A reminder for
today
And she shall
bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his
people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21)
Is it just me or are the weeks rushing by a little faster. It
is Friday again and I am ecstatic. This week was hard and a little rest will be
awesome. But still I will have to work this weekend so that I can try to get
ahead a little, because at this moment the workload is enormous. I looked at my
oldest son this morning and he was tired. His tests are taking their toll, but I
think this year is also steadily adding to it. They have so much work for
little ones in school today. I look at those boys and I always think how it
must’ve felt for God watching His son give His life.
Despite what many believe today, the religions and religious
leaders of the world are not the same. Many people in our culture promote the
ridiculous claim that Jesus was just another religious leader—a good person who
tried to make life better for others—but Jesus is unique in so many respects.
He alone was a “good person” since He lived a sinless life. Every other
religious leader has been sinful and needed a Saviour. But Jesus did not need a
saviour; He is the Saviour.
There are no prophecies foretelling details about the birth
of other religious leaders. No prophecies alerted the world to the coming of
Muhammad (Islam), Joseph Smith (Mormonism), David Koresh (Branch Davidians),
Charles Taze Russell (Jehovah’s Witnesses), Siddhartha Gautama (Buddhism), or
any other founder of the world’s religions. Yet the Old Testament pinpointed
numerous details about the life of the Son of God and Saviour of the world.
So, what do these prophecies tell us about Jesus? In just
the first two chapters of Matthew, we see that God foretold the virginal
conception of the Messiah, who would be born in Bethlehem, yet in some way
would come out of Egypt and be called a Nazarene. We also see that bitter agony
would grip the mothers in that area.
In the genealogy recorded in Matthew’s first chapter, we
discover the fulfilment of several other Old Testament prophecies. Jesus was
from the line of Abraham (Genesis 12:3), Isaac (Genesis 26:4), Jacob (Genesis
28:14), Judah (Genesis 49:8–12), Jesse (Isaiah 11:), and David (Isaiah 9:7).
But that’s not all. A search through the rest of Scripture would reveal dozens
of other details prophesied about the Messiah, including the following facts:
He would enter
Jerusalem on a donkey’s colt (Matthew 21:4–10; Zechariah 9:9). He would be betrayed by a friend (John
13:1; Psalm 41:9). The betrayal would be
for 30 pieces of silver (Matthew 26:14–16; Zechariah 11:12). The money would be used to purchase the
potter’s field (Matthew 27:3–10; Zechariah 11:1). The Messiah would die a sacrificial death for us (Matthew 27:50; 2
Corinthians 5:21; Daniel 9:26; Isaiah 53:8). He would die with criminals but His burial would be with the wealthy
(Matthew 27:57–60; Luke 23:33; Isaiah 53:9). He would rise from the dead (Matthew 28:6; Psalm 16:8–11; Isaiah
53:10). He would say certain words on the
Cross. He would be mocked, and people would gamble for His clothes (Psalm
22:1, 8, 18).
About 2,000 years ago, Jesus came to earth in a humble
manner. The Saviour of the world and God of all creation put on humanity to die
for our sins and conquer death, giving the hope of salvation to all who turn
from their sin and believe on Him. One day, He will return in judgment, and He
will not appear as a seemingly helpless baby, but as the risen, glorified,
sovereign Lord and Judge.
Lord, thank you for giving us more proof of who you are. You
are our saviour and God and we love you with all our hearts. Let us stand for
you like Peter and Paul and all the prophets before us. Let your name be
glorified and let your name be the name that we give to all we meet. In Jesus
name.
Have an awesome day, dear friend of Jesus.
Cheers
