By: Obed Pineda
If you were to take a moment to pause and observe more closely those periods in history where an event had such a mighty impact that it changed humanity’s course forever, your mind’s eye will be illumined to see the winds of change that had already been blowing on the horizon leading to that fateful day. It would truly be naive to believe that an event of such epic proportions could arrive so unexpectedly and go unnoticed. An analogy that comes to this author’s mind is that this is as inconceivable as a raging fire that began to burn without a single spark to kindle it. Anyone would agree that the roaring blaze devouring everything within sight is sufficient confirmation that there were prior events in motion that led to it. Thus the old adage, “where there’s smoke, there’s flames,” proves itself to be literally, and figuratively, true. If a person is unaware of how a fire began, then the sensible reason is that the smoke alerting the presence of a brewing fire was ignored. Sadly, this unfortunate oversight, is what the prophet lamented as he asked, “Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed” (Isaiah 53:1)? It is wise to understand that this pericope is the introduction of Isaiah’s Messianic prophecy describing Jehovah’s Chosen One as His suffering Servant. The same prophetic Scripture that stirred a man from Ethiopia to query, “of Whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man” (Acts 8:30-34a, emphasis added)? Let us not dismiss that the Ethiopian eunuch reading Isaiah’s prophecy, “had come to Jerusalem to worship” (Acts 8:27b, emphasis added). His lack of knowledge regarding the identity of the Lord’s suffering Servant was not uncommon amongst the Jews, and further proves the prophet’s concern with his people. Biblical historians reveal that the arrival of the prophesied Messiah was the single, most important event every Jew anxiously expected. From a Jew’s vantage point, the arrival of Jehovah’s Chosen One represented the actual overthrow of the Roman yoke and the literal reestablishment of David’s throne. To hear and speak of the coming of the Christ was to dream out loud of Israel’s return to its former glory days, once more being an independent kingdom. In the ears of a devout Jew, the word Messiah was synonymous with a conquering, warrior king. Because this was so, it was unacceptable to believe that a prophecy describing the grueling atrocities that would befall a servant of the Lord would actually be in reference to their conquering hero. Hence the introductory question, “Who has believed our report?” Although Jesus of Nazareth had flawlessly fulfilled every Messianic prophecy found on the pages of the Old Testament, John reflects that “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him” (John 1:10-11, emphasis added). The arrival of the Lord Jesus into our world was in no way subtle, unexpected, nor unannounced. His arrival had been first announced by prophecy, inspired by the Holy Spirit, but also by creation itself. The inspired Levi (better known as Matthew, Matthew 9:9-10, Mark 2:13-15, and Luke 5:27-29) solely tells his readers that “after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him’” (Matthew 2:1-2, emphasis added). Astoundingly, what these Gentile men from the East were able to see in the heavens had been unperceived by those at Jerusalem since Sacred Writ declares that “when Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him” (Matthew 2:3, emphasis added). Yet, Scripture continues to discover that Jesus’ birth was not subtle in any way. The beloved physician explains to Theophilus that after Mary gave birth to the Redeemer, an angel of the Lord appeared to shepherds living in the fields and declared to them, “‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God” (Luke 2:8-20, emphasis added). Verily, the physical arrival of God’s Messiah was literally shouted from the heavens, and still, the prophetic question of the prophet held true. It is perplexing to read in Scripture that in spite of all the wonders that surrounded Jesus throughout His entire tenure here on earth, He was still reviled and despised by His own. Although the Divine airs of promise were blowing, the chief priests refused to acknowledge that their long-awaited Christ had arrived. Instead, their violent plea to Pontius Pilate was “We have a law, and according to our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God” (John 19:7, emphasis added). Curiously, their rejection of Isaiah’s prophecy illustrating God’s suffering Servant (Isaiah 53) as a Messianic prophecy was a foreshadow in of itself of how they were going to reject Jesus as God’s chosen One. It is also an illumination of the selfish, carnal mentality that dominantly inhabited the Jewish mind. It is an awful thought to realize that with their disapproval of Whom God had sent as the Christ, they were essentially telling Him that His choice was not up to their standards. This tragedy points the proverbial spotlight on the immense value of the Hebrew poet’s revelation that “the secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him. And He will show them His covenant” (Psalm 25:14, emphasis added). The religious leaders during the Master’s time were unable to comprehend properly the Messianic prophecies because they did not approach the throne of God as “a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2nd Timothy 2:15, emphasis added). Their irreverence of accepting God’s will discloses their unholy approach toward Scripture to be out of convenience. Regrettably, this chilling trend lingers still in our modern world. Heaven’s airs of promise that He will return soon for His church have been blowing for some time, but man insists “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation’” (2nd Peter 3:4, emphasis added). Still, not everyone rejects Jesus as Christ; even today. For the remnant of those whose faith has not yet faltered in a world that is alarmingly increasing in unbelief, these blowing airs of promise are a refreshing reminder that “God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him” (1st Thessalonians 5:9-10, emphasis added).