Post by Admin on Mar 7, 2020 7:41:30 GMT
Again this session we will use a passage from Isaiah and another from Matthew to round out Part I of Messiah.
Isaiah 35:3-6 (NIV)
3 Strengthen the feeble hands,
steady the knees that give way;
4 say to those with fearful hearts,
“Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
he will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution
he will come to save you.”
5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
6 Then will the lame leap like a deer,
and the mute tongue shout for joy.
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
and streams in the desert.
Matthew 11:1-6 (NIV)
1 After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee.
2 When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples 3 to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”
4 Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 5 The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. 6 Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”
Background on the Isaiah passage, from Ligonier Ministries:
Following an oracle of judgment on Edom and, by extension, the faithless of every nation (chap. 34), chapter 35 features a glorious promise of restoration given to God’s old covenant people. The prophet reiterates the promises of passages such as Deuteronomy 30:1–10, wherein Moses foresees an era of great blessing on the other side of the exile of Israel and Judah. Yet in some ways, Isaiah’s restoration promise is more glorious.
In the day of salvation, says Isaiah, the blind will see, the deaf will hear, the lame will walk, and the mute will sing. In the first instance, this refers to spiritual renewal, the circumcision of the heart for which the prophets hoped. And yet we cannot divorce this spiritual renewal from the physical, as Isaiah’s promise prompts us to think of Jesus’ healing ministry. His miracles prove that He is the divine Messiah, who, having inaugurated the renewal of all creation, will consummate it at His return.
Thoughts on John's question to Jesus, from Bethany Bible Church:
John had been thrown into prison and may have been in prison for quite some time. He had served faithfully as God's prophet; and had even confronted open sin in the life of the king. He had confronted Herod Antipas - tetrarch of Galilee - because Herod had married the wife of his own brother in disobedience to the Scriptures.
Try to think with me what might have been going on in John's mind, as he sat in prison for being a faithful prophet of God. He knew that he had indeed been sent by God as "[t]he voice of one crying in the wilderness.” He knew that it was given by God for him to announce the coming of the Messiah - and to point Jesus out to the people and declare, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" He knew that this Coming One would be a conquering and victorious Messiah.
And now, John sits in prison and sees that Jesus was not even behaving like the conquering Messiah that he - and all of Israel - expected the Messiah to be. Perhaps, then, you can relate to John's doubts and growing disappointment.
Isaiah 35:3-6 (NIV)
3 Strengthen the feeble hands,
steady the knees that give way;
4 say to those with fearful hearts,
“Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
he will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution
he will come to save you.”
5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
6 Then will the lame leap like a deer,
and the mute tongue shout for joy.
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
and streams in the desert.
Matthew 11:1-6 (NIV)
1 After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee.
2 When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples 3 to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”
4 Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 5 The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. 6 Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”
Background on the Isaiah passage, from Ligonier Ministries:
Following an oracle of judgment on Edom and, by extension, the faithless of every nation (chap. 34), chapter 35 features a glorious promise of restoration given to God’s old covenant people. The prophet reiterates the promises of passages such as Deuteronomy 30:1–10, wherein Moses foresees an era of great blessing on the other side of the exile of Israel and Judah. Yet in some ways, Isaiah’s restoration promise is more glorious.
In the day of salvation, says Isaiah, the blind will see, the deaf will hear, the lame will walk, and the mute will sing. In the first instance, this refers to spiritual renewal, the circumcision of the heart for which the prophets hoped. And yet we cannot divorce this spiritual renewal from the physical, as Isaiah’s promise prompts us to think of Jesus’ healing ministry. His miracles prove that He is the divine Messiah, who, having inaugurated the renewal of all creation, will consummate it at His return.
Thoughts on John's question to Jesus, from Bethany Bible Church:
John had been thrown into prison and may have been in prison for quite some time. He had served faithfully as God's prophet; and had even confronted open sin in the life of the king. He had confronted Herod Antipas - tetrarch of Galilee - because Herod had married the wife of his own brother in disobedience to the Scriptures.
Try to think with me what might have been going on in John's mind, as he sat in prison for being a faithful prophet of God. He knew that he had indeed been sent by God as "[t]he voice of one crying in the wilderness.” He knew that it was given by God for him to announce the coming of the Messiah - and to point Jesus out to the people and declare, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" He knew that this Coming One would be a conquering and victorious Messiah.
And now, John sits in prison and sees that Jesus was not even behaving like the conquering Messiah that he - and all of Israel - expected the Messiah to be. Perhaps, then, you can relate to John's doubts and growing disappointment.