A Season of Hope ~ Preparing Our Hearts for Jesus
Isaiah 53:1-3
“Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces, He was despised, and we esteemed him not.”
Outward appearances can be very deceiving. As is said, “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” How often do we make quick judgments about a person based on their clothes, skin color, cleanliness or manner of speech? Truth be told, there have been times when I have judged a person too quickly, forming an opinion before knowing more, especially what was going on inside that person’s heart.
Jesus had nothing in His appearance that would attract people to Him, in fact, He was despised and rejected by men. But, He was familiar with suffering. He knew how to face rejection. Even today, Jesus faces rejection by many in the world whose perception of Him is skewed by television, movies, books and what is read on the internet. The only way to form an accurate, insightful opinion about Jesus is to go beyond the “cover.” I encourage you, dear readers, to open His Book, the Bible, and dig into His story. Read with a heart open to understanding, and discover for yourself the awesome Good News of salvation, peace, hope, and abundunt life that is found only in Him.
Lord, help us to look beyond Jesus’ outward appearance that has been portrayed by those who have no real understanding of Who He is. Give us a desire to open The Book and to read for ourselves the Good News of God’s redemption for mankind through Jesus Christ: that He came as a baby, grew to a man to live among us, suffered and died on the Cross to pay the sin debt He did not owe, and was resurrected on the third day. Thank you, Father God, for the great, incomparable gift of Your Son, in Whose name we pray. Amen.
~ painting by Vincent van Gogh, 1885
