Isaiah 53:1-3
Who has believed our message? To whom has the Lord revealed His powerful arm? My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about His appearance, nothing to attract us to Him. He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on Him and looked the other way He was despised, and we did not care.
What comes to mind when you think about a king? Power, eloquence, a crown, and a throne? Isaiah 53 is an Old Testament prophecy about the coming Messiah, the King! But this Messiah doesn’t look much like a king. Just look at the description in these verses – nothing beautiful or majestic, but a despised, rejected, man of sorrow and deep grief. Jesus fulfilled this prophecy by stepping down off His throne and willingly giving His life for us on the cross. In our modgniK series, we’ve seen how God’s kingdom is upside down, counter-cultural, and radically different than anything we’d expect and that goes for the King of the Kingdom as well. God chose to save the world through a suffering servant, not a glorious and majestic king.
Where in your life have you expected Jesus to show up as a majestic King—someone to make your problems go away, bail you out, or fix your family? Today, ask God to give you an eternal perspective—one that will help you see past your temporary unpleasantries to the eternal gift that awaits.