He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. (Isaiah 53:3)

From majesty and glory in eternity past (John 17:5), the Son of God entered time and space and became a man. Though He came in the “fullness of time” (Gal 4:4), He did not come in the fullness of glory. To be sure, at times His magnificence shone through His humanness, but He “emptied Himself” (Phil 2:7a) of outward glory, “taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men” (Phil 2:7b-8a). Not as an illustrious man, like King Solomon, the richest and most glorious man on earth in his day. No, the Son of God came into the world as “a man of sorrows.”

Who would have ever written the story like that? No novelist could have ever thought up this plot, this story line, especially in the ancient world. The entire earthly life of Jesus Christ was one of humbleness. He commanded no armies, held no public or royal office. No religious leadership fell on Him.

Jesus’ teachings attracted a crowd, but mostly because He spoke up for the religiously oppressed in Israel who felt beaten down by the spiritual requirements imposed by religious elite (namely, the Pharisees and Sadducees). One would think His miraculous powers would have paved the way for a new exodus out from under Roman domination for the people of God.

To be sure, His birth was heralded by angels, but only a few were in audience for that proclamation. While today, nativity scenes with wise men and shepherds are found in abundance, a relative few took note of His birth. His three short years of public ministry, though beginning with crowds mesmerized by His seemingly unorthodox and fresh teachings, ended with few followers when His teaching moved to a call for commitment (John 6:66). Opposition followed Him to the point of complete rejection by the populace, betrayal by a friend and abandonment by His closest followers. We see His wrestling even with His own Father in Gethsemane, where He prayed three times to avoid the ultimate task for which He came into this world. Even today, millions upon millions continue to reject Jesus Christ and His death on the cross for their sins.

The Lord Jesus Christ endured as the Man of Sorrows, praise God, so that we might be saved. We echo the words of the hymn writer A.P. Bliss:

“Man of Sorrows, what a name, for the Son of God who came. Ruined sinners to reclaim. Hallelujah, what a Savior! Bearing shame and scoffing rude, in my place condemned he stood, sealed my pardon with his blood: Hallelujah, what a Savior.”