Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? 2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3 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.
Who Has Believed Our Report?
Who would have believed it? Can we start with the words, “No way!”? “Not a chance!” “It isn’t going to happen!” (Or as some say, “Never happen, captain!) “There’s no path to success!” “Finished before He could even get started!”
So let’s start there. If you like an “underdog — come from behind” story, then you’ve come to the right place. And it’s significant and relevant to our lives today. So if you’ve ever loved reading or watching a “rags to riches” story, you’re going to love this.
As A Root Out of Dry Ground
According to Isaiah 53:2, the prophesied One would grow up. He would grow up before God, but He wouldn’t appear to be anything great. You can see His poor prospects in the imagery of “as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground: He has no form nor comeliness (“splendor” or “majesty”). This sure looks like rags with no hope of riches. It appeared to be nothing more than a root in dry ground. So, “when we shall see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.”
Serious Questions Raised
Isaiah presented the Messiah as a Son who would be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14). But for the moment, don’t just think about the miracle. Think of the questions that would have raised:
“Born of a virgin?! oh, sure,” you can hear the critics sneering. Even before He was born, this Son was slandered by gossip. After the Pharisees did a “background check,” they mocked Him with the words, “We were not born of fornication . . .” (John 8:41).
Oh, but it gets worse. . .[continue reading or listen to sermon].