Imagine.  Close your eyes and picture what you think the Lord Jesus Christ would look like.  He is usually portrayed by artists as beautiful, handsome, shining, gentle or strong, depending on the biblical story being depicted.  In the nativity scenes, Jesus is sweet, fair-skinned and peaceful.  Our human interpretation of the Saviour is idyllic, but not necessarily accurate.

The Son of God came to the earth through the means of a human mother.  He was born in a stable.  He was given to a poor carpenter and teenaged mother to be raised.  Certainly less than ideal circumstances.

According to the prophet Isaiah, the physical description of Jesus the Messiah, was not beautiful or handsome.  In chapter 53, we read that "...He had no form or majesty that we should look at Him, no beauty that we should desire Him."  (verse 2)  In fact, Jesus laid aside His glory and majesty to take on human form.  Philippians 2:6-7 addresses this physical aspect that "though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men."  Jesus literally chose to surrender His glory, power and divine attributes to submit to taking on the form of a man.  Being vulnerable to hunger, thirst, helplessness, illness and injury, Jesus could relate to us in our weakness.  Going through the indignities of conception and birth, infancy, toddlerhood and all the experiences of development into manhood made Jesus truly our brother.  

The all-knowing God humbled Himself to become obedient, to learn the disciplines of the human educational process.  As Son, He had to trust the Father explicitly, just as we all must on this earth.  Jesus did not have the privilege of a short-cut because He was the Son of God!    In fact, Jesus' process to becoming a man and fulfilling God's purpose for Him involved the ultimate humbling, the ultimate sacrifice:  "And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."  (Philippians 2:8)  He came from glorious perfection and highest authority to the mess of human birth and painful life lessons as a human child growing into adulthood.  Then His experience as an adult involved ridicule, criticism, rejection, mental and physical abuse and ultimately the ugliest, most cruel death of a wrongfully accused criminal - the cross!

Isaiah, looking forward, gave a most unpleasant account of the Messiah's experiences to come.  From verses 3-12, the Saviour would endure being "despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief...stricken, smitten by God and afflicted...wounded...crushed...chastisement...stripes... He was oppressed, and He was afflicted...He poured out His soul to death...He bore the sin of many..."  (Isaiah 53)  

We don't like to think of our Saviour as physically ugly, scarred and bloody.  But that is reality.

I take great comfort in the fact that Jesus' suffering and death is over now!  He died once for all.  The greatest hope and joy is that "God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name..."  Jesus Christ is now resurrected with the restored glory He had before.  His power and authority, beauty and majesty have been bestowed on Him once again.  As Jesus Christ revealed Himself to John the Apostle in Revelation chapter 1, "one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around His chest.  The hairs of  His head were white...His eyes were like a flame of fire...and His voice was like the roar of many waters.  In His right hand He held seven stars, from His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and His face was like the sun shining in full strength." (Revelation 1:13-16)  Now that is the description of a mighty King, a brilliant and regal figure of supreme and fearsome authority!  This is our resurrected and reigning Lord!

Imagine.  Imagine a tiny, red-faced baby with dark hair, dark eyes and wrapped in whatever cloths were available in a manure-scented animal shelter.  Picture the Christ-child as needy and dependent on earthly parents to feed, clothe and train Him.  See the God-man living without a home or luxuries of the Divine status that was truly His.  And then remember that He was wrongly accused and executed.  

For you and me.