THE SHUNNED SERVANT

“Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.” (Isaiah‬ ‭53:1-3‬‬)

The life of Jesus on earth was marked by rejection. When the time came for His arrival, there was no room in the inn and He was born in a stable—no soft bed for a King, but placed in a manger of hay. The religious leaders hated Him from the outset of His ministry, ultimately demanding His execution. Though multitudes followed Him for the miracles He could do, the masses soon abandoned Him, at last crying out, “Crucify Him!”  Those of His town, looked at Him and scoffed, “He’s just a carpenter’s son,” and wondered what was the big deal.  His own family did not understand Him and wanted him locked away as a lunatic. One of His own would betray Him, the head of His disciples would deny Him, and all but John would run away when He needed them most.  Ultimately, the Gentile ruler would deliver Him to torture and death—the world’s verdict concerning Christ.

John wrote, “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.” (John 1:10-11).

His reaction to rejection?  Jesus wept. “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her!  How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!  See!  Your house is left to you desolate;” (Matt.23:37-38). His tears were not for His own trials, but for the people who were choosing hell over heaven in rejecting Him—their only hope!

What will you do with Jesus?  Will you bow to Him and confess Him before scornful men?  Or, will you turn away, brush His claims aside, and reject Him?  That choice will determine where you spend eternity.