He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and he carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. —Isaiah 53:3-4.
Jesus was everything, created everything, and gave up everything to become nothing for you and me (Philippians 2:5-8). Most of the people on earth he came to save didn’t recognize him or accept him when he was here. Many in the crowds just assumed he deserved what he got, crucifixion. Most did not repent. But there was something about Jesus’ self-sacrificing story, self-emptying story that grabs our hearts and calls us, God’s lost children, home. On our journey home, we not only find him to be our Savior, but also the servant promised by God through Isaiah the prophet (Isaiah 42:1-9, 49:1-7, 50:4-9, 52:13-53:12), God’s Son, who would make salvation to all of humankind.