“They don’t read Isaiah 53 in the synagogues,” I was told by a friend and colleague who works among the addicted in Israel and the Middle East. He then told me a story of a man who was, in fact, a rabbi he had picked up hitchhiking in Israel. They began a conversation which led to my friend reading Isaiah 53 to his new passenger. He asked the rabbi: “Do you knew who the passage was referring to?” The rabbi replied: “Oh, it must be Jesus!” Yes indeed, it must be Jesus.

Part of the Isaiah 53 reads like this:

“He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised and we esteemed him not.”

This description of Jesus is so distant from portrayals we might see of him in art or in films. It seems that, humanly speaking, Jesus was not an impressive character. He certainly wasn’t the conquering king Israel was hoping for! It seems that in a twisted sort of way, mankind is still hiding its face from the true character of Jesus. “We want a handsome king!” we seem to shout. But God answers, “You have a suffering servant who is despised!”

That servant bore our sorrows, carried our sicknesses, encouraged us in our depressions, provided our needs, endured rejection and lost his earthly life. As it is later written in Isaiah 53: After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life, and be satisfied,…. How satisfying it must have been on that glorious Resurrection Day we are now celebrating.

I’m not sure what all of you in the ISAAC fellowship are facing or enduring in these challenging days. I
heard some of your stories and challenges during the world-wide ISAAC conference last year. Some of your stories deeply touched me and I found myself amazed at the strength of resolve and the godly character seen in so many of you. So, I have a great hope that through all things, you will see the light of life and be satisfied, and that in whatever circumstances you find yourselves you will be able to say, “Oh, it must be Jesus!”

May the Lord bless you all and keep you and shine His face on you and your loved ones on this glorious day on which we celebrate His resurrection.

Tom Bremer
ISAAC