An Unlikely Messiah
(Isaiah 53:1-3)
1. Danny was born with no ears. He could hear all right, but he didn’t have ears like normal people. All his life, Danny endured ridicule and rejection because of his deformity. But he learned to live with it…
… He graduated from high school with honors and was accepted at a major university thousands of miles away. He kissed his parents good-bye and began his life as a college student. Again, though, he found it hard to make friends and fit in because of his ears.
One day he got a phone call from his father. “Go to the hospital tomorrow, Danny. A donor has been found.”
Danny checked into the university hospital. A few hours later, Danny had new ears.
When the bandages came off, Danny gazed into the mirror for hours. He finally had ears like normal people. For the first time in his life, he wasn’t ashamed of the way he looked.
A few weeks later, Danny received another phone call from his father. “Son, your mother is very ill,” his father said. “She may not live through the night.”
Danny was on the first plane home. When he arrived, his father gave him the sad news that his mother had died.
Together they went to the funeral home, where Danny was able to see his mother for the last time. He leaned over to kiss her cheek. Brushing her hair back from her face, he noticed that she had no ears. [Dawn Turner, Sermon Central]
2. Incarnation and death meant a sacrifice of amazing dignity for we lost sinners.
3. Instinct tells us that God the Son would come to earth as a prestigious, handsome, winsome many who would charm people to God; this instinct is completely wrong.
Main Idea: God loves to confound the wise and uses the most unlikely means to accomplish his ends, even when it came to the incarnation of the Son of God.
I. His People Could Not BELIEVE that He Was Messiah (1)
A. An EXCLAMATION at the unbelief of his people
• The report equals the Gospel
John 1:11-12, " He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God…"
1. Illustration: We are all used to people doubting us: lying, formed inaccurate conclusions or have partial information; sometimes, they are right.
2. Some people are, by nature, skeptics. Skepticism is different from being open minded because skeptics are not going to budge despite the evidence.
3. That Jesus was the Messiah was documented before the New Testament was written. The original documentation is in the Old Testament.
B. The ARM of the Lord must be REVEALED
1. God’s arm is his strength; but strength can look like weakness
2. The strength of God’s arm is only revealed to some; most do not believe the report
C. Most of you are AMAZING in some way, although you may not seem to stand out…
D. When people refuse the amazing Savior, they HURT THEMSELVES
II. He Was Considered Undesirable and UNATTRACTIVE (2)
A. A SHOOT of David (Is. 11:1)
B. He is like a tree SUCKER
"Tree suckers are branches growing from the base of your tree. Not only are they aesthetically unappealing, but they also produce inferior foliage, blossoms & fruit. Trees will grow suckers during times of stress as an effort to produce more branches [ehow.com]
C. He is like a seed sprouting in ARID soil
D. David was attractive; the Messiah is NOT
I Samuel 16:18, " One of the servants answered, ’I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the lyre. He is a brave man and a warrior. He speaks well and is a fine-looking man. And the LORD is with him.’”
E. This world rewards BEAUTIFUL and outstanding people
1. Tall, good looking (Dressed for Success)
2. Entire churches filled with good-looking people, can become snobby
3. How sad when his followers avoid the not so good looking or grungy types
III. He Was DESPISED and Rejected of Men (3)
A. In summary, he will be called a NAZARENE
Matthew 2:23, "and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene."
"…the city of Nazareth was inhabited by families from the royal line of David from which the Messiah was to come. The name of the city comes from the Hebrew word for a branch or sprout, netzer… Isaiah 11:1 predicts the coming of the Messiah. ’A shoot will come from the stump of Jesse, from his roots a Branch (netzer) will bear fruit.’
"…One can quite justly assume that Nazara – Nazareth (Little Nezer) acquired its name from a Davidic clan, that presumably came from Babylon around the year 100 B.C."
"…Nazareth was only a village of about 150 people at the time. It may be that the inhabitants had some arrogance attached to their Davidic lineage that was despised by other Galileans." Paul Wallace, John’s Rabbi (kindle book)
John 1:46, " “’Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?’ Nathanael asked. ’C’ome and see,’ said Philip."
B. Despise and Rejected by MANKIND
Because we lived in darkness and our deeds were evil, we did not want his light
All had part in his death: the corrupt Jewish council, the Romans – but ultimately he came to die, and he came to die for us. So who really killed Jesus? WE did.
C. SUFFERING and Pain
The text later describes the sufferings Christ endured during his passion. But these verse seem to imply sufferings throughout his ministry.
He suffered with intense temptation (Hebrews 2:18); he was tempted by the devil in the wilderness, and the text says the devil left him for a while; Christ suffered much to remain the sinless, blameless Lamb of God.
Hebrews 5:7 reads, "During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission."
D. Held in utter CONTEMPT
When someone holds us in contempt, the relationship is already hostile. Married couples who hold their partners in contempt are on the verge of breakup or existence by distance. I knew a couple once that had an "agreement."
Folks, it is worth a lot of effort to avoid contempt; it is not always possible; contempt is a passive aggression that guards our hearts from disappointment, let down, and attack. Since we now disrespect the source, we do not need to consider what the source says.
This is how the Jewish leaders felt toward Jesus; thus, they could blow off his miracles…
E. Those who follow him must be willing to be held in CONTEMPT
F. POPULARITY and serious Christianity do not mix well
G. We are called upon to suffer social REJECTION with Jesus
God loves to confound the wise and uses the most unlikely means to accomplish his ends, even when it came to the incarnation of the Son of God.
What is your response to this rejected Messiah? Have you responded in word only?
