Life and Ministry of the Christ in Isaiah
#6 Isaiah 35
2 It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the LORD, and the excellency of our God.
3 Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.
4 Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.
5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
6 Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.
7 And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes.
8 And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.
9 No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there:
10 And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Oh the joy of the salvation of God in Christ!
behold, your God... will come and save you – this whole chapter announces salvation.
they shall see the glory of the LORD, and the excellency of our God - This is Christ, he is the glory and excellency of God. He is Emmanuel, God with us.
O how he describes the salvation which Christ brings: the desert will blossom, there will be streams in the desert, a highway for the ransomed of the Lord to return to Zion, and they shall return with songs and everlasting joy, with joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
How will we recognize Christ when he comes? The blind will see, the deaf will hear, the lame will walk, and the dumb will sing.
Jesus used this passage to declare he was Christ:
Matthew 11:2-6
2 Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,
3 And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?
4 Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see:
5 The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.
6 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.
Luke describes the same incident in 7:19-23 and adds a wonderful detail in v 21
Luke 7:12-23
12 Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her.
13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.
14 And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.
15 And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.
16 And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people.
17 And this rumour of him went forth throughout all Judaea, and throughout all the region round about.
18 And the disciples of John shewed him of all these things.
19 And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Jesus, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?
20 When the men were come unto him, they said, John Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?
21 And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind he gave sight.
22 Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached.
23 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.
Art thou he that should come? This was one of the ways they referred to Christ, The Coming One. John’s disciples ask, Are you the Coming One? How can Jesus prove he is the Christ? By his miracles. It was prophesied that when Christ came this is what he would do, and here he is doing these very things! Are you the Coming One? Yes. Yes, I am.
There are those who say, “Well, if Jesus really did it back then, how come he doesn’t do it today?” What about miracles, signs and wonders today? I wrote about this a few years ago, you can read it here
Jesus is the Christ, the promised Savior, and the miracles in the ministry of Jesus are proof of that. Art thou he that should come? Yes! And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.
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