Samuel D. High
sdhigh@aristotle.net
-----Original Message-----
From: "Apostle Tom" <pressingon@hotmail.com>
Sent: Fri, 30 Mar 2007 11:35:03 -0500
To: pressingon@hotmail.com
Subject: Morning Manna (Mar. 31); BP: Is. 53; RBTTY: Lk. 6:1-26; Judg. 11-12
March 31 “Despised and Rejected”
“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. Surely, He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows;
yet, we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted.”
Isaiah 53:3-4
He certainly wouldn’t be voted “Most Likely to Succeed” by the world’s
crowd.
“Despised and rejected.”
When you hear those words, what pictures come to mind? A tattooed drug
addict stumbling down the street? A homeless ex-con with a rap sheet a mile
long, who can’t find a job and causes “decent” folks to shudder when he
passes by? A woman walking the streets. . .her face heavily made up. . .her
dress a bit too short and her blouse a bit too revealing. . .and her perfume
a bit too strong?
Perhaps your pictures were a bit different and maybe included an
ex-spouse who flew the coup for another lover. Or, maybe it was that
two-bit shyster who pulled a quick one over on you, taking advantage of your
trust and leaving you “high-and-dry”—or was that “down-and-out”?
Regardless, you’re beginning to get the picture of how Jesus must have
felt when those He came to love (both then and now) treated Him like dirt.
Nothing hurts worse in life than being falsely accused of wrongdoing or
having someone you trust betray you, treating you like the
scum-of-the-earth.
No wonder He was/is called “A Man of sorrows and acquainted with
grief.” Oh how great the agony of soul and anguish of mind when we feel
“despised and rejected.” And, how those feelings are amplified when we not
only feel this “sting of sin,” but also see others turn their eyes away from
ours when we look at them or quickly move to the other side of the room us
when we walk in.
Yes, “despised and rejected” are horrible words—at least to the one
who’s experiencing them. So are the words “esteemed not” when applied to
the attitude of others towards us. To them we’re little more than an
interruption or trash lying on the side of the road. And, when they do
“esteem us,” it’s in a derogatory and contemptible way—in Jesus’ case as One
“cursed by God (‘stricken (Heb. ‘naga’—‘to touch, strike, violently punch,
etc.’), smitten (Heb. ‘gakah’—‘to strike, beat, wound, cast forth,
slaughter, etc.’) of God and afflicted (Heb. ‘anah’—‘browbeaten, abased,
ravished, weakened, etc.’).”
Yet, the Lord Jesus didn’t retaliate or retreat. He didn’t try to get
even or give up. Instead, “He has borne our griefs and carried our
sorrows.” Simply put, He is the Supreme “Burden-Bearer” in life, Who
continues to pursue us like “the Hound of Heaven.” What kind of love is
that? A “God-type love,” isn’t it? As someone once said, “He Who knows us
best loves us most.” May the Holy Spirit help us today to never again be
guilty of being ashamed of our Savior or grieving His holy heart.
_________________________________________________________________
Get a FREE Web site, company branded e-mail and more from Microsoft Office
Live! http://clk.atdmt.com/MRT/go/mcrssaub0050001411mrt/direct/01/
No comments:
Post a Comment