Title: The Way of Jesus the Messiah
1. Introduction /
According to the church calendar, this time is Lent from February 21st to March 28th, and the week just before Easter Sunday on April 4th is Holy Friday with Good Friday. I think it is very meaningful to meditate deeply on what was the way of Jesus Christ and the way of the Messiah, focusing on the text on this Lenten season. Because it testifies to the direction of the life that Jesus went and the life that Jesus lived is the life that God is pleased with.
2. The direction of the messianic life ( Luke 4:16-23 )
The direction of a country's governance is indicated in its constitution. Article 1 of the Korean Constitution states that the Republic of Korea is a democratic republic and that all power comes from the people. This way, you can see in which direction Korea is going.
This text is a record that Jesus revealed about his direction in the synagogue of Nazareth on the Sabbath at the beginning of his public life. Among the 66 chapters of the long prophetic book of Isaiah, Jesus purposely found and read Isaiah 61:1-2. <The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, and has sent me to preach freedom to the captives and restoration of sight to the blind, and to release the oppressed. that the year of the Lord's favor might be proclaimed.
After reading these words, Jesus said to the people, “This writing has been fulfilled in your ears today.” What does it mean? That is, the Messiah prophesied by Isaiah was revealed to be the very <Jesus Himself> that you see with your eyes today, and at the same time, he declared that the direction of Jesus' own life would be the same. In other words, the direction of the Messiah's life is to receive God's Holy Spirit and to deliver the gospel to the poor, freedom to the prisoners, seeing again to the blind, and liberating the oppressed.
3. John the Baptist's question-Are you the Messiah? ( Luke 7:18-23 )
Hear from his disciples the ministry, life and teachings of Jesus in the prison of John the Baptist. he asks Are you the Messiah? Isn't it? It's a straightforward question. The text records the situation at the time when John's disciples brought the question to them, "At that time, Jesus healed many sicknesses and afflictions, and those who had demons, and made many blind.
Is Jesus the Messiah? He answered yes or no to that question, “Is it not?” He answered no, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard, The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor are preached the gospel. Say it will be done Luke 7:22 >
4. What is the Messiah?
Are you the Messiah? Isn't it? In response to the question, Why did Jesus Did you say, “Tell me what you saw and heard in the field of Jesus’ own life” without answering with yes or no? What does it mean?
first. The Messiah is not a word or a theory, but a life. If Jesus had answered yes, then the day would have been dawned with numerous theories, vain and vain myths and genealogies. It means that the Messiah is revealed not in theory, but in life itself.
second. The Messiah is the concrete realization of Isaiah 61:1-2. Jesus testified that he was living the way he said in the synagogue of Nazareth at the beginning of his public life. It was revealed that the Messiah's life was to specifically rescue those who suffer from various evils in reality.
third. The Messiah showed us that it is not a life of atonement or giving up in the middle of living a messianic life for a while. It is proof that the messianic life is a continuous present progressive.
5. Jesus' Messiahship as revealed between Luke 4:16-23 and Luke 7:18-23
In Luke 4, Jesus revealed the messianic life and its direction with the words of Isaiah 61:1-2 and declared that he would go that way. And Jesus went out in that direction, silently, persistently, boldly. If we look at the work of Jesus that took place between Luke 4 and Luke 7, we can see that he cast out demons, healed Peter's mother-in-law, laid hands on the sick and preached the gospel, healed the leper, healed the paralytic, called Levi, and saved sinners. The calling, the sermon on the plains, healing the centurion's servant, raising the son of the widow of Nain to life, etc.
Now, let's take a look here. From the declaration and declaration of direction in Luke 4 to the question of the disciples of John the Baptist, what does Jesus' life testify to? It was the process of practicing, materializing, realizing, and expanding the declaration of Luke 4. That is our Lord's Messiahship and Christ.
6. Closing story /
That eternal original question! What is Christianity? There are many explanations, but Christianity is a religion that believes in Jesus. Aligning the direction of my life with the direction in which Jesus Christ lived. What is that direction? It is the life of the cross. Life on the narrow road. It is a life of self-sacrifice. That alone cannot be denied.
Jesus said to them, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it" (Matthew 16:24-25). because you did