As one from whom men hide their faces… we esteemed him not. Isaiah 53:3
The word “esteemed” takes us into the world of the mind, where an evaluation takes place. Alec Motyer writes, “Esteemed is an ‘accounting’ word, a reckoning up of value.” The first step in any decision is the mind makes a calculation.
When people looked at Jesus, they asked, “Is there any value here?” The miracles attracted their attention; that was a plus. But when Jesus began to speak about living by faith in Him, they put that down as a minus. In the end, they found no net reason to follow Him (John 6:66). They esteemed Him not.
When Isaiah talks about men hiding their faces, this takes us into the world of the heart. He is describing an intense emotional reaction. People hid their faces from Jesus in disgust. They could not bear to look at Him.
The sinful heart does not want to look at Jesus. Isaiah already told us that Jesus had no form or majesty that we should look at Him (Isa. 53:2). Now he tells us that we actively resist looking at Him. Men put their hands over their eyes to keep from looking at Him.
We may think the normal response of the human heart to God is apathy, but Isaiah makes it clear the problem is deeper. It’s not just that people don’t want to look at Jesus. The sinful heart cannot bear to look at Jesus.
Is that really true? The Apostle Paul answers, “The mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot” (Rom. 8:7).
Why do people not believe? Is it because the evidence for faith is inadequate? No. People do not believe because the flesh is hostile to God. This does not mean that all people are seething with hatred and resentment toward God, it means unbelief is a decision in which the mind, heart, and will are all involved.
How does this help you make sense of your own journey?
