Would you give him an interview?
By Dean Collins
Resumes serve to document examples of the candidate’s experience and knowledge. They give a written picture of a person that many companies use to determine if the candidate is worthy of a face-to-face interview. The words you put on the resume are important because they help the screener decide how attractive you are. There are laws intended to protect candidates from bias. You should not be asked for a photo with your resume, for example. So the words you choose can make a difference.
Suppose a candidate used these words to describe himself: despised, rejected, man of sorrows, stricken, smitten, afflicted, oppressed. Would you give this guy an interview? What if the applicant said men hide their faces from him? You certainly wouldn't put him in sales; would you consider him for back-office work from a hidden cubicle?
Just thinking about this for a moment might reveal some of our biases. We all have them. Our culture is obsessed with good looks. The amount of time we spend on clothes, hairstyles, makeup, cosmetic surgeries, and diets shows how highly we value outside appearance. And there's not room here to discuss all our biases about race, physical disabilities, gender, and weight. Sadly we classify many appearances as imperfections, sometimes even character flaws.
Suffering servant
Isaiah 53 uses the above list of negative adjectives to describe a suffering servant. While some prefer to argue that the prophet is speaking about Israel or some prophet or king that would rescue Israel, most scholars and Christians easily recognize Jesus in this passage. Seven hundred years before our Messiah would arrive on earth these words described what we know today about Jesus, especially the agony of his abusive death.
These verses might make you want to grimace or turn away from actually seeing the suffering of Jesus. But the beauty of a love so strong compels us to look at what Jesus endured. How could anyone bear such suffering for you and for me? And while Isaiah says that men through the ages have turned their heads from the horror of this scene, we know Jesus looked at the ugliness of our brokenness and took the punishment for our sin.
Men through the ages have turned their heads from the horror of this scene, but we know Jesus looked at the ugliness of our brokenness and took the punishment for our sin.
Every one of us needs a savior. Most of us have tried many methods for turning our messes into something presentable. But only One is willing to look at our mistakes, our imperfections, our rebellion and say, "I love you. I forgive you. I make you new."
We suffer too
Jesus wasn't the only one to suffer. He said that in this world we will have suffering, too, and some days we see a lot of it. Just as he was faithful in taking our sins to the cross, he is faithful in standing with us in all of our suffering. His acquaintance with grief reveals a path for us. His example of how to see people becomes our model of the same.
If you are looking for some help for big or small changes needed in your life. I would give Jesus an interview. You might be surprised by what you learn about yourself when you sit face-to-face with him.
Your time with God’s Word
Isaiah 53:1-12 ESV
Photo by Taylor Smith on Unsplash
