Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Isaiah 53:1-3 (ESV)
Lord Jesus, Isaiah’s prophecy of your death for us rips at my heart this morning. How could you live for, die for, and love rebels, fools, and idolaters, like me? You, who never sinned, became sin for us, that in you, we might become the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21). By your crushing, we are now cherished; by your exile on the cross, we have citizenship in God’s heart; by your consummate wounding, we are becoming completely healthy; by your cruel death, we live forevermore.
I can’t get away from Isaiah’s words, “and we esteemed him not.” The riches of your grace move me to grieve the wretchedness of my sin. The truth is, every time I sin, I esteem me more than I esteem you. There’s no greater summary of the insanity of sin than a lack of esteem for you, Lord Jesus.
You made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you—yet we seek peace in money, power, and approval. You redeemed us for yourself, and you desire us as no one else ever could—yet we still look elsewhere for other loves and other lovers. You’re coming back for us, with the passion of a Bridegroom for his new Bride—yet we get more excited about lesser stories and smaller dreams.
By your grace and by the power of your resurrection, refresh, renew and intensify our love for you, Jesus. We want to esteem you above everything and everyone else. You will never love us more than you already do; we want to love you so much more. So very Amen we pray, in your compassionate and all-worthy name.
