Luke 4:17-19
When he came to the village of
Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on
Saturday, and stood up to read the Scriptures. The book of Isaiah the
prophet was handed to him, and he opened it to the place where it says:
“The
Spirit of the Lord is upon me; he has appointed me to preach Good News
to the poor; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted and to announce
that captives shall be released and the blind shall see, that the
downtrodden shall be freed from their oppressors, and that God is ready
to give blessings to all who come to him.”
He closed the book and
handed it back to the attendant and sat down, while everyone in the
synagogue gazed at him intently. Then he added, “These Scriptures came
true today!”
The Living
Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission
of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All
rights reserved.
Our
community has an annual dinner for alumni of the local high school who
graduated at least 30 years ago or more. The “50-year” class is in
charge of the dinner and program each year. So this year’s program was
presented by the graduating class of 1964. One of the things the
speaker related was that years ago, she saw an image of a young girl
looking at a device that appeared to be a telephone with a video
screen. The caption said something like, “By the time her daughter is
this age, everyone will use these.” The speaker added...”and here we
are!”
Indeed, as a child, I watched the cartoon, “The Jetsons”
and marveled as they “phoned” each other on what looked like a
television and talked to each other. I wondered, “Could this ever
really happen?” I will admit that I have shaken my head more than once
as I heard predictions for “the next big thing” on the horizon – and
then saw them happen. When people my age were kids, we watched “Dick
Tracy” talk into his wristwatch...but many of us never believed that it
could become a reality someday...”and here we are.” My grandmother used
to talk about how many “advents of change” she witnessed in more than
100 years of life – many that I’m sure she and her contemporaries never
dreamed would truly happen. From rocket ships to television, computers
and smart phones - and countless “newfangled gadgets” in between - she
saw a lot of things come to fruition that many probably deemed pipe
dreams.
So it’s not a stretch to see that people might have been
shocked when a young Jesus read the words of Isaiah and then said,
“Today these words have come true.” In other words...”I’m here...in the
flesh...just as prophesied!” There were surely skeptics in the group!
But quite often, “seeing really is believing”. And for many, the
subsequent demonstrations of Jesus truly did convince them that He was
the real Messiah...that He actually could heal the brokenhearted, cast out demons, make the blind see and the lame walk.
Where this gets a little “muddy” is that things have actually reversed just a bit for us. We cannot physically see
Jesus do these things. We are promised that He will return again for
us someday...but all we have is His pledge in God’s word. We are once
again left to wonder...”Could this really happen?” We are required to
operate each and every day in blind faith that Jesus is with us...that
He is still in the business of healing, salvation, and restoration.
Several
years ago, my spiritual journey took a huge turn when I heard someone
speak on the verse from John 20:29, where Jesus told Thomas, “You
believe because you have seen me. But blessed are those who haven’t seen
me and believe anyway.” In this verse, we received another promise
from Jesus...that our “blind faith” would be rewarded. As I began to
embrace these words and truly trust them, I began to “see” evidence in
my own life of Jesus’ touch...to experience His healing and restoration
in numerous areas of my life...and to rest in His abundant care and
protection. For me, that day of revelation was essentially the day that
“Scriptures came true”.
What about you? Do you have confidence
that the promises Jesus gave us truly will happen? Do you believe in
the hope that we are given in God’s word? Are you aware of Jesus’
presence in your own life...do you trust Him to heal you, protect you,
and care for your every need – even though you cannot physically see
Him? What is your “talking phone or wristwatch moment”? Where are you
wondering if this could all be “wishful thinking”? Isn’t it time to
recognize that all things are possible with God? Will this be the day
that “Scriptures come true” for you? Are you ready to say...”and here
we are” to Jesus?
©2014 Debbie Robus
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