THE DESPISED AND REJECTED ONE.

ISAIAH liii. 3.

"He is despised and rejected of men."

(From the First Evening Lesson for Good Friday.)

IF these words were new to us and we did not know to whom they referred, we might be ready to infer that he was an evil-doer, who had committed some grave offences against human society. It is not usually for nothing that men are despised of their fellow-creatures; and it is at least universally received as a maxim, that men of probity and worth, the per sonally upright and innocent, and, more still, the benefactors of their race, should be held in honour. However, the world's history is defaced with instances in which the good have been dishonoured as well as the vile exalted. Ignorance, prejudice, and evil passions have been allowed to obscure true worth, and hence characters the most estimable have sometimes been dealt with as most contemptible. But one instance there was of this kind, transcending in its injustice and wrong all others; and it is that here recorded, that which we commemorate to-day. "He is despised and rejected of men." Who is He? and why so despised and rejected?

I. It was "the Man Christ Jesus." There can be no doubt that the prophet spake of Him. Written seven hundred years before the birth of Jesus, this chapter is nevertheless rather history than prophecy,—a plain narrative of facts, as if they had actually occurred or [No. 25.]

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were occurring, rather than an intimation of things. yet to come to pass. Take the narrative of Isaiah, and take the record of the evangelists; compare one with the other, and, as face answereth to face in water, so these agree. There is no escaping the conclusion, that He of whom the evangelists wrote was He of whom the prophet wrote.

What, then, was His character? An apostle may give the answer: "He did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth." "He was holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners." His enemies were forced to confess His innocence. They were baffled in their endeavours to find a fault in Him. Whatever of good had ever been seen or heard of in man— Moses' meekness, Job's uprightness, David's devotion, Daniel's purity-were all combined in Him without any of their defects or infirmities. And He was the known and acknowledged Benefactor of those among whom He dwelt. Whatever might be thought about Him, here was a fact which could not be denied. "He went about doing good." He healed all manner of sicknesses. He comforted the mourners, and made the widow's heart sing for joy. These were acts of kindness which men could scarcely fail to appreciate. And why, then, should He be despised?

But it was evident, moreover, that He was a Prophet come from God,-for no man could do these miracles that He did, except God were with him. As such, He ought to have been honoured, and not despised. A professedly religious people, as the Jews were, were bound to "receive a prophet in the name of a prophet," when He offered them the credentials of His mission. He could appeal (and did so) to

11 Pet. ii. 22; Heb. vii. 26.

2 John iii. 2.

many testimonies in His own behalf.

There was

every evidence of the truth of His pretensions.

He was, however, yet more than a Prophet: He was the Christ, their long-expected King. Of this, too, there was abundant evidence. All that the language of prophecy spake concerning Messiah was accomplished in Him; and there were those who did receive and own Him. Candid and simple minds reasoned correctly about Him. "Come, see a man that told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?" "Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art Christ, the Son of the living God"." Others might have seen and believed, too, and then must have confessed His claim to honour. But Messiah though He was, the Shiloh, sent of God, Son of Abraham, Son of David, "the man whose name is The Branch," "King of the Jews," "The Desire of all Nations," yet was He "despised and rejected of men."

Nor yet is this all. He was more than simply Prophet, more than Messiah. Born in human nature the Son of man, He was from everlasting the Son of God, essentially Divine-"the Word, which was in the beginning with God, and was God"-" by whom all things were made, and without whom was not any thing made that was made,"-to whom, in all things belongs the pre-eminence, the only-begotten of the Father, the Lord of Glory, whom Angels in Heaven worship, who commands at will the universe, and at "whose name every knee shall bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth." This was He of whom the prophet, in the 3 John iv. 29; vi. 68, 69.

4 Phil. ii. 10.

chapter before us, speaks; and there were those who had eyes to see that it was so. "The Word was made flesh, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth"." But the multitude saw not, believed not; and He was "despised and rejected of men.”

A greater contradiction to all that is fitting and right, and reasonable and just, it is not possible to conceive;-a Being so good, so pure, so faultless in character; holy in His own person, holy in His office; an accredited Messenger from Heaven; all whose actions and all whose words perfectly corresponded with that character; a Man who daily gave evidence that He was more than man; One therefore, in all respects, who deserved the homage, reverence, submission, and affection of men, and whom, it might have been expected, the world would even delight to honour,-"despised and rejected of men!"

And who can rightly estimate the measure of that contempt, and all the bitterness and malice involved in that rejection? What mark or expression of scorn was not directed against Him? By what terms of insult was not His name stigmatized-" Samaritan," "Deceiver," "One that had a devil?" What haughty language was not addressed to Him,-what bold contradictions of His word,-and in what jeering tones of speech was He not spoken to and spoken of? The vain self-righteous Pharisee and the cold infidelhearted Sadducee,-how did they hate, despise, deride the meek and lowly Jesus! How were His very miracles,—those mighty works of beneficence and power, which, with all their disposition to disbelieve, they could not deny,-ascribed to Beelzebub, the

5 John i. 14.

prince of the devils! How were His words wrested to the worst possible construction! What crime was too bad to be imputed to Him? Blasphemy against God, sedition against the state. Of what would they not think Him capable whom they charged with such wickedness as this? No wonder that, in their perverted judgment, He seemed unworthy to live. They would have put Him to death had they had their will, long before they actually did so. The time for this came at last. He was sold into the hands of His enemies, sold for some despicable thirty pieces of silver, and that by one of those who had been His constant companions; one that dipped his hand with Him in the dish lifted up his heel against Him. And we know the indignities that followed. He is dragged to the High Priest; arraigned, accused, condemned; then spit upon and buffeted; then sent to Pilate, the Roman governor; accusations again (and of a different kind from those before the High Priest) are urged against Him; and though His innocence is affirmed by Pilate himself, He is driven off from Pilate to Herod, and by him mocked and set at nought,-arrayed in a gorgeous robe, and sent back again to Pilate, and again vehemently accused; His life clamoured for; a noted murderer is preferred to Him; He is then given up to the will of those who were thirsting for His blood; insulted by the soldiers; a scarlet robe put upon Him; a crown of thorns upon His head, and a reed in His right hand,—insignia of a mock royalty ; "they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, king of the Jews! And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head. And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment