The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Isaiah 53:1-6, “Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2 For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty
That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.
3 He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide
their face, He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God,
and afflicted.
5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell
upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.
6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all
To fall on Him.”

The two salient questions that open this psalm can surely be applied to our generation. With all that the LORD has said, with
all that He accomplished and has made visible and understandable to our minds, we have rejected. The psalmist’s Guide is the
very Spirit of the LORD guiding first His people, Israel, and then the whole Gentile world to believe and accept the LORD Jesus
Christ.

The Christ Child, of Whom we have spoken in previous Letters, is here clearly described. He grew up in the presence of
His Heavenly Father; yet, His appearance alone did not distinguish Him from His fellowmen. What condemns mankind is its vile
rejection of God’s Son. Men looked upon Him with contempt. He was rejected and scorned daily, despite their inability to
refute His words. You may recall the Australian girl whom I mentioned in a previous Letter. She heard my message of
salvation, and then checked the accuracy of her understanding of it with one of the pastors. Yet, upon receiving confirmation
of the accuracy of her understanding, she politely said, “Thank you, but I don’t want it.” That pastor came to me with tears in
his eyes. He was visibly hurt by her rejection. How much more pungent the hurt of the LORD Jesus when people reject Him!

The passage above prophetically predicts the Savior’s rejection. New Testament passages depict the fulfillment of the
prophecy. Jesus Christ was “pierced through…crushed…scourged,” thoroughly ridiculed and rejected. The shame of this
falls equally upon us for our rejection. Still, as a shepherd pursues a sheep that has wandered from his care, Jesus continues
to reach out in loving concern to all mankind. Name, if you will, all the vilest leaders in the world today. Include the rich and
famous in the entertainment world, whose lifestyles encompass the filthiest and morally debased, almost unbelievable activities.
He died for them.

Hopefully, none you reading this are involved in any moral decadence; but you may have friends who are. Just remember: Jesus
Christ lived and died for your sins. And the proof of His love is viewed in His Resurrection from the dead. If you’ve trusted Him,
thank Him for His sacrifice for you. If you have yet to trust Him, He lovingly awaits your repentance and faith. You are in my
prayers.

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom