Definition: He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were [our] faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Explanation: Okay, let’s break down this verse from Isaiah 53:3. It's a really powerful and important part of the Bible that speaks about Jesus. Here’s what it means in simpler terms: Basically, this verse says: “Jesus is treated badly and unfairly by people. He’s often seen as sad, lonely, and burdened with sorrow. We were so surprised and uncomfortable that we tried to hide from him.” Let's unpack the parts a little more: “He is despised and rejected of men” : This means people aren't admiring or respecting him. They might look down on him, ignore him, or even criticize him. It’s like he’s not valued or appreciated by everyone. “A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” : Jesus is clearly experiencing sadness and pain – a deep sorrow that he feels. He's familiar with this kind of feeling because he's facing hardship and suffering. “And we hid as it were [our] faces from him” : This is the key part. It means people were so surprised, uncomfortable, or scared that they actively tried to avoid being near him. It was like we were trying to shield ourselves from his presence. “He was despised, and we esteemed him not” : This reinforces the idea – because he was treated poorly, we didn't see him as valuable or worthy of respect. We gave him less importance than we should have. What’s the Big Idea? This verse is about Jesus' suffering and sacrifice. It's a warning to us: Jesus is facing a difficult journey that will involve hardship, pain, and rejection. He is despised by many people because he’s showing them what happens when we don’t love or respect him. But the verse also highlights that God loves Jesus so much that he wants to protect him from harm, even if it means separating him from those who would cause him distress. In a nutshell: Isaiah 53:3 describes a situation where people are treating Jesus with disdain and ignoring him, which is a sign of how the Bible sees him – he's facing a challenging path filled with suffering. --- Do you want me to: Explain another part of this verse? Give you some context about what Isaiah was writing when this verse came? Talk about the significance of this verse in the larger story of Jesus’ life and teachings?