The Undesirable Jesus
Isaiah 53:3
Isaiah spake of one who had "no form nor comeliness"-"no beauty that we should
desire him"-"despised and rejected of men", and "as one from whom men hide their
face, he was despised and we esteemed him not" (Isaiah 53). It may shock some to
learn that this is the description of the one identified by inspired men as
being Jesus, the Son of God and Saviour of men. But such is the case for both
Philip, the evangelist, and John, the apostle, and others so apply the prophecy.
In answer to the eunuch's question, "Of whom speaketh the prophet this?", Philip
preached unto him Jesus" (Acts 8:34,35). John quoted Isaiah 53: 1, "lord, who
hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed"
along with Isaiah 6:10 and then stated, "These things said Isaiah, because he
saw his glory; and he spake of him" (John 12:41). When Isaiah spake the things
recorded in Isaiah 53, "he spake of him" (Jesus). Thus both Philip and John
interpret the prophecy as fulfilled by Jesus.
Jesus is not now, nor has he ever been, despised and rejected because of any
flaw in himself. He "did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth" (I Peter
2:22); he was "in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews
4:15); his public challenge was "which of you convicteth me of sin?" (John
8:46); and Pilate's verdict was, "I find no crime in him" (John 18:38). God from
heaven declared "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased" (Matthew
3:17). Cumulative evidence to the same point abounds in the scriptures but this
will suffice to prove the proposition that Jesus is not despised and rejected
due to any personal defect.
Why?
But why is there no form or comeliness, no beauty that we should desire him? Why
is he despised and rejected of men? As the fault is not in Jesus, we must search
for the answer by an investigation of man. Jesus is not attractive to the
worldly-minded. Neither materialism, sensualism, pride nor any other thing which
sets the mind on "the things which are upon the earth" can discover beauty in
Jesus. The "lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye and the pride of life" blind
those in their clutches to the superior beauty of Jesus. "When we see him"
through lust-tinted glasses, "there is no beauty that we should desire him."
The "many" who are traveling the road to destruction are doing so because of
their ignorant insensitiveness to the "beauty of holiness". When those who trust
in numbers observe that the majority despise Jesus, they adopt the attitude of
the many and come to despise Jesus and despising Jesus, they join the crowd.
Jesus must be rejected in order for one to "go with the crowd". Pride,
confidence in self, prevents personal conviction of sin. And until such
conviction of personal guilt exists, one could hardly "care less" that "He was
wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities."
Lacking conviction of sin, conviction of righteousness, and conviction of
judgment, man cannot see Him in His beauty. Conviction of sin, that "all have
sinned", is indispensable to one's appreciating how beautiful and desirable
Jesus is. For when a person is aware that he is lost in sin, he is eager for the
one who is "able to save...all who come unto God by him". Nothing can be more
desirable. The realization of the fact and ugliness of personal guilt leads to
appreciation of the beauty of Jesus, the one "by whose stripes we are healed".
Coupled with the conviction of sin, and just as indispensable is the conviction
of righteousness. God through the Holy Spirit justified Christ by raising him
from the dead, thus refuting the charge of unrighteousness implied by his death
on the cross, Jesus was "declared to be the Son of God...by the resurrection
from the dead" (Romans 1:4). The resurrection of Jesus demonstrated that he was
"with God elect, precious". Seeing him as the Son of God, we are not dismayed at
the realization that the world despises and rejects him. Rather than dismay
there will be boldness to rely on him to justify all who come unto God by him.
Our Lord also included the conviction of judgment in his statement of what the
Holy Spirit would accomplish when he came to the apostles. Conviction of the
defeat and punishment of the prince of this world, along with all of those who
follow him, makes Jesus extremely desirable. The attractiveness of Satan wanes
as one views the destiny of Satan and his admirers.
The Other Side
Men must come to regard meekness and lowliness of heart as strengths rather than
weaknesses before Jesus has beauty and comeliness for them. Jesus said, "Come
unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my
yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall
find rest unto your soul..." (Matt. 11:28-30). Until a person realizes that the
burden of his soul is sin, that the feeling of lack of fulfillment, the
anxieties, the feeling of insecurity, and all the other elements that contribute
to making life miserable are part of the burden of sin; in other words, until he
is conscious of personal guilt he will not seek the relief of soul offered by
Christ.
Overwhelming awe accompanies awareness of the glory of Jesus. The wisdom of the
world rejects the idea that "glory" is compatible with meekness and lowliness of
heart. If pride and highmindedness were characteristics of Jesus, the invitation
to "come unto me..." would never have issued from His lips. But such is not the
case for Jesus explains, "I am meek and lowly in heart". The magnificent beauty
of the Son of God will not awe anyone, to the point of repelling him, when he
has the assurance of the one who is "acquainted with grief", that he is "meek
and lowly in heart".
According to Isaiah Jesus "was oppressed, yet when he was afflicted, he opened
not his mouth" (Isaiah 53:7). The Holy Spirit spake by Peter, saying, "For
hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for you...who when he was
reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, threatened not; but committed
himself to him that judgeth righteously" (I Pet. 2:21-23). Such reaction to
oppression does not appeal to the proud and arrogant. This is not, according to
their view, "the stuff of which heroes are made". They rather applaud the person
who when he is reviled, reacts with bitterness, expressed in "four letter
words". Isaiah explained why Jesus "was despised and rejected of men..." this
way: "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own
way..." (Isaiah 53:6). All who are straying around, following their own way are
blinded to the beauty of Jesus; they fail to see in Jesus anything that is
desirable.
Few are they that acknowledge in thought, word and deed, that "the way of man is
not in himself; it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps" (Jeremiah
10:23). All who are in the world and many who are listed as members of the
Lord's church have never learned the lesson that, "there is a way which seemeth
right unto a man; but the end thereof are the ways of death" (Proverbs 14:12).
That the Ethiopian saw comeliness and beauty in Jesus that caused him to desire
him, is evident from his action of being baptized, by the authority of Jesus for
the remission of his sins. He did not despise and reject; he believed and was
baptized and then went on his way rejoicing in the beauty of holiness.
How do you rate Jesus?
By Robert H. Farish; (From Vanguard, April, 1975)
From Expository Files 9.11; November 2002
