Have you ever went through a season of your life where everywhere you turned you felt rejected and not welcome anywhere? That is exactly what Jesus experienced. It seems like everywhere He turned the Pharisees or the Sanhedrin or various other members of society sought out times to trip Him up, shun Him, or tried to find a way to take Him out. If it were anyone else, they would have been overwhelmed and had run away. But Jesus, being strengthened by the Holy Spirit, did not run away. Remember, Jesus was fully human. And all of this was expected in a way.
Isaiah prophesied about Jesus hundreds of years before Jesus was born. God gave us specifics on His plan well before the plan played out so that we would recognize exactly Who was behind all of this. He was not surprised when all of this happened. Isaiah 53 records the rejection and grief that Jesus would experience while fulfilling His purpose and plan. He came specifically to live a perfect life guiding others back to God. He was to die in our place to provide a way back to God’s perfection, love, and peace. In Isaiah 53:4-5, it says, “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.”
What Jesus experienced and pushed through was not a secret. This was all out in the open for us to know. When Jesus came to live among us, teach us, and guide us back to God’s perfect peace, He didn’t do this under a shroud of secrecy or obscurity. He was announced long ago. The prophecies of old are like sign posts announcing what is going to happen soon. And He was “oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth (v. 7).” Then in verse 11, it says, “Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.” Reading further into verse 12, it reads, “…because he poured out his soul to death… he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.” We are all in that category of transgressors. And He took on the punishment for all of us. He will “divide the spoil with the strong (v. 12),” meaning the reward of God’s eternal peace and love will be given to those who remain strong in the faith.
This entire chapter of Isaiah 53 encourages and strengthens me every time I read it. What God says will happen does in fact happen exactly and specifically as He says it will. God does not lie nor does He guide us down the wrong path away from Him. He is always guiding His people TO Him. When I feel rejected everywhere I go, when I feel dejected by those I am seeking to help, when I feel like people are purposely trying to avoid me, this uplifts me to carry on with His mission. If they are avoiding me because they are tired of me or they are upset with me about something that I did that was not right, I understand that, and I attempt to fix that. But if they are avoiding me because I talk about Jesus every time I have a conversation, then I know it is not me they are avoiding, but Jesus. That encourages me. This encourages me to continue on God’s path and purpose for me. My ultimate goal is to point to Jesus.
Gotta go fill up my cup…..
Coffee with Candee 