Isaiah 53:2 “For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.”
What appeals to the natural man? Certainly it is not pain and suffering, nor is it a person who appears as a failure for going against the grains of society. One who appeared as a maverick in His times, but who seemed to deserve everything that happened to Him. Life is all too often judged by events isolated from its ultimate purpose. The question generally asked is, “what shall I do” rather than “why shall I do it.” Beauty is the development of a person—the blossoming of a flower from an apparent seedling into a radiant bouquet. When it possesses the potential to reproduce after its own kind, it becomes all the more glorious. Likewise, Jesus was despised and rejected in His own time and among His own people. Their perception of His life did not measure up to their expectations of instant gratification. Therefore, it should not be strange to us that in our time, the appearance of beauty with its fading glory has more appeal than the time tested truth which to most has become passé.
Rather than just reading the story of the crucifixion of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, have you ever asked the question, why was He crucified? He died because He did not fit into the mood and trends of a society that was bent on opposing the value of God’s creation. His lack of flexibility set Him on a collision course with humanity, inclusive of rulers and religious leaders who interpreted life differently than what He was sent to introduce to them. He did not say, “I am come that you might understand how to enhance your lifestyles and become successful in your endeavors.” He said, “I Am come that you might have life, and that you might have it more abundantly.” First life had to be attained before it could be lived. Those who opposed the law of God were the living dead who existed in their trespasses and sins. They were completely separated from the life of God. It was impossible for them to know their purpose because they were incapable of knowing the purpose for life itself.
Life is too precious to waste. Some people live their entire lives never knowing why they were ever born. The tragedy of pride is the opinion that you can never be wrong. Life then comprises of attempts to protect one’s own perception and transform their lie into a truth. It is only at the end of life that they discover that lies are not transformable. The truth then testifies against them that their lives were meaningless. The offense of the original sin of Adam develops into the corrupting factor that governs the lives of every individual, void of the knowledge of God, has created a culture of death. But His life is the antidote to man’s self-destruction. “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.” Isaiah 53:4. His life was given as a substitute for what we deserved. Yet, the very God whose wrath is directed against sin and rebellion was viewed as a means of self-justification and judgment against His supposed error.
The beauty of the life of Jesus is what blossomed in the lives of those who He lived His life through. Even though the culture crucified Him as it does today, He rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, sent His Spirit down from heaven to earth, and now reveals Himself for the rebuilding of broken lives without purpose and void of hope. You are reading this message because His desire is to give you His life and live in you. Yes, He died by the hands of an angry mob reflecting the attitude and disposition of His times. But He rose from the dead to live forever and give eternal life to you.
