THIS SAME JESUS November 2020
Scripture Reference: Isaiah 53:1-9 (NKJV)
Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground.
He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire
Him. 3 He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And
we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
4 Surely, He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for
our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And
the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,
And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth. 8 He was taken
from prison and from judgment, and who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from
the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.
9 And they made His grave with the wicked— But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth.
When I was a child and heard stories from the Bible, I always thought of them as having happened
in heaven. As I matured, I realized that Jerusalem was on earth and the stories of Jesus, were
experienced by people like you and me. Child-like faith helps us to soar to places that seem farfetched,
yet Jesus desires for us to believe Him, with that kind of faith. Now, I know that lessons from the Bible
are as relevant today as the time they occurred in Jerusalem, Galilee, Egypt and such places in or near
the Middle East.
Isaiah, an olden day Israelite Prophet, outlaid events in Jesus’ life, approximately seven hundred
years before Jesus’ birth. Among other things, he spoke of the restoration of the nation of Israel.
No wonder, from time to time, in the New Testament we see the disciples asking Jesus if he would
restore the Kingdom to Israel. They had experienced Babylonian, Roman and Egyptian oppression
until God sent Moses to liberate them via The Exodus.
Everything that Isaiah prophesied was played out in the life of Jesus. As they accepted the fact that
skeptics would question the validity of his message but that did not faze him because he knew that
the truth of his prophecies in Isaiah 9:6 could only come via revelation knowledge. The Virgin Birth
of Jesus was easily and understandably rejected by many, both then and even now.
When Jesus performed miracles, He was discredited. The parables which He spoke were often
misunderstood and misinterpreted, so then He would explain them. They contained important,
basic life lessons, but His audience denied His authenticity, just in case they should believe and be
converted. Jesus notes our conversion, in so much that He told Peter to strengthen his brethren
when he himself became converted. (Luke 22: 31-32)
Since the Kingdom was always of paramount importance to the Jews, Jesus taught them many
lessons about the heavenly Kingdom. When He performed miracles, doubters would drag Him and
His family’s name through the mud. (Romans 14:17) Isn’t it amazing that we are not seen in light
of the grace of God that is currently manifested in our daily activities? We are often classified
through the lens of what is known about our family? Similarly, whispers surface, as they did for
Jesus. The circumstances of His birth were gossiped about and His father was just a Carpenter. As
for His siblings they were also known as ordinary people. What kind of reputation they had; we
do not know! One thing of which we are certain, is that the crowds saw Him, Jesus, NOT of
nobility. (Matthew 13:54-57)
We read of Jesus, not being honored in Nazareth, a city not well known for the elites, but for
residents who were not in favor of paying taxes. The crowds knew this fact, no wonder they asked
whether the taxes that were levied by Caesar, were legal. In comparison to Nazareth’s neighbors,
the few residents were of meager existence. They were shepherds and farmers who depended on
selling their products in order to gain resources from nearby well-to-do cities. Therefore, we can
reflect on Isaiah’s prophecy in regard to a root out of a dry ground. It was in Nazareth that Gabriel
announced to Mary, the fact of her miraculous pregnancy. Jesus, because of His hometown and
early life, was treated as less than. (John 1:46)
Later in His life at about 30 years old we find Him at the Jordan River being baptized by His
cousin, John, who was six months His senior.( John 1:19-29 ) Jesus’ life then drew the attention
of the crowds because of words that He spoke, the sick that He healed, lepers cleansed, along with
various miracles. Many people followed Him for food that He provided. Others followed just out
of curiosity. There was yet another crowd that followed Him: reporters. They would keep the
Sanhedrin (elders who governed the cities), abreast of Jesus’ activities.
Soon He became a wanted man. Caesar was His rival. Caesar thought his majesty was at stake, so a
bounty was placed on Jesus’ head. How do we see Him today? Do we desire Him because He is
essential, or do we resist the path He has chosen for our feet? How will we respond to the wooing
of the voice of the Holy Spirit?
Jesus was disdained and disrespected by the everyday crowd that He encountered. However, that
rejection propelled Him further into a path that purposefully fulfilled the reason He came to Earth.
The attitude that Jesus displayed, despite the people’s rejection, confirmed that He was well on His
way to execute His Father’s will. Likewise, our attitude and response to life’s situations, are
influenced by the perspective that we adopt during our challenges.
If we take things personally, our feelings or pride becomes hurt. If on the other hand, we are
convinced that it is the Christ in us, that is being rejected, we can use non-acceptance as a tool.
Jesus used this tool when He faced affliction and mockery in Pilate’s court. He used the opportunity
to inform Pilate that real power was found only in Him, Jesus. As to the accusations amidst the lashes and
humiliation, Jesus did not speak in His own defense. (John 19: 1-11 )
We see Him in the Garden of Gethsemane displaying, not only grief and sorrow, but also
surrender and resilience. Peter and other disciples looked the other way, (hid, as it were, our faces
from Him. Isaiah 53:3). As far as mankind was concerned, Jesus was on His own.
One of the thieves on the cross declared that Jesus saved others. Even Jesus’ enemies had to
acknowledge that He was a miracle worker. For us, our miracles begin the moment we step out in
faith. We can believe and pray like Daniel and Elijah, but until we do something, our miracle is
still obscured. The Miracle Worker always had participants, in order for the inexplainable to
manifest.
On the other hand, on the cross, Jesus, our substitute, endured agony and death. We have
innumerable benefits because of His draining of the cup of bitterness. When the awe-struck
bystanders at the cross, later heard of His resurrection, many of them in disbelief, claimed it was
a hoax. Yet many people saw Him walking in Jerusalem, as confirmation of the resurrection. Some
remembered that He had proclaimed that He would be raised from the dead.
On one of the occasions when He appeared, the disciples were so excited that they could not take
their eyes off Him. Jesus was with them again! Can we imagine the ecstasy in the atmosphere
then? As far as they were concerned His new mission was to restore the Kingdom to Israel. They
had had it with Roman rule and their King was about to return rulership to the Jews. In the middle
of their anticipation, suddenly, Jesus was taken up to heaven.
The disciples could not believe their eyes. They kept looking up. They were still in shock, when
two Angels appeared and reminded them of something Jesus had told them before. He had
announced that He would go and prepare a place. (John 14:1-3) They had forgotten, so the Angels
expanded the message. Jesus was not only going to prepare a place, but also, that He will come
again. (Acts 1: 6-11)
There will be no substitute appearing on His behalf. He, Himself shall descend (come down) from
heaven, to receive His bride, the body of Christ. He is His own Ambassador coming from heaven
to earth. (I Thessalonians 4:14-16). Just like the Angels announced in Acts, Jesus who was seen
ascending into heaven, shall come again. Let us look with expectancy because our redemption is
near. This same Jesus SHALL come again.
Dr. O. A. James