The Messiah Is Come

Messiah Is Come

Isa. 61:1

Of whom does the prophet speak? Jesus gives the answer in Luke 4:21-22: "This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth."

It was the Lord God who had sent Him. And the Spirit was upon Him. The divine attestation to His Sonship and His anointing had come unmistakably at His baptism by John. The Holy Spirit had descended upon Him in bodily shape like a dove, and a voice from heaven said, "Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased" (Luke 3:22). He had also passed the crucial test in the fierce conflict with Satan in the wilderness. Now in supreme confidence He could say, "The Lord God hath anointed me," which was equivalent to saying, I am the Messiah, the Christ, sent from God.

Jesus came to fulfill a mission. He was the Savior, the answer to man's universal cry, Isaiah gave a preview in outline of what the ministry of the Messiah would be.

He did preach the gospel to the poor. He set the example for the Church to follow in all ages. Her mission is to the needy, the brokenhearted, the imprisoned, the enslaved. Jesus and those He chooses are to proclaim that the year of jubilee has come. It is the day of grace, the time of God's favor. This is the era of God's acceptance of unworthy men. The year of the redeemed has come.