23/06/2019 - THE TRUE PORTRAIT OF JESUS

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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 53:3

Isaiah said that the Son of God would grow before the Father like a tender plant (v.2) Christ did not come as an adult.  He had to live through the stages of human development.  In truth He was tempted in everything, so that he could rescue us in our temptations.  Today Jesus is the perfect Male that knows all the things we experience and helps us in difficult times.  He is our Savior!

People did not see Jesus as someone attractive or beautiful.  However, with divine wisdom He walked the paths proposed by His Father.  His beauty was spiritual, because there was no stain or blemish in His spirit.  This way He could give his life to purchase our life for God.  He performed His mission with mastery, providing us with complete and total salvation. 

Because He was not attractive in appearance, everyone rejected Him.  This happens today as well because man judges by sight.  However, after some time he can discover that his choice was the worst in every sense.  Christ experienced in His flesh how painful it can be to be rejected.  It was not by chance that they did this to Him or do this to us these days, but we have God’s consolation. 

Jesus was a man of sorrows and grief, but not the physical kind.  He suffered because His people had not received Him as Savior and he knew that their destiny was the worst possible.  Nobody was as rejected as He.  Those who do not read the Bible describe Him as someone beautiful, but the Scriptures do not show this.  Therefore if you too are rejected rejoice with the Lord. 

Isaiah condenses the suffering of Christ, saying He was the most rejected among men.  When the Lord was accused of so many lies, they soon turned their backs on Him, leaving Him alone.  However, all this was necessary in order that salvation could be provided in the exact measure of our iniquity.  The Son of God did not refuse to undergo all the pain and suffering because He was thinking of us.  He is Our Salvation!

Christ knows what it is to suffer, because He left the perfect world and came as one of us, in order that we might be one with Him for eternity.  Today, the saved may consider one- self part of His body.  When we received Him we were accepted in Him.  Therefore, nothing can separate us from the Lord, as long as we do not walk according to the flesh, but only second to the Spirit!

When Jesus returns we will be with Him.  The Lord was so despised that the men hid their faces from Him.  This helps us to withstand the contradictions in people.  Although they despised Him, He went to the cross and died for them.  Serve God only with joy, no matter how people treat you!

In Christ, with Love, 

R. R. Soares