24. March 2026

He was despised

2/24/26

In my bible reading today, I came across this verse: “Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem”. Isaiah 53:3

This was a prophetic description of our Lord Jesus as He was to come to earth and take our sins.  Christ was here to suffer, then enter glory.  He came to save and those He came to save despised Him. 

I struggle with the “American” Christianity.  The one that likes to spout verses like Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” and say that means God will give you riches and healing and a perfect life.

That is not what that means.  That verse was God telling the Israelites that even though they were in captivity (they were slaves in Babylon) that it was not for their destruction, they were experiencing hardship but there is a future and that is found in seeking God.  God’s plans are good even if present circumstances are difficult.

Just a quick search and you see 98% of Americans own a phone, our national average salary is $63,000 a year. 92% of Americans own a car.  75% of Americans eat out at a restaurant one a week. 80% of dual-income families hire someone to clean their home.

With all this affluence we have equated spirituality with luxury. 

That is not what God says.  He tells us we will have hardships. John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Genesis 3:19a tells us “By the sweat of your brow, you will eat your food, until you return to the ground.”  We must work here on earth.  For some reason we as Americans have this bizarre belief that life should be easy, trouble free and rich. 

Our own savior was despised, rejected and full of sorrow, the sorrow of others.  If our own Lord experienced tribulation, then how much more shall we?

Philippians 4:6-7

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”