Romans 15:3: For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.”
How was it that Christ did not please himself? Though Christ existed in indescribable glory from all eternity and was daily rejoicing in the fellowship of the Godhead in perfect holiness, he left all that for the sake of lost humanity. John 8:29 records Jesus as saying, “I always do what pleases him.” And in John 4:34 he says, “My food … is to do the will of him who sent me.” And in John 6:38 he tells us, “For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.”
Our Lord’s earthly life culminated in reproach. “‘The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me,’” says verse 3, quoting the prophecy of Psalm 69:9. He was rejected because he lived the life of God here on earth. Isaiah says:
He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. (53:3) 1
Application
- Thank Christ right now for taking all those reproaches for you.
- Do not let those personal insults directed toward your character keep you from doing the will of God.
Prayer
Lord, I want to love You more and more each day.
1. Hughes, R. K. (1991). Romans: righteousness from heaven. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
