July 26

Isaiah 52:13-57:21

What would you say if you were asked why Jesus is the Messiah? One of the key responses is that Jesus fulfilled prophecies in the Old Testament, many of which we read in Isaiah. Isaiah 52:14 tells us the servant's "appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and his form marred beyond human likeness." Isaiah 53:3-5 "He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain...Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed." These prophecies pointed to Jesus’ suffering and death on our behalf, long before it occurred.

Karol Joseph, a former missionary with Jews for Jesus, recounted reading Isaiah 53 and when she asked of whom this passage was speaking, a late entrant responded it was obviously Jesus. When she then told the man she had just been reading from Isaiah 53, he began to backtrack and quibble over who the passage was speaking. Yet as we read these prophecies, it brings clarity to who Jesus is and the immensity of our sin that cost him his life.

Father God, thank you for the sacrifice of your Son. Thank you that through his death my transgressions can be forgiven and removed. Amen. 

What other prophecies would you use to show that Jesus truly is the Messiah?

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