healed Lazarus and prevented him from dying and prevented the pain that his death brought; but that was not the will of God the Father. Instead he resurrected him and that resurrection turned the hearts of many people. It was written in John 12: 9-11 that many believed in Christ because Lazarus had risen from the dead.
Another example of facing extreme grief without losing your integrity is Job. He lost all of his wealth and his children in one day. He never questioned God or spoke foolishly about the Almighty’s will. Even when he lost his health he did not deny God but instead submitted to the will of God. We have to be like Job and obey God even when we do not understand why we are in the state that we are in. We must be like Jesus continue to walk upon the path that God has given us because it is truly the best way.