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Luke

Luke 
Day 
Day 307

Luke 22: 63-65; Matthew 26:57-67; Isaiah 50 "THE INTEGRAL ROLE OF THE SCRIPTURES IN THE LIFE OF JESUS"

Day 307 – Luke 22

Text: Luke 22: 63-65; Matthew 26:57-67; Isaiah 50

THE INTEGRAL ROLE OF THE SCRIPTURES IN THE LIFE OF JESUS

We know by now an obvious fact, that Jesus not only taught the Scriptures with tremendous authority, but that they played an integral role in His life. Again and again, Jesus made reference to the Scriptures. There wasn’t a time or situation when the Word of God did not apply in His life.

Did the Scriptures also address the matter of His suffering? The answer is “Yes!” We are deeply amazed at the depth and the accuracy of the prophetic Scriptures as they applied to Jesus. Are we not deeply challenged to know the Scriptures far better than we do?

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE ISAIANIC PROPHECIES

Isaiah has got to be one of the most remarkable books in the prophetic literature of the Old Testament. Isaiah was given wonderfully intimate details of the life and ministry of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Isaiah prophesied the following things about Jesus:-

1. His birth from the womb of a virgin. Isaiah 7:14

2. His royal lineage. Isaiah 9:6-7

3. His ministry in Galilee. Isaiah 9:1-2

4. His being filled with the Holy Spirit. Isaiah 11:1-2

5. He would be heralded by a Forerunner. Isaiah 40:3-5

6. His Character as The Servant of the Lord. Isaiah 42: 1-4

7. His Ministry in general. Isaiah 42:6-7; 61:1-2

8. He would be Saviour to Gentiles too. Isaiah 49: 6-7

9. He would be despised by some. Isaiah 49:7

10. He would be instructed by God. Isaiah 50:4

11. He would have to suffer much. Isaiah 50:6; 52:13-14;53:1-12

12. He would establish a New Covenant. Isaiah 49:8; 59:21

13. He would restore Israel one day. Isaiah 65:17-23

14. He would Judge all flesh one day. Isaiah 66:15-16

THE IMPACT OF THE WORD OF GOD IN JESUS’ LIFE

There is an essential difference between mere knowledge of the Word of God and when it impacts our life deeply. Many of us have some knowledge of the Word of God. Some may even have a vast knowledge of the Scriptures. That is well and good.

We need to consider one more thing. We need the Word of God to impact us deeply, as it obviously affected Jesus. Mere knowledge does not impact! What does then?

Let us consider how Isaiah portrayed the way in which God taught Jesus. Yes, the prophetic word even gave glimpses of the way in which God prepared Jesus to fulfil His task on earth. As we study this text from the Scriptures, we will have a better idea of how the Scriptures were mean to impact our lives. Let us cry out to the Lord with all our hearts for the Scriptures to impact us in similar fashion.

“The Lord God has given Me
The tongue of the learned,
That I should know how to speak
A word in season to him who is weary.
He awakens me morning by morning.
He awakens My ear to hear as the learned.”
Isaiah 50:4

Now we can understand just why Jesus was able to speak such powerful words when He spoke to the multitudes. We can now better appreciate how Jesus was able to bring appropriate and comforting words to those who turned to Him in their hour of need.

Luke and the other Gospel writers all noted why Jesus would get up early in the morning and spend much time in the wilderness. He was in communion with His Father. God was instructing Him “morning by morning”. God was awakening His ear to hear as the learned.

The impact of God’s Word was as a result of the Lord teaching Him. It was also because of His daily discipline of seeking His Father “morning by morning” to learn and discover what He had to say to Him.

THERE WERE HARD LESSONS TO BE LEARNED

Not all the lessons that God taught were easy ones. Let us consider one of the hard lessons that Jesus had to learn.

“The Lord God has opened My ear;
and I was not rebellious,
Nor did I turn away.
I gave My back
To those who struck Me,
And My cheeks to those
Who plucked out the beard;
I did not hide My face from shame
And spitting.”
Isaiah 50:5-6

Yes, God had prepared Jesus for His ordeal of suffering. God had given Jesus warning that there would be suffering.

Jesus had understood what God meant. There would be enemies who would strike Him. There would be those who would slap Him. Isaiah even went so far as to say that they would humiliate Jesus by spitting on Him.

Those must have been really tough lessons to learn. But Jesus did not flinch even when the lessons were hard. We read these brave words describing how Jesus accepted the hard lessons.

“And I was not rebellious,
Nor did I turn away.”
Isaiah 50:5

At the home of Caiaphas, Jesus underwent all that Isaiah had prophesied. We read these somber words,

“Now the men who held Jesus mocked Him
and beat Him.
And having blindfolded Him,
They struck Him on the face
And asked Him, saying,
‘Prophesy! Who is the one who struck You?”
And many other things they blasphemously
Spoke against Him.”
Luke 22:63-64

The Word of God that Jesus had kept in His heart must have somehow sustained Him as He stood before Caiaphas. He was far from feeling defeated. Let us once again turn to Isaiah to understand how Jesus felt when He suffered such humiliation at the hands of His enemies.

“For the Lord God will help Me;
Therefore I will not be disgraced;
Therefore I have set My face like a flint,
And I know that I will not be ashamed.
He is near who justifies Me;
Who will contend with Me?
Let us stand together.
Who is My adversary?
Let Him come near Me.
Surely the Lord God will help Me;
Who is he who will condemn Me?
Indeed they will all grow old like a garment
The moth will eat them up.”
Isaiah 50:7-9

The Word of God must have truly strengthened the Mind and Heart of Jesus. Yes, there was physical suffering but physical pain is bearable.

What is more difficult to possess is a powerful spirit that is undaunted by any amount of physical torture. This was what Jesus possessed. Thus He was able to remain silent no matter how badly treated, and how severely interrogated by His enemies.

Jesus was conscious of His Father’s presence. He knew that God would justify Him. He knew that God would not let Him down. His Father was close by. These thoughts enabled Jesus to fortify His spirit and that must have showed on His face. It was “like flint”.

His enemies and all the wickedness they were perpetrating did not perturb him. The Lord would deal with them in His own time. The enemies may like to think that they have the upper hand. In fact, they would in time just “grow old like a garment and the moth would eat them up”. Why should He fear such enemies? The Word of God must have sustained Jesus marvelously indeed. As you read God’s Word, pray that it might impact your life deeply.