How do we measure praise?
See, my servant will prosper; he will be highly exalted.
Isaiah 52:13
Jesus is the greatest. How did he prosper?
But many were amazed when they saw him. His face was so disfigured he seemed hardly human, and from his appearance, one would scarcely know he was a man.
Isaiah 52:14
I am shocked. Praise is exemplified in this prophecy of Jesus being beaten with a led tipped whip and executed in utter cruelty.
So, where is the prosperity and exaltation? Jesus was pushed to the edge, but not broken. He demonstrated God’s grace was greater than man’s torture and humiliation.
We measure prosperity and exaltation by ‘likes’ and ‘follows’. Jesus measured exaltation from the applause of heaven when he stood firm though all were opposed, and friends hid in silence. He had demonstrated the power of God.
… Kings will stand speechless in his presence. For … they will understand what they had not heard about.
Isaiah 52:15
The world’s exalted will stand speechless before Jesus, understanding that their craving for popularity robbed them of integrity, robbed them of the opportunity to demonstrate faith, and hope and love. As Jesus said,
How can you believe when you accept praise from one another but make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?
John 5:44