3 He was despised and rejected^[a] by men,
    a man of sorrows^[b] and acquainted with^[c]grief;^[d]
and as one from whom men hide their faces^[e]
    he was despised, and we esteemed him not. (Isaiah 53:3 ESV)

Esteem is an interesting concept. By definition it is to be held in great respect, to be admired. It is an underlying desire many, if not most of us hold. But even Jesus was rejected, despised and we did not hold Him in esteem. And you may say, “that was long ago, it would not be that way today.” But I think it would, maybe even more so today than ever. We no longer hold prophets in esteem, in fact we think most are crazy crackpots.

But Jesus was not a prophet, He was the Messiah, the Son of God. Unlike prophets before him, even John the Baptist, He was more and we esteemed Him not.

No, the people we hold in esteem these days tend to be celebrities or people of power. If a great man came today from a small backwater town like Bethlehem and spoke as Jesus did no one would listen. Even thousands of years later we have His words and can barely take time to read them.

Reflect on: Do you hold the word of God in the level of esteem you should?