March 4

Rejected of Men.—Isaiah 53:3.

SEVEN hundred years before Christ's appearance in our world, was this prediction delivered; and how literally it was fulfilled, all his history testified. He came unto his own, but his own received him not. Prophets had been rejected and put to death, and at last the Son was sent, if peradventure they might reverence him. But so far were they from reverencing him, that all their hate and malevolence were directed against him. They rejected his claims; he professed to be the Messiah, but they counted him an impostor, and treated him as such. He professed to be imbued with the Spirit of God, but they said he was mad, and had a devil. They rejected his credentials, and never were credentials so clear, so full, so demonstrative. He taught what had never before been taught; he revealed what had been involved in deepest mystery; he spake as neer man spake, and lived as never man lived: he performed the most astounding miracles; all nature bended before the fiat of his word. Seas, and storms, and tempests, and diseases, and death, and devils, all felt the divinity of his presence. All, all felt and owned him, except men; men, whose nature he had assumed, whose salvation he came to secure. His gospel was rejected, his message was treated with contempt; he offered pardon, but they despised it; he offered a kingdom and a crown, but they said, "this is the heir, let us kill him." And to the last moment of his life, did they reject the Son of God and his gospel against themselves. He was rejected by all classes of men. Some few of the rich were attached to him, but the great majority of them, with the priests and rulers bitterly despised him. Some of the poor were found following him, but the bulk of the people joined in the last clamour, "away with him, crucify him, crucify him." While we feel indignant at the treatment Jesus met with from the Jews, let us remember, that Christ is still rejected by all who refuse to believe, and obey him.