Most Christians have heard of or read a specific chapter in the Bible which gives a view of Christ found nowhere else – Isaiah chapter 53. Here we see that Christ as a perfect man lived a lowly and sorrowful human life. He didn’t “look nice” nor was he famous and charismatic – rather, He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
His birth was lowly, in a despised and lowly place, and His family was also not rich – rather, it was a family in a low state. His whole human living was also full of sorrow. This is altogether different from the “Superstar Christ” or this handsome charismatic Christ portrayed in the icons and paintings in Christianity today.
He had no attractive form, no comeliness, nothing that would make one desire Him.
All these things fully qualified Christ to be our Redeemer and Savior! He grew up before God in His humanity and He was eventually perfected in His humanity – to become the One who ministers God, expresses God, and accomplish God’s economy. What a Christ we have!
Here are some of the main points found in Isaiah 53:1-3 regarding the Lord Jesus’ human living:
- Our Lord Jesus Christ grew up like a tender plant before Jehovah (Isa. 53:2) – He grew up like a small, delicate person, like a sprout, and not like a large tree! He was so small and so tender that no one paid attention to Him! Also, He grew up like a root out of dry ground – which means that He was born of a poor family. Yes, his parents were “descendants of David”, but by their time their family was poor and lowly, even living in a despised city called Nazareth found in a despised region called Galilee. The big tree of David has become the “stump of Jesse” and from that stump Christ was a tender sprout…
- The Lord Jesus had no attracting form nor majesty that man should look upon Him, nor beautiful appearance that man should desire Him (Isa. 53:2). He was not handsome nor majestic, He was not attractive nor powerful – He had no beautiful appearance outwardly about Himself! He grew up in poverty and not in majesty, and he had a visage and form that were disfigured (Isa. 52:14). The way the Bible describes Christ is so different than what fallen and degraded Christianity portrays Him as today!
- Our Lord Jesus was despised and forsaken of men, like one from whom men hide their faces and whom men do not esteem (Isa. 53:3). When the Jews and the people saw Him, they often hid their faces from Him. This is why we see in John that many times the Jews did not respect Him nor regard Him. In all His human living, He was despised by men and forsaken of men. Even His own brothers sometimes despised Him and made fun of Him – and the Lord didn’t “fight for His dignity”, rather, He accepted His low estate and expressed God even in this situation.
- Christ lived as a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief (Isa. 53:3) – He didn’t have riches in His upbringing and human living, rather, He had sorrows! All He had in His human life and all He dealt with around Him was just sorrow and grief. He did not seek to change His situation or environment, nor did He rebel against the Father’s will – rather, He lived as man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
These matters and the rest of chapter 53 of Isaiah shows us that Christ was fully qualified to be our Redeemer and Savior. No, these matters were NOT for our redemption – they were for perfecting Him and qualifying Him to be the Savior of fallen mankind. Christ being such a man and living such a lowly and sorrowful human life FULLY qualified Him to be the Savior to save fallen man!
He saves us mainly from four things – Satan, Sin, Death, and the Self. He grew up like a tender plant before Jehovah – He grew up in His humanity (not in His divinity) before God – and He was perfected through the things that He suffered that He might be the One who can pay the highest price to redeem us and save us! How we love Him and appreciate Him for all He is and all He did for us!
[sharing inspired from the Life-Study of Isaiah, message 27, by bro. Lee, as quoted in the Morning Revival on the Crystallization-Study of Isaiah(2)]
We just love You Lord Jesus! Thank You for the process You went through! You lived a lowly and sorrowful human life on the earth! And You didn’t complain about it nor try to change this! Lord, unveil us to really see who You are and what You have done for us! Your human living is our pattern, and Your humanity is indeed very high! O, Lord, how we love You and appreciate You! Though You had nothing outwardly that attracted man, yet You had God living and being expressed in You! Lord, we just love You!
