Rejected

“Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds, we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers are silent, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors, yet he bore the sin of many and makes intercession for the transgressors.” 

Isaiah 53:1-12 ESV 

Have you ever been rejected? If you are living and breathing right now, odds are that you have felt the pain and sting of rejection. Whether it was from getting dumped by your 7th-grade girlfriend or getting told you weren't quite good enough to make the high school cheerleading squad. Perhaps it was getting told you just weren't quite qualified for the promotion that you were seeking at work. Or maybe it was the lost and cold pain of finding out your spouse had stepped outside your marriage. Whatever it was, the pain of rejection was and is still there now whether you realize it or not. 

Throughout the life of Jesus on earth, He was constantly exposed to personal criticism and rejection by His peers and I would venture to say even some of His extended family. At the beginning of His ministry, the people in His hometown of Nazareth tried to throw Him down the side of a hill so that He would fall off a cliff (Luke 4:29). The religious and political leaders of His day were always at odds with the message that He was speaking and bringing to the people of Israel. They constantly conspired and argued with Him until He was finally arrested and brought before Pilate and Herod. And despite the fact that no guilty actions could be found, He was denounced as an enemy of God and the of the state and wasn't worthy to live among them any longer.  

Back to us for a moment...

How did you respond when your wife told you she was leaving you and she was no longer in love with you? How did you feel when you found out you didn't get the promotion you had worked and slaved for but someone else that didn't put in the time or have the experience you had got the job? I can tell you how I acted. I showed my tail. I was angry. Angry for all the "wasted" time and effort. Angry for the way it was making me feel in that moment. Along with the anger came the hurt and self-doubt. All the negative feelings that you can imagine came along with it. Bottom line is I was wounded deep inside my heart. A wound that I still carry but that has been healing for the last 12 years. 

How did Jesus react when He was on trial and ultimately sentenced to death???

He responded with a steadfast spirit. He didn't back down or tone down His message and He especially didn't stop doing what He knew to be right. He also responded with strength. Ahead of Him was the cross-a death reserved for the worst of the worst. Not a quick death like beheading or hanging. A death that is drawn out over days of agonizing pain and misery. But when He could have easily removed Himself from it He stood up and faced it down with the same grace and courage that He had during the rest of His ministry. He knew that anything that came His way was God's will. He showed submission to His Father. Only one thing mattered to Him: that He fulfill His Father's purpose for His life.  

So the next time you feel criticized or attacked by the things around you: stop and think about Jesus and ask Him how to respond to it. Allow Him to be the guiding Spirit in your life and not simply rely on emotion to rule over the way that you act and react. (This is one of those times when I am pointing a finger and 15 bazillions are pointing right back in my face.)