MONDAY
December 24
Despised and Rejected of Men
Read the following texts, keeping in mind the whole time the fact that Jesus was divine, the Creator of heaven and earth and that He came to offer Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world (Matt. 12:22-24; Luke 4:21-30; John 8:58, 59). How do these texts help us understand the sufferings that Jesus faced here on earth?
Whether by leaders, or even by the common people, Jesus' life, acts, and teaching were constantly misunderstood, leading to rejection and hatred by people He came to save. In a certain sense it must be like a parent who sees a wayward child in need of help, and though the parent is willing to give everything for that child, the child spurns the parent, heaping scorn and rejection upon perhaps the only person who can spare that child from utter ruin. That's what Jesus faced while here on earth. How painful it must have been for Him.
Read Matthew 23:37. What does that tell us about how Christ felt about the rejection? As you read, ask yourself, too, "Was He feeling bad for Himself Las we often do when facing rejection], or was it for another reason?" If for another reason, what was it?
We've all felt the sting of rejection, and maybe our pain was similar to Christ's in that it was unselfish: We were pained not because we were rejected but because of what the rejection would mean for the one who was rejecting you (perhaps someone you care about who refuses to accept salvation in Christ). Imagine, though, what it must have felt to Jesus, who was fully aware of what He was to face in order to save them, and at the same time fully aware of what the consequences of their rejection would be. "It was because of His innocence that He [Christ] felt so keenly the assaults of Satan."—Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, book 3, p. 129.
What can you learn from Christ that can help you better cope with the pain of rejection? What does His example show you? How can you apply it to your own life?
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