Alfreda Evans' Podcast
Alfreda Evans' Podcast
"Is Jesus the Messiah?"
Is Jesus the Messiah?
Many of the Old Testament prophets prophesied about the coming Messiah. The 53rd chapter of Isaiah tells the story of the “Suffering Savior.” It presents Jesus as one who grew up before God like a plant. Because he did not meet the criteria for what the people considered to be majestic, he was rejected and despised. He was the chosen one who paid the sin debt for all mankind.
53 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.
11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
In Matthew Chapter 14, John the Baptist is imprisoned because of his statement of condemnation concerning Herod Antipas’s marriage to his brother’s wife, Herodias. While there, John heard of the many things that Jesus was doing, and he wanted to be sure that he was turning his disciples over to the true Messiah. Having served his purpose as the forerunner for Christ, he wanted to be sure that he had introduced the right person to the world. So, he sent two of his disciples to Jesus with a question which is found in Luke 7:20:
20 …Art thou he that should come? Or look we for another?
The 21st verse tells us that even in the same hour that the question was raised, Jesus was doing those things that answered the question.
21 And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind he gave sight.
Jesus sent an answer to John the Baptist to put his mind at rest:
22 Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached.
23 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.
Jesus knew that John the Baptist knew the Word of God and that when His answer came from the Word of God, John’s mind would be put at ease. Jesus did so much more than these things, but they were enough to help John the Baptist know that Jesus was the Messiah. Jesus based His actions and His answer on four specific scriptures from the Old Testament. The first scripture that he quoted from was Isaiah 35:5-6.
5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
6 Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.
Next, He referenced Isaiah 26:19, which said:
19 Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.
He then referenced Isaiah 29:18.
18 And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness.
And finally, he referenced Is. 61:1 which said:
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
The things that Jesus did to fulfill the Messianic Scripture were clear-cut.
1. He opened the blinded eye. We can ask the man who was born blind in John 9:1-12.
1And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.
2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
4 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
6 When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay,
7 And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.
8 The neighbours therefore, and they which before had seen him that he was blind, said, Is not this he that sat and begged?
9 Some said, This is he: others said, He is like him: but he said, I am he.
10 Therefore said they unto him, How were thine eyes opened?
11 He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight.
12 Then said they unto him, Where is he? He said, I know not.
2. He made the lame to walk. Let’s look at the man at the Pool of Bethesda in John 5:1-7.
1 After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
2 Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches.
3 In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water.
4 For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.
5 And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.
6 When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?
7 The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.
8 Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.
3. He cleansed the leper. In Mark 1:40-42, as soon as He touched the leper, Leprosy departed.
40 And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
41 And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.
42 And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.
4. He opened the deaf ear. Read Mark 7:33.
33 And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue;
5. The dead were raised more than once. We can ask the son of the widow of Nain in Luke 7:11-17, Lazarus of Bethany in John 11:1-44, and Jairus’s daughter in Matt. 9:18-26.
6. The poor had the gospel preached to them. Jesus ministered mainly to the ordinary man. His focus then and even now focuses upon all men, including those of low estate. There is no doubt in my mind that Jesus Christ is the Messiah. He was the chosen One who hung, bled, and died for the sins of all men. Our Heavenly Father resurrected him, and He now sits at the Right Hand of the Father.
I can say on a personal basis that He can change anyone from a sinner to a saint. I know this t to be true because He changed my sin-sick soul. He can give anyone the power to live a clean and holy life. He can open up gifts in one’s life that one may have no idea that they even exist. So, to the question “Is Jesus the Messiah?” I give you a loud and resounding, “Yes! Jesus is the Messiah!” The Old Testament Prophets prophesied about Him; The New Testament demonstrates His works, and those of us who have received HIM are living witnesses to who He is. Acts 4:12 says:
12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
I encourage everyone who is reading this post or listening to this podcast to believe the report of Isaiah and all of the other prophets, for their report is accurate. Jesus is the Messiah!