Read: Acts 8:26-39
Who is the prophet talking about? (v. 34 NIV)
When the Messiah would come into the world, says Isaiah, he wouldn’t “fit the profile.” He wouldn’t stand head and shoulders above the crowd like King Saul. He wouldn’t chase out the Romans and set up the kingdom of Greater Israel. As far as popular opinion was concerned, the Messiah whom Isaiah describes just would not measure up.
Can you think of someone who does fit Isaiah’s profile? Someone judged to be undesirable, who went largely unrecognized when he came? Consider Jesus of Nazareth: born poor, a blue-collar guy, briefly popular, dying as an itinerant preacher who didn’t even have a bed to call his own.
Because Jesus didn’t look or do what the Messiah was supposed to, most people did not acknowledge him when he came. “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him” (John 1:11). It’s true there were a few who, by the grace of God, did recognize him and receive him. But they were mostly people regarded in their day as unimportant, like fishermen and women. It is also true that the crowd followed him for a time, clamoring for his miracles. But when he started to say things they didn’t like, the crowds melted away (see John 6:66).
Jesus still goes unrecognized among us today. Remember what he said about feeding the hungry or visiting the sick and imprisoned? “Whatever you did for one of the least of these . . . you did for me” (Matt. 25:40 NIV). I wonder how many times I might have seen Jesus and not recognized him.
As you pray, ask God to draw you closer.
About the Author
Rev. David Bast
David Bast is a writer and pastor who served for 23 years as the President and Broadcast Minister for Words of Hope. In his more than 40 years of devotional writing and preaching, he has been encouraging believers around the world to be shaped by God and his Word.
Prior to his ministry and work at Words of Hope, Dave served as a pastor for 18 years in congregations in the Reformed Church in America. A graduate of Hope College and Western Theological Seminary, he is the author of nine devotional books and Bible studies, includingWhy Doesn't God Act More Like God,Christ in the Psalms, andA Gospel for the World.
Dave and his wife, Betty Jo, have four children and eight grandchildren. Dave enjoys reading, growing tomatoes, and avidly follows the Detroit Tigers.
