The Messiah - Part 25

Rejection of the Messiah Foretold

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

Imagine our Lord Jesus Christ who wanted nothing but good for us, being hated and despised. In Isaiah and the Psalms we read of Him.

I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother's children.
For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me. Psalms 69:8-9

As Isaiah 53 foretells, we see someone here that is not who most people would follow. He had no physical beauty, a person who grieves and is someone most would rather not think about. He was despised and hated. His own people rejected Him. He was rejected because most Jews at that time were looking for a great and mighty military leader who would deliver them from Roman oppression. They were not looking for a savior from sins at that time.

This is where Israel and the whole world needs to exercise caution. One just may come in the future who is dynamic, good looking, mighty and appears to be one that men admire and will follow without question. This person just maybe the false Christ who is to come just before the return of Jesus Christ.

The above verse in Isaiah fits Jesus; for at the time of His crucifixion, He was probably physically ugly to look upon because of all the beatings and suffering. Yet He in reality was the most beautiful person ever born into the human race. I believe that is why the bible warns us not to look at outward appearances but judge righteous judgments. We can't go by a person's looks.

Fulfillment in the New Testament

And when the Sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands?
Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.
But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house. Mark 6:2-4

"Oh that teacher is just a carpenter's son. We know His mother, sisters and brother, He is nobody." Just how we would say it in our day and age.

His own neighbor's rejected Him as any Messiah. Jesus was just an ordinary person born in a humble environment. He was not born into a palace or place of greatness.

Think for a moment though. Wouldn't that be just like God to pick humility and the poor to use to bring His own Son into the world. If He were trying to save the whole world He would want to reach everybody. If He chose the rich and famous, the poor would immediately be left out and they would think that this great salvation is not for them but only the important people. God showed us that the gospel is for everyone.

And Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people,
Said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people: and, behold, I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse him:
No, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him; and, lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him.
I will therefore chastise him, and release him. (For of necessity he must release one unto them at the feast.)
And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas:
(Who for a certain sedition made in the city, and for murder, was cast into prison.)
Pilate therefore, willing to release Jesus, spake again to them.
But they cried, saying, Crucify him, crucify him.
And he said unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in him: I will therefore chastise him, and let him go.
And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed.
And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required. Luke 23:13-24

It's hard to picture the force of a mob violence. What our Lord had to face on our behalf is something to think about. They even preferred a murderer to an innocent person. That is how far a mob of hate can go. I've seen trials of people today that if it got political and the media was against the person, mob violence is stirred up by our news media. The person then has little chance of a fair trial.

He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John 1:11-14

While the majority rejected Jesus Christ as the Messiah, some did not reject Him. Even today we see the majority either rejects, ignores, or is complacent about Jesus our Christ. It is a minority that accepts and loves Jesus and receives Him as the Messiah. That is why we can't get our eyes on the crowd and what they accept. The majority is usually wrong. If our thinking is to accept what most people accept, then we could be wrong. What is popular to the world not is not always what is right.

There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Proverbs 14:12
His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judaea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest.
For there is no man that doeth any thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, shew thyself to the world.
For neither did his brethren believe in him. John 7:3-5

Jesus' own natural brothers did not believe in Him at this time. It is said that some did believe in Him at a later date. They wanted Him to exert Himself do miracles to the world and become powerful. He could have. With the power Jesus had to heal the sick, He could have taken over the world then and there. He could have exalted Himself and taken over. Why did He allow Himself to be rejected, despised and crucified instead of using His power to gain enough followers to take over the government and rule the world at that time?

This is what so many miss. He will come and rule the world at a future date but He had to come first for the purpose of making a pure sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. As I have said in previous articles, sin must be destroyed and done away with. God cannot allow the evil that sin causes to continue forever. It has to be judged. Power has to be given to those that believe to renounce sin and desire to be delivered from sin.

Everyone that sins will bear that judgment unless they somehow get rid of those sins. There is no man or women in the human flesh that can get rid of sins without outside help. A savior came to bear our sins and take our punishment for sins. All who believe In Him will have their sins forgiven and receive the power to overcome sin in the flesh and be "Born Again."

In the first chapter of John it says: But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

When we receive Jesus Christ and what He did for us, we will receive the power to become sons of God. We become God's own children. No one can pluck us out of the care of God. The only thing that will ever separate us from God is unbelief. Naturally if we do not believe these things, we will not receive them. What an awesome gift of God to become His children by faith in Chrsit. So awesome to think about.

If I held the winning ticket in a contest and refused to believe I was the winner, I could never receive the prize. I would have to believe enough to go down to the appointed place and show them my ticket with the winning number in order to receive the prize. If I stayed at home refusing to believe that my number was drawn, it would not benefit me one iota.

This is what many are doing today. They have access to eternal life, the bible, and God's gift of salvation and they refuse to believe it and do nothing to receive it and they stay lost and without God. We don't have to do this. We can receive the prize of salvation this very day.

Repent and believe the gospel. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. DC

Messiah Index

Messiah part 26