Isaiah 53 is one of the most important chapters in all of the Bible. It gives us a glimpse into the Messiah’s ministry. Though it details the awful suffering that He would endure, the Jews who lived through Jesus’s life failed to realize that He was their Messiah. They couldn’t imagine their Messiah having to endure such suffering. There’s little doubt that they believed their Messiah would be a triumphant king rallying the armies of Israel to overthrow Roman rule. Roman rule, however, wasn’t the Jews greatest enemy. Rather, it was sin that ruled them. Therefore, they rejected Jesus (Isa. 53:3).
Jesus was the one nobody wanted. He didn’t look like a King. He didn’t look like a conqueror. The Pharisees rejected Him. The Sadducees refused Him. Caesar, Herod and Pilate didn’t want Him. And even the disciples denied Him. The apostle John wrote, “He came unto His own and His received him not” (John 1:11).
The world today still rejects its Savior. Schools don’t want children praying to Him. Institutions don’t want His Word in their buildings. Governments don’t want His name invoked. They claim that Jesus is too exclusive, too narrow minded, and too bloody.
What is more unfortunate is that the modern church doesn’t want the real Jesus either. They don’t want His laws. They don’t want His Cross. They don’t want His justice. They don’t want His holiness. Some don’t even want His miracles.
Everyone falls in love with the beautiful parts of Christ, but don’t want any of His unattractive parts. They want His grace, but not His Law. They want His mercy, but not His judgment. They want His love, but not His holiness. They want His blessings, but not His cursings. They want His crown, but not His cross. They want His resurrection, but not His death. They want His power, but not His sacrifices. They want His joy, but not His sufferings. They want His glory, but not His humiliation. They want His heaven, but not His hell. They want His Spirit, but not His repentance. They want His truth, but not His doctrine.
You need to be committed to all that there is to Jesus Christ. You must be committed to His beauty and to the unattractive parts. You must love holiness just as much as you love happiness. You must love His law just as much as you love His grace. You must love his judgment just as much as you love His mercy. You must love his commandments just as much as you love His commitment. You must love the cross just as much as you love His crown. You must embrace the doctrine of hell just as much as you embrace the doctrine of heaven.