WE ARE ALL BULLIES

ONE OF LOW ESTEEM (Isaiah 53: 1-6) But he was piercedh for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishmentk that brought us peacel was on him, and by his woundsm we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:5-6) As I read the scriptures this morning I couldn't help thinking that Jesus was bullied, maybe even as a child, because other children would have seen Him as a goody two shoes. Which means- A "goody two-shoes was a name given to someone who is excessively well-behaved, in Jesus care He was righteous and eager to please, other chldren likely percieved Him as being somewhat annoying. As they would see Him as being someone who strictly obeyed His mom and dad following the rules and was perfect because He was without sin. When someone is being bullied, they often have personality traits or actions that make them appear weak and easy to be bullied. And those with a tendacy to bully are looking for specific types of victims, especially someone who would not fight back, but just take it. Although anyone can be bullied, but often those bullied will share characteristics like being sensitive, socially withdrawn, anxious, or having lower self-esteem, which I do not believe Jesus had these but He was more than likely considered a goody two shoes a mommies boy, and as thinking He was better than the rest of the children. It’s sad when we assome and make prejudgment decissions about others, but we do it all the time. At least I did, I would do it, even before I met someone, just because of how they looked. Later I was able to learn that looks is only skin deep. You see it is in our nature to prejudge others. We do it today, and I'm sure it was done back in Jesus day too. And we also still do it today with Jesus too. We picture Him as He’s portrayed in most of the art drawings we see of what the artost precieved He might look like. Which likely is not a true protrayal. He is pictures as a very hanesome man. Not as a man who had no place to lay His head.(Matthew 8:20, Luke 9:58) And Isaiah says as much, of Jesus the Messiah, “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem” (Isaiah 53:2-3). And yet, even though He was bullied and put to death, He gave us everything He had. “He took up our pain and bore our suffering” (v. 4). He paid the penilty for your sin and mine. Friends listen , we are a sad piece of work, when we choose wtong and miss judge others, and especially miss judging Jesus. We not only miss the righteousness of Jesus but we also miss the true humanity of our fellow man. Yes it is tradgic to miss treat and give little importance to one or many people who have been created in the image of God, and whome God sees as important. Then we also miss the divinity of Christ, the fact that He is God and follow the crowd in despising and bullying Him. I pray we can find a lesson in this as to how we might treat Jesus and those He loves in a better way, and look at them in the way Jesus looks at them, as presious in the sight of God. (Isaiah 43:4,Psalm 116:14-16) How might you look past outward appearances and see the heart and soul of someone today. When you think of Jesus, how do you picture Him, do you see all of who He is, or do you just see what you want to see? Dear Jesus,thank you, for loving and seeing me as I am. Please help me to see you and others as beautiful beings created in Your image.. I love you and I want to be loved and to love as you love me. AMEN