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?
It’s not very often I would hold up King Saul as an example for us, but we see something interesting in 1 Sam 10: 26 & 27. The Bible records that; “Saul also went to his home in Gibeah, accompanied by valiant men whose hearts God had touched. But some scoundrels said, “How can this fellow save us?” They despised him and brought him no gifts. But Saul kept silent.” Some men despised Saul but in response, Saul didn’t say anything, he didn’t make the situation worse. He kept his own counsel. That reminds me of the time of Jesus when he was being tried. The religious leaders fired out their accusations at Jesus but he remained silent. Jesus’ silence stunned Pontius Pilate, Matthew wrote; “When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer. Then Pilate asked him, “Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?” But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge—to the great amazement of the governor.” Of course, Jesus was silent to fulfill Isaiah’s prophecy, which we will look at later. Jesus remained silent, Saul remained silent. So how should we react when faced with a situation where people don’t like us? Often silence is the best policy. Their mouths and actions will condemn those who dislike us/ despise us.
However, there are times that we should speak, and this is shown to us by David when he is confronted by Saul’s daughter Michal. When King David was bringing the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem, he danced in front of the Ark, and Michal witnessed David praising God. “As the ark of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal, daughter of Saul, watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart.” She sneered at David and said; “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, going around half-naked in full view of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!” David responded, “It was before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord’s people Israel—I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls, you spoke of, I will be held in honour.” David was honouring the Lord and said he would happily look ridiculous in front of people.
It should be noted that there was a consequence of Michel’s contempt or disdain for David. The Bible records that; “Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.” At a time when there was a real stigma for being barren, Michal remained childless. This would have brought real shame to her. It is also a salutary lesson, we should never despise a person. If we are struggling with a person, we need to bring this struggle to the Lord and seek His will. The Bible says; “vengeance is mine, says the Lord.” Let the Lord deal with those who despise us, we should not react to them.
