2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. (Isaiah 53:2-3)
We have a lot of paintings that depict Christ, and they all seem to make Him appealing to look at. Yet it seems Isaiah is telling us that Jesus was not good-looking, and whatever drew people to Him, it was not His appearance.
So I guess the question that we should ask ourselves is, “Will I be disappointed when I find Jesus isn’t the handsome speciman of manhood that He’s been depicted as? Will I mind if I meet my Savior and find He is plain… or even… ugly?”
I asked this of myself and I realized that answering honestly, I might be disappointed. It caused me to realize that I need to become better at looking deeper than skin-deep at the people around me. It caused me to realize that the ability to see someone’s potential, their goodness, their talents, their wisdom, their valuable experience, and appreciate them for who they are is basically charity… the pure love of Christ.
6 comments:
I mentioned this in a talk that I had to give recently...something to really think about.
I think our Christ, when we see Him, will be a Man of Men, certainly nothing in which to be disappointed. He will radiate both strength and kindness and there will be nothing ugly about Him. I think perhaps Isaiah was trying to express that He will not put on the airs that mortal rulers do -- He will be without any of the haughty mannerisms of a Caesar or an Emperor.
Can we consider that this verse is taken out of context?
In Isaiah 53:1
The prophet asks the question :
1 Who hath believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed.
Can we put these words into the “context of the time in which Isaiah was speaking? Isaiah was speaking to the Jews of that time who had for the course of generations, rejected God, rejected the Lord Jehovah. They went after false gods, they were a stiff necked and unbelieving bunch of people. When Isaiah prophesies of the coming Messiah, it fell on deaf ears.
(I found this quote in a search, but the authors name is unknown)
*53:2 As a root - And the reason why the Jews will generally reject their Messiah, is, because he shall not come into the world with secular pomp, but he shall grow up, (or spring up, out of the ground) before him, (before the unbelieving Jews, of whom he spake ver.#1|, and that in the singular number, as here, who were witnesses of his mean original; and therefore despised him) as a tender plant (small and inconsiderable) and as a root, or branch, grows out of a dry, barren ground. No form - His bodily presence shall be mean and contemptible. No beauty - This the prophet speaks in the person of the unbelieving Jews. (author unknown)
I like to think that Jesus was a person of attractiveness, only because of what the scriptures say of him. He had to be a person of at least normal physical beauty, maybe not the captain of the football team but someone who was healthy, and clean in his appearance.
Luke 2:52
52And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.
1 Samuel 16:12
12And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he.
(Jesus was of the line of David, so maybe he inherited some of the physical beauty of David)
It could be that the "form and comliness" that the Jews rejected, was not because he was ugly, but that he was not "arrayed in the attire of kings, or at least the wardrobe of the kings of that time period."
Psalm 27:4
4One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.
When the Lord returns we will see him as he is; in that perfect resurrected state.
Then his body will be that perfect physical body,straight teeth, the numbered hairs on his head,the bones unbroken, the posture straight. What will remain for us will be the mark of the nails in his hands and feet,the evidence of the wound in his side.
Psalms 96:6
Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
Just saying....
perhaps he is ugly in the sight of the world. I remember being in one temple, going through the veil and it was a young man- with zits all over his face. I was a little taken back, thinking "that's not how Jesus or the father will look". We need to look on this inside as does Christ.
Agreed. But that takes nothing away from what this man or woman is speaking. In truth if we are looking at Jesus to be splendid in physical appearance then truly we are missing the mark! Even if Jesus looked like the huntchback of Notre Dame when he was on the earth. Does that take anything away from his Character and who he is being God our Creator who looks not at the outward appearance but at the Heart.Certainly Not! If we desire Jesus to receive us who bore our Infirmities and did not look at our outward appearance should we not also desire Jesus according to who he is and not how he looked. Indeed. I commend the man who that beautiful message at the top according to the full truth and context of the Scripture. And this is the Command says the Lord not a new one but an old one if you want Jesus to accept you not according to how you look. Should you not accept Jesus and not according to how he looked but according to who he is. Amen.
Amen. Thank you so much! Praise be to God!!!
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