Isaiah 52-53

The passage in Isaiah 52-53 speaks of the Lord's servant that will come and bring true restoration to Israel.  God displays what is required and displays the reaction of the people for this gift.  The reaction that the people will have to this servant may not be too far from our own.  They took this servant and did no regard him has something special.  They ignored his teaching and solely judged him for what they saw based on what they viewed as important.  This servant would be associated with pain and grief for the sake of the people and they just ignored it.  Israel so caught up in their present sin and idolatry that they ignored the work that God intended for them to see and enjoy.  This continue even hundreds of years later when this servant actually came to Earth.

This passage begs me to ask ourselves, "how are we ignoring Jesus like Israel?"  Often we ignored the work that Jesus did and our culture views him as a hindrance and something that limits the joy you can have in life.  I think even believers do the very same thing.  God redeemed his children and intended them to live for his greatness and we often times view this has a hindrance
to what we want to do, and we take on this attitude that God takes away our abilities to pursue happiness.  No wonder people view Jesus has stricken and his followers the same way.  Instead,  I challenge you to look at your life and see if you are displaying that following Jesus is a joy and brings true life.  Jesus was accustomed to grief and was crushed for the glory of God and for our benefit.  Let's rejoice in that and not lived as if we are cursed to take on this gift.  Let's take on all aspects of life (joy, pain, suffering,, ect.) with the hope that God will be glorified for who he is and that we get to be his reflection.  The goal is not to ignore what the servant experience from Isaiah 52-53.  Rather, rejoice that you get to know hi and have the honor to reflect him as a child of The Lord.