Read: Isaiah 51:1-53:12
“Jesus the partier” has been a popular character in modern churches. Pastors love to point out that sinners were attracted to Jesus, that He went to their parties and all the "stick in the mud" religious people criticized Him for it. This is a welcome change from the stiff and impersonal picture of Jesus I had growing up.
It is easy, however, to miss another reason why Jesus is so popular with sinners. He is real! Consider the passage in Isaiah 53. This is a detailed portrait of Jesus written about 800 years before He was born. Jesus is described as having "no form or majesty" or "beauty;" he is a "man of sorrows," "acquainted with grief" and "despised."
Imagine that Jesus at a party—not the popular, square-jawed guy who looks like a movie star, but the humble guy who has experienced difficulty. The guy who empathizes with your pain and offers real comfort. He’s the guy who has gone through the worst of what life can throw at us and comes out better, not bitter. He’s the one who really knows how to lean on His Father for strength and comfort.
Hebrews 4:15 says Jesus, our great High Priest, is not the kind of priest who is "unable to sympathize with our weaknesses." That’s the guy I want to be around.
