The Wounded Healer
Introduction: Jesus was rejected so that we might be accepted!
Isaiah 53:1 - 9 (NKJV) 1Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him. 3He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. 4Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. 5But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. 6
I. Jesus experienced rejection from his closest relatives and friends
Mark 6:1 - 6 (NKJV) 1Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him. 2And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, “Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! 3Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him. 4But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.” 5Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.
Why they were “offended”
His birth status
“the Son of Mary” Why didn’t they call him “the son of Joseph the carpenter?
Matthew 1:18 - 21 (NKJV) 18Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. 19Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. 20But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
ILL: Nazareth was a very small country village and the rumors of his birth were well known. Jesus could have felt rejected by Joseph and to a child whatever they feel – is true!
We know his brothers and sisters – a comparison! and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?
ILL: Have you ever been compared with another child and felt the sting of rejection? They told my wife, Mary, when she was a small girl, “why can’t you be pretty like Jeanne she could be a movie star!” When I was a boy it was “why can’t you be smart like your cousin Charles? Comparisons are experienced as rejection.
His social status
“3Is this not the carpenter” The children of big fish in a small pond make fun of the children of little fish. Jesus was a “rabbi” outside of Nazareth but at home he was only a carpenter! – this is also rejection!
Where he was from (race & ethnic background)
John 1:43 - 46 (NKJV) 43The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.” 44Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
II. Jesus experienced rejection from the religions leaders
Luke 9:20 - 22 (NKJV) 20He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered and said, “The Christ of God.” 21And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, 22saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.”
ILL; These are Jesus’ contemporaries – have you ever felt rejected by your fellow workers?
III. Rejection from His followers
John 6:52 - 71 (NKJV) 52The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?” 53Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. 54Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. 56He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. 57As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. 58This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.” 59These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum. 60Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?” 61When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, “Does this offend you? 62What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? 63It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. 64But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. 65And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.” 66From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. 67Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?” 68But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 70Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?” 71He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.
Rejection from the fickle crowd
Matthew 21:6 - 11 (NKJV) 6So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. 7They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them. 8And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Hosanna in the highest!” 10And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, “Who is this?” 11So the multitudes said, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.”
John 19:12 - 15 (NKJV) 12From then on Pilate sought to release Him, but the Jews cried out, saying, “If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar’s friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar.” 13When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus out and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. 14Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” 15But they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar!”
Ill: The same crowd that cried “Blessed is He” are the same people who yelled “crucify Him.”
Rejection from God
Matthew 27:41 - 46 (NKJV) 41Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, 42“He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. 43He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing. 45Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. 46And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “EliEli, EliEli, lamalama sabachthanisabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
ILL: This was the ultimate and final rejection
Isaiah 53:1 - 5 (NKJV) 1Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him. 3He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. 4Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. 5But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.
People who have wounds from rejection
Fear that others will not accept them for who they are, what they believe or how they act
Are incapable of doing something for fear of lack of acceptance
Are constantly concerned with the reactions of others
They mimic the ways in which others act, dress, talk, think believe and function – they become three-dimension clones of the role models they need
They crave recognition and acceptance from those they want to be identified with
Cannot exercise creativity, productivity and imagination for fear of rejection
ILL: (Never try to write a book if you fear rejection – I have received 90 rejection letters on the last novel I submitted)
Conclusion: Because Jesus suffered the wounds of rejection God can never reject you!
Rev 22: 17 And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.
