UNDER PRESSURE â—½ ENCOURAGEMENT
What a Messiah
by Debbie Haynes
Let’s talk about the birth of Jesus…but perhaps not in the traditional way.
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In Luke 1, Gabriel announces to Mary that a child will be born and he will be called holy, The Son of God. So, from the very beginning, we are told without a doubt who this angelic assignment is about.
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In Luke 3, Jesus is then preparing to begin his earthly assignment when John the Baptist is baptizing many people, and Jesus says, “I want you to baptize me, too.” We then read that when all the people were baptized and Jesus was too, the heavens opened and a voice spoke from heaven saying, “You are my beloved son, with you I am well pleased.”
God cleared up any doubt about Jesus’ identity – he claimed him as his own – his beloved son.
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A bit later, we read the genealogy of Jesus…over 15 verses or so…and we see the Son of God at the end of the list. God left no doubt that Jesus was his Son whom he’d sent to earth on a divine assignment!
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In Luke 4, we read that Jesus, the Son of God, full of the Holy Spirit, was then led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil, where Jesus grew hungry. His very authority was challenged, as was his identity. Jesus was unshaken, however, and passed every test. It then reads that he returned in power and went throughout all the country teaching…
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He came to his town where he had been raised, and he began to unroll and read from a scroll. He read “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim the good news to the poor. He sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.” Then he sat down and everyone’s eyes were fixed upon him.
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Those who heard this spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words coming from the mouth of Jesus and said, “Is not this the carpenter’s son?” (referring to Joseph)
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Within the divine assignment of Jesus are 10 reasons why he, the Messiah, was anointed. Here are his assignments:
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Preaching good tidings to the poor/meek
Binding up the brokenhearted
Proclaiming liberty to the captives
Opening prison doors to those who are bound
Proclaiming the acceptable year of the Lord – the day of Salvation – today
Proclaiming the day of vengeance to those who reject his salvation
Comforting all that mourn
Appointing unto those that mourn – beauty for ashes
Giving the oil of joy to those who mourn
Giving a garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness
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Four “telling” and six “giving” assignments!
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Jesus knew who he was and why he came. He knew his assignment would be rejected by men, even plotted against. But he had a job to do as the faithful, loyal, loving son of God, and he performed his assignment magnificently!
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Later, in John 10, we read Jesus words, “I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. But I am the good shepherd and I know my own and my own know me. Just as the father knows me and I know the father and I lay down my life for the sheep.”
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Wow! What a divine assignment, what a Savior, what a Shepherd, what a Messiah.