Friday, December 22, 2017

Advent Day 20 ~ Messiah


Today's word is Messiah.

"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." 
Isaiah 61:1-2

"But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name."
John 20:31

In Isaiah 61:1-2, the prophet Isaiah speaks of the Messiah that is to come. In Hebrew the word Messiah means "anointed one". This word is not used of items, but specifically of a person. In Greek, this same word is translated "Christos" - Messiah, anointed one, Christ.

Isaiah says of the Messiah that the Lord has anointed Him and sent Him. To anoint someone is to set them apart for special service for God, and through that anointing of the Lord that person receives empowerment for that service. Thus Isaiah says, "The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on" the Messiah. The Messiah is filled with the Spirit, enabled and sent specifically to:
  • Proclaim good news
  • Bind up the brokenhearted
  • Proclaim freedom for the captive
  • Release from darkness
  • Proclaim the year of the Lord's favor
  • Comfort all who mourn
Early in His earthly ministry Jesus will stand in the synagogue, read these words written by Isaiah, and announce that He is the One who fulfills these scriptures - He is the Messiah. (Luke 4:16-21)

Chris Tomlin, in his song "He Shall Reign Forevermore", captures the significance of the Messiah's arrival at Christmas"

Here within a manger lies
The One who made the starry skies
This baby born for sacrifice
Christ the Messiah

Into our hopes, into our fears
The Savior of the world appears
The promise of eternal years
Christ the Messiah


At Christmas we celebrate the arrival of the long-awaited Messiah - The Savior!

My art journal pages for today:





The Advent Words 2017 prompts and Scripture reading calendar can be found in this post or in the Facebook group.

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