Isaiah 53:3
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.
Was Jesus despised by men or respected by them?
PROBLEM: According to Isaiah, Jesus was “despised and rejected by men.” Yet in the Gospels, even Jesus’ enemies seemed to respect Him, saying as Pilate did, “I find no fault in Him at all” (John 18:38). The Roman soldiers who crucified Jesus exclaimed, “Certainly this was a righteous Man” (Luke 23:47). Indeed, Luke says that Jesus “increased … in favor with God and men” (2:52). Which is true—was Jesus respected or despised?
SOLUTION: Both are true. In general, He was respected by Hisfriends and rejected by His enemies. He was honored by His disciples, but crucified by His foes.