“For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him” (Isa. 53:2 KJV).
Jesus was despised and rejected. There are people who despise and reject you because you accepted Jesus. Can you imagine how Jesus acted? The very ones He created had the nerve to despise and reject Him.
You know how some of us are. You can hear your parent’s voices now, “I brought you into this world, and I can take you out of here.” The natural feeling is that “I’m the one who gave birth to you. I’m the one that took care of you. And if you don’t watch it I’m going to make sure you get out of here early.” Thank God, that Jesus is not like us.
Jesus operated in all nine fruits of the spirit. It was not easy for Him to see Judas betray Him. It was not easy when they brought soldiers to take Him to a mock kangaroo court. He was under the judgment of men who weren’t anywhere near His equal.
His beard was plucked out of His face, and He was stripped naked. He was beaten with a whip called a cat of nine tails that pulled flesh out of His back. Then He was tacked up on a tree. He hadn’t done one thing wrong, and that was not easy for His flesh. But He decided to be gentle and meek—like a lamb—for a reason. He didn’t do it because He was weak.
He saw the end result of His actions. And if you are going to operate in any of the fruits of the Spirit, you are going to have to see the end result. You are going to have to trust that God will work things out when you walk in gentleness and meekness. Trust that He will bring blessing to the situation.
His end is that He brought blessing to us. He was given a name that is above every name. That at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord in three worlds—Heaven, Earth, and Hell. Talking about somebody walking in these fruits, all you need to do is look at the life of Jesus.
Scripture References: Isa. 53:11-12; 1 Peter 2:22-25
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Keith Butler has been an ordained minister since 1974. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan and holds diplomas from Canada Christian College and Rhema Bible Training Center.
He serves in ministry with the support of his lovely wife, Pastor Deborah L. Butler, and their children: Pastor Andre Butler (granddaughters Alexis, Angela, and April), Pastor MiChelle Ferguson and husband Pastor Lee (grandson Lucas), and Minister Kristina Jenkins and husband Pastor Joel (grandsons Andrew and Austin, and granddaughter Alyssa).