He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. (Isaiah 53:3 ESV)

Jesus acquainted himself with grief by living among us, to see and experience life from our perspective. It was not that God did not understand our struggles from his heavenly throne; rather, he chose to visit us as a humble man and introduced himself as our new hope.  I believe he wanted everyone to see a very personal and approachable side of him. To be a man and fully God, but forfeit his divine powers is a remarkable story that must be told and never hidden.  

This may be a poor example, but I liken this to a field general choosing to fight the enemy in close ranks with his soldiers. He isn’t afraid to get dirty and no combat duty is beneath him. He may use the closeness of his comrades to communicate detailed plans so they can see the bigger picture of their mission. He also takes the initiative to become their big brother and mentor, role modeling the ideal ways of a soldier. In return, their love and loyalty towards him grows because he authentically proved his genuineness and abilities, not from afar, but up close, exposing himself to the same dangers of war that his combat brothers face.

Now picture Jesus doing the exact same thing, coming down from a beautiful Heaven to get deeply personal with us in the slum of a broken world. Unlike the field general I mentioned, he did not have to prove anything; but out of love, he continued to pursue a relationship with us while we despised and rejected him. His plan for redemption has been set and implemented, and he made the gift of salvation available to everyone who chooses to believe. 

Even more amazing is that his Spirit takes residence inside of us once we turn ourselves over to him. Every thought, word, emotion, and experience is captured like a spiritual body camera, with God taking notice of everything happening to us. He gently walks us through our next steps, and he frequently bumps us with course corrections through his teachings and convictions. With all that said, Jesus is the closest friend we will ever have. I don’t think anyone could look out for our well-being like he does. Some people may come close, but his care for us is delivered with tenderness and perfection. He is God, he is King, he is Lord of all, and he is our friend. Dwell on that for a while and see how your soul responds to this truth. Did you smile? And if not, you will soon.