Jesus' Messianic Claim - The Ministry
Isaiah 61:1-2 "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound, to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD..."
Luke 4:21 "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
As the Messiah, Jesus was anointed from Heaven for a specific ministry. According to this verse, this purpose was to preach the gospel, heal broken hearts, and set prisoners free. Then, when we look over in the book of Acts, we see that "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power" for the healing of the sick. (Acts 10:38)
Jesus' earthly ministry was very important. He didn't just come to die for our sins...He also came to teach:
-His words and messages teach us God's own will.
-His healing ministry show us that God does not want us to be bound in sickness.
-His interactions with the outcasts and rejects of His day teach us about God's compassion.
Everything He did, He did on purpose...and it was a direct fulfillment of old prophecies. Before their eyes, Jesus demonstrated that God's promised Messiah had come.
Jesus' supernatural ministry was a direct fulfillment of prophecy. The prophets of old were given insight into the life of the promised Messiah - Jesus of Nazareth - and wrote down what they saw. When we read their words, and compare them to the things Jesus did, we can see that He is clearly the Messiah. But even more than that, these prophets also gave us insight into what Jesus' real mission was.
Next, we'll see that Jesus didn't just come to heal people and preach a good message...
Luke 4:21 "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
As the Messiah, Jesus was anointed from Heaven for a specific ministry. According to this verse, this purpose was to preach the gospel, heal broken hearts, and set prisoners free. Then, when we look over in the book of Acts, we see that "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power" for the healing of the sick. (Acts 10:38)
Jesus' earthly ministry was very important. He didn't just come to die for our sins...He also came to teach:
-His words and messages teach us God's own will.
-His healing ministry show us that God does not want us to be bound in sickness.
-His interactions with the outcasts and rejects of His day teach us about God's compassion.
Everything He did, He did on purpose...and it was a direct fulfillment of old prophecies. Before their eyes, Jesus demonstrated that God's promised Messiah had come.
The Messenger
Before the Messiah could begin His ministry, He had to have a precursor - someone to go before Him and prepare the way. We can see this in two Old Testament Passages:
Malachi 3:1 "Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple...."
Isaiah 40:3-5 "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill brought low; the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough places smooth; the glory of the LORD shall be revealed...'"
Enter John the Baptist. This was a distant cousin of Jesus, born to Elizabeth and Zacharias in their old age. John was born six months before Jesus' birth in Bethlehem. At his birth, his father Zacharias prophesied over him; "And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways..." (Luke 1:76) This man was called to go before the Messiah and make sure the people were ready for His coming.
It is interesting - in light of what Isaiah 40:3 says - that John's entire ministry took place in the wilderness. When his time came, John began crying out "Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand!" (Matthew 3:1) Notice John did not literally say "Prepare the way!"...but that's exactly what his message did. This message (the message of repentance) has always prepared the way for what God had planned!
When John told the people to repent, he wasn't telling them to try harder to follow the Law...at this point in Israel's history, they were doing all they could do to keep God's commandments. People were literally using eggshells to measure out the water to wash themselves and were dividing their herbs to pay their tithes. No, more adherence to the Law was not John's message. John's preaching was targetted at one thing...the heart!
Do you remember what Jesus said about the Pharisees in Matthew 15:8? "These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me." This was the condition that John came to fix. He turned the hearts of the multitudes back toward God by his preaching of repentance. This was what prepared the way for the ministry of the Messiah.
John knew that he was the messenger. He knew that the Messiah was on the way. And when it was revealed to him that Jesus was the Promised One, John proclaimed it to anyone who would listen. "Behold the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29)
Later, as Jesus grew more popular, the crowds began to fade away from John's preaching. His follower asked him about it, probably asking if they should do something to draw the people back. Look at John's response out of John 3:30 - "He must increase, but I must decrease." John knew that he didn't have a ministry that would last forever...he was only preparing the way for Jesus. Once the Messiah came on the scene, John knew it was time to re-direct the spotlight.
The life and ministry of John - the messenger who went before the Messiah - was a clear testimony of who Jesus was!
The Signs of the Messiah
John 20:30 "And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name."
Why would Jesus performing miracles prove to anyone that He was the Messiah? Because it was prophesied that the Messiah would perform miracles! Not just any miracles though, Isaiah 35:5-6 gives us a very specific list of signs that the Messiah would perform: "Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing."
The Jews knew that these signs would confirm that the Messiah had come. This is why Nicodemus said this in John 3:2 - "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him."
So let's look at each of these four signs of the Messiah, as they apply to Jesus:
(This is not an exhaustive list...we will only mention one instance of each for the sake of time)
(This is not an exhaustive list...we will only mention one instance of each for the sake of time)
Blind Eyes Opened
Matthew 9:27-30 "When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, 'Son of David, have mercy on us!' And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, 'Do you believe that I am able to do this?' They said to Him, 'Yes, Lord.'"
"Then He touched their eyes, saying, 'According to your faith, let it be to you.' And their eyes were opened."
Matthew 9:27-30 "When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, 'Son of David, have mercy on us!' And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, 'Do you believe that I am able to do this?' They said to Him, 'Yes, Lord.'"
"Then He touched their eyes, saying, 'According to your faith, let it be to you.' And their eyes were opened."
Deaf Ears Unstopped
Mark 7:32-35 Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hands on him. And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue. Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened." Immediately his ears were opened and the impediment of his tongue was loosed...
Mark 7:32-35 Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hands on him. And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue. Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened." Immediately his ears were opened and the impediment of his tongue was loosed...
The Lame Leaping
Matthew 21:14 "Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them."
Matthew 21:14 "Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them."
Mute Tongue Singing
Matthew 9:32-33 "As they went out, behold, they brought to Him a man, mute and demon-possessed. And when the demon was cast out, the mute spoke. And the multitudes marveled, saying, 'It was never seen like this in Israel!'"
All of the qualifying signs that Isaiah listed were done during Jesus' ministry - repeatedly. Did you notice the reaction of the crowds? "It was never seen like this in Israel!" Over and over again these crowds were amazed by what they saw Jesus do.
Matthew 9:8 "Now when the multitude saw it, they marveled and glorified God..."
Matthew 12:23 "And all the multitudes were amazed and said, 'Could this be the Son of David?'"
Matthew 15:32 "So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel."
These people knew what these miracles meant; they knew what they were witnessing!
Matthew 9:32-33 "As they went out, behold, they brought to Him a man, mute and demon-possessed. And when the demon was cast out, the mute spoke. And the multitudes marveled, saying, 'It was never seen like this in Israel!'"
All of the qualifying signs that Isaiah listed were done during Jesus' ministry - repeatedly. Did you notice the reaction of the crowds? "It was never seen like this in Israel!" Over and over again these crowds were amazed by what they saw Jesus do.
Matthew 9:8 "Now when the multitude saw it, they marveled and glorified God..."
Matthew 12:23 "And all the multitudes were amazed and said, 'Could this be the Son of David?'"
Matthew 15:32 "So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel."
These people knew what these miracles meant; they knew what they were witnessing!
Jesus' supernatural ministry was a direct fulfillment of prophecy. The prophets of old were given insight into the life of the promised Messiah - Jesus of Nazareth - and wrote down what they saw. When we read their words, and compare them to the things Jesus did, we can see that He is clearly the Messiah. But even more than that, these prophets also gave us insight into what Jesus' real mission was.
Next, we'll see that Jesus didn't just come to heal people and preach a good message...
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