Isaiah 53:4 (NKJV)

Isaiah 53:4 is a Bible verse that describes the reputation of Christ here on earth. It is easy to make assumptions of people—judging a book by its cover, as they say. However, we certainly don’t know much about someone just by looking at them, just as someone looking at us for the first time doesn’t know anything about us.

We might think it’s unfair for someone to judge us unfairly without knowing all the facts. But isn’t that just what man did when Jesus came to earth? The Son of God, God in the flesh, the long-awaited Messiah finally arrived as a babe, just like everyone else on earth—grew into a child, adolescent and finally a man, but as He dwelt among us He was not recognized for Who He was.

The truth was that He was God incarnate, the Lord of Heaven wrapped up in human form, the Messiah Who came to save all mankind from the consequence of their sins. Isaiah 53:4 states the truth like this: He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; and yet this was man’s perception: Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted.

The Value of our Reputation

Has God ever called you to do something that was misunderstood or despised by others? It might not have even made sense to you, but you did it out of love and obedience to the Father? You knew the truth of His calling on your life, but maybe it cost you your reputation, or something else you held dear.

Remember when Mary accepted the call to carry the Son of God? What an honor! While it was a very honorable assignment in the spiritual realm, on earth she was despised and condemned because she became pregnant before she was married.

Jesus had the highest calling of all as the sacrificial Lamb of God. He ministered and healed people wherever He went, and yet many people ridiculed Him and laughed at Him after He was arrested, some even calling out, “Crucify him!”

We might have lost our reputation for a time, but Jesus lost His life, being despised and ridiculed all the way to Calvary.

Full Restoration

If we suffer for Christ, we can count it all joy, for the Bible says if we suffer with Him we shall also reign with Him (2 Timothy 2:12). He restores our honor and rewards us with the riches of His grace. When we truly recognize Christ for Who He was, then we can accept the gift of His calling, which was to bear our griefs and carry our sorrows.

When Jesus was captured and imprisoned, tortured and crucified, it might have looked as though He was afflicted and smitten by God, but the truth was that He was carrying our burdens for us. He was making a way where there was no way.

The circumstances in our lives might cause us to think we’re being punished (afflicted and smitten by God), but the truth is that Christ already bore the weight of our punishment. Oh, let’s pray for more faith to believe it and accept it.

He First Loved Us

There may be a temporary season we must endure grief and sorrow, if only to identify with Jesus Christ and what He went through for you and for me. It only causes us to love Him more, as we discover first-hand how He first loved us.

He teaches us to love like He loves…in many marvelous and mysterious ways.

When we can accept the truth of His suffering for us, then we can also accept the truth of His victory and how we can walk in the same victory He won for us—in every facet of our lives. Study the Bible verse of Isaiah 53:4 and let us receive the amazing gift of grace that He died to give us.

We praise You,  Jesus,  for allowing the hardships, for they have molded us into a wiser person who can identify with You and Who You really are. We also accept Your loving hand of victory and healing, for that is also Who You are. You arose from the grave, and are now seated at the right hand of the Father, on the throne where You belong. We join You in victory,  in healing, in Your promises and in the loving Presence of the Father where we belong, relishing in the riches of Your grace. Hallelujah, Lord! Amen!