Who has believed what he has heard from us?
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2 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.
3 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.
There are trees in the Pacific Northwest that you can drive a car through and then there are small weeds that pop up from cracks in the sidewalk. Once encountered, the sequoia is never forgotten while the sidewalk weed is stepped on without the walker’s realization. Such is the difference in Isaiah 53 between the Suffering Servant and our modern vision of the Marvel superhero. Jesus Christ would not be a celebrity pastor today.
The outward appearance of Jesus was unimpressive but people still flocked to hear his teaching, not to gaze at him. In today’s image-driven society, we are missing a vital component in American churches, the teaching of Jesus. Instead, leaders concentrate on their “brand” and the packaging of their church. Just as in the food we buy at the supermarket, the packaging is worthless and goes in the trash. It is what is inside that nourishes and satisfies. May we worship the Lord for his excellent teaching and glorious fellowship, not someone’s excellent presentation of vacuous platitudes. The arm of the Lord has been revealed.
Dear Lord, thank you for the beautiful teaching of our Savior, Jesus Christ. May we believe what we have heard from him. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Pastor Brad Boyer
Cape Community Church