In Isaiah, chapter fifty-three, verse three, “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” Instead of being accepted by the chosen nation, Jesus Christ would be hated and rejected by its rulers. The Son of God experienced mistreatment by His own people. They arrested Him and had a religious trial before Caiaphas, the High Priest of the country at the time. Then the civil trial before Pilate.
Then Jesus was tried before Herod, who sent Him back to Pilate. The mockery proceeded after, and then beaten before being led away to be crucified. Then the procession to Golgotha followed by the crucifixion. Jesus’ mission would involve great pain, suffering, disappointment, and grief because of the sins of humankind. Likewise, all who follow Jesus will likely experience a measure of suffering and rejection.
For example, Paul’s sufferings in the New Testament in Second Corinthians eleven, verses twenty-two through thirty-three, are the experiences of his mission, twenty days in this chapter. Much tribulation he encountered in serving God with great distress, in the overwhelming sin in society. Paul, serving the Lord with “many tears,” was warning the church night and day with tears. Grief in departing from beloved brothers and his heart at their sorrow. There was “great heaviness and continual sorrow” in his heart because of the refusal of his “brethren” to accept the gospel of Christ.
Today, believers may experience some of Paul’s hardships in his life. Living for God according to His Word and letting our light shine within us will cause the public to have issues with us, even if words were not exchanged to cause trouble or conflict. God knows all things.