Is Jesus the One?
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Around Christmas, many Christians sing, “Joy to the world, the Lord has come. Let earth receive her king.” Maybe you heard that Christmas carol or other carols that celebrated Jesus as a Saviour. Jesus’ ministry looks as unlikely for success as seeing a baby lying in a manger being a king.
Baby Jesus in a manger. Angels singing “Glory in the highest and peace on earth.” Shepherds galumphing in to take a peek at the “Son of King David.”
Some people in our congregation have been reading through the gospel according to Luke. They might remember John the Baptizer’s own announcements about Jesus:
John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
Lk 3.
John is getting concerned that Jesus isn’t living up to the advertising. Earlier in ch. 7, Jesus healed the servant of a Roman centurion and then proceeded to call a widow’s only son and support back to life. These are good things, of course, but not what John was expecting.
So he sent 2 disciples to ask Jesus. Did I make a mistake? Are you really the one? Should we expect someone else?
Jesus’ response is essentially: Judge for yourself if this is false advertising. Jesus’ summary has echoes of OT promises:
In that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll,
and out of gloom and darkness
the eyes of the blind will see.
Once more the humble will rejoice in the Lord;
the needy will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
My sword has drunk its fill in the heavens;
see, it descends in judgment on Edom,
the people I have totally destroyed.
The sword of the Lord is bathed in blood,
it is covered with fat—
the blood of lambs and goats,
fat from the kidneys of rams.
For the Lord has a sacrifice in Bozrah
and a great slaughter in the land of Edom.
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
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.
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,