Isaiah 53:3a “He (Jesus) is despised and rejected of men

Isaiah 53:3a “He (Jesus) is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with much grief.”

It’s hard to imagine our Savior facing rejection..and yet we know that he did. It’s hard to imagine the Savior of the world being despised..and yet we know that He was. It is hard to picture God Himself being a man of sorrows,..and yet we are told in this verse that’s exactly what He was. He was acquainted with much grief. We know from the accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John that Jesus was despised by many of that day, including the Pharisees. We know that He was betrayed and rejected by the very men who had walked with Him..who had known and believed in Him..who had said they would never leave His side. Even sadder, is the fact that Jesus is still rejected today. He is still hated today by many. There are even those who once called on the name of Jesus..who once walked closely with Him as did the disciples of long ago..who have been deceived into thinking that they can do things better without Him.

I find it amazing that the very One who was rejected and despised is also the One who carries US when we are rejected or despised. Isaiah 53:4-5 says, “Surely, He hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. He was wounded for our transgressions.” I don’t think that any of us will ever understand, at least not on this side of heaven..what Jesus really did for us. We will truly never know the cost, and the high price that He paid for you and for me.

Ray and I recently saw ‘Fireproof’. If you haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend it. There was a very touching scene where the son was pouring his heart out to his father about his wife’s rejection. He asked his dad the question..”Dad, how do you think I feel when over and over again she has rejected me?” .. and the dad’s question back to his son is..”I don’t know son..probably the same way Jesus has felt when over and over you have rejected Him.”

I have faced rejection in my life. It hurts. The Bible says that Jesus was able to endure the cross, despising the shame, because of the joy that was set before Him. That is an amazing verse to me. Despite the fact that Christ was about to lay down his life..and He was going to do it for the very ones who were rejecting Him..(not just those in that day..but us also)..He had joy. No one took His life from Him. He gave it willingly.

I simply have two thoughts today. The first is..that when You face rejection, remember that Jesus carries you when you go through difficult situations. Remember that when He faced the cross, He understood the joy that would be on the other side of it. He will bring you through also. It may not be in the way you thought, or on your timetable..but your God will be with you. He will bring you through and strengthen you through the battle.

My second thought is simply to those who have rejected Him. He says that He wants TODAY to be the day of your salvation. Jesus paid a huge price for you. Will you accept it? Will you accept the fact that He loves you and wants to live in you and through you? Think of the last time someone rejected you and the pain it caused..and now think about Jesus..waiting for you to come to Him..waiting with open arms..willing to accept you just as you are. Today, will you simply invite Him in to your heart and your life?
I will simply close today by saying..He loves you.