Isaiah 53:2 …He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
This world is all about aesthetics—attractive people, attractive places; if it looks good, it is considered good. We forget, often, that a shiny surface can hide a rotting core. Jesus, according to verse 2, was not attractive. He wasn’t ugly, just plain, I think, without a visage that automatically drew people.
Isaiah 53:3a He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain….
No one was pulled into His orbit simply because of His looks. This idea fascinates me. We choose houses based on appearance. We choose places of worship, in part, based on the appearance of the building and the people—who they are, what they do, how they appear. Jesus numbered Himself among the sinners. He spent time with them, ministered to them, cared for them. I wonder how many “good Christian people” would choose Jesus today given our reliance on aesthetics and appearance. (It is a sobering question that I’m asking myself, too.)
Isaiah 53:3b …Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
Lord, Thank You for who You are and who You are to me. Your kingdom is about love, grace, mercy, compassion. Don’t let me get caught up in the aesthetics of life. Don’t let me miss the whole point of Your love. Draw me closer, Lord. Help me to shine Your Light for all. Amen.
Isaiah 53:5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
Have a blessed day.