“He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” -Isaiah 53:3
We create the sorrow and grief of Jesus when we hide our faces from him, when we see little in him worth our time and attention.
Jesus is most often rejected so that we might be more religious. Self-righteousness feels no need of a Saviour. The self is full of confidence in it’s own abilities and talents, so sure of just what to say, just what to do, just how to get our own way.
This is the sorrow and grief of Christ. Yet it is also his joy to bear this very sin of ours. Good news.
“All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all”. -Isaiah 53.6