Isa 53: 3 Jesus Was Despised Series

There is a general rule in Theology that if something is duplicated in the Bible, we can safely assume that God is making a determined effort to get our attention on the issue. And so it’s interesting that the word “despised” is repeated twice in this verse. So we can say that God wants us to face the fact that Jesus was despised. However, another interesting fact is that if you look up the word despised in the NIV version, none of the Gospels states that Jesus was despised. Although the word despised is not used in these four books, the prophet Isaiah prophesied that Jesus Christ would be despised and this was certainly the case. The Hebrew word that we translate as despised is bazah, which of course means to despise, but it also means to hold in contempt and to hold in disdain. Therefore, attributing this verse to the suffering servant, to Jesus Christ, shows people were disgusted with him, revolted, and repulsed by him. They felt that he was worthless, and was beneath consideration. Of course, Isaiah only confirmed what King David wrote when he penned the Messianic Psalm, Psalm 22 where he wrote “But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by everyone, despised by the people.” This is incredible when you consider that Jesus was going around Galilee, Judea, and beyond, healing people and bringing them back into a relationship with God.

The closest we get in the 4 gospels is that Jesus was hated. John records; “If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father.” David also prophesied this hatred when he wrote, ‘Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head; many are my enemies without cause, those who seek to destroy me.” Incredible as it sounds, people hated Jesus.

But of course, the usual suspects are the ones who hated Jesus Christ, the Scribes and Pharisees. We read in John chapter 5 that “because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him.” So even though Jesus was doing good, in the Scribes and Pharisees' eyes he was nothing more than a common criminal as he broke their rules on the Sabbath. Worse still, later on, in chapter 8 we read “Very truly, I tell you,” Jesus answered, “Before Abraham was born, I am!” At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.” Now that was the final straw! Jesus had now used the name of God ``I AM" and attributed it to himself. In chapter 10 of the Book of John, we read “his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?” “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”

So it's little wonder that Jesus said to his disciples; “We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be delivered over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him and spit on him; they will flog him and kill him. On the third day, he will rise again." This account from Luke 18 was not Jesus' first but the third prediction of his trial and execution. No, the Scribes and Pharisees saw Jesus as a lawbreaker and blasphemer, who deserved the death penalty, and now they would begin to look at ways to put Jesus to death.

What does this mean for us? Well, if you are a serious follower of Jesus Christ, then you too will be despised and hated. Just as the Old Testament prophets prophesied that Jesus would be despised and hated, Jesus told His disciples they would be hated; “You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.” Later on, He said, "Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.” Today, if you are a disciple of Jesus you will be despised and hated. You only need to look at the news and you will see Christians are the most hated group in the world. In the West, Christians may not be killed and persecuted for their faith in Jesus Christ, but we are certainly demoted and kicked out of our jobs. We are ridiculed in the media because we hold to the Christian faith. We are arrested, and taken to court. And so the question today is this? Are you going to stand up and be counted? Are you prepared to be despised and hated?