Despised and Rejected

The following text from Isaiah 53 is known to speak Messianically.

MVG - Mormonen voor Vrede en Gerechtigheid, would like to dedicate these verses to Helmuth Hubener, Byers Naude, and to many others, who like them in many ways followed the Savior in standing up for truth and justice. Their struggles were lonely battles against all odds, and they too, were 'despised and rejected' by their own people, and : "we hid as it were our faces". (Isaiah 53 : 3)

Martin Luther King, another role model for social justice: "We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of the good people".

While examining the lives and times of these historic and contemporary role models for equality and social justice, we seek not to condemn those who remain silent, but to explore the circumstances that allowed it to happen, so we may learn from it and hopefully do better ourselves .

History teaches us that often role models for truth and justice are indeed, despised and rejected in their lifetime, only to be honored by a later generation... this applies to heroes like Helmuth Hubener and Martin Luther King, and many others, a lesson that we hopefully take to heart as Latter-day Saints.

There comes a time that as a church, or as individual church members, we can no longer remain silent, when we come to the full realization that discipleship comes with a price, as shown by our more courageous brothers Helmuth and Beyers.

The Book of the Prophet Isaiah - chapter 53

[1] Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
[2] 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.
[3] 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.
[4] Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
[5] But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
[6] All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
[7] He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
[8] He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
[9] And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
[10] Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
[11] He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
[12] Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

April 2006 - Robert Poort