“The LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous. The LORD watches over the sojourners; He upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked He brings to ruin.“
(Psalm 146:8-9 ESV)
This is what the Lord does. He opens the eyes of the blind and lifts up those who are bowed down. It is what the Lord, the Messiah, did when He came to live among us. When Jesus spoke in the synagogue in Nazareth, He read from the prophet Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed” (Luke 4:18 ESV). That day, Jesus said, that prophecy was fulfilled in their hearing. It is the Lord’s work to heal and save and that is what He came to do.
Jesus’ miracles of help and healing not only demonstrated the love and compassion of God, but identified Jesus as the promised Messiah. His miracles called people to listen and believe in Him. With His first miracle of changing water into wine, Jesus revealed His glory and “His disciples believed in Him” (John 2:11b ESV). When John the Baptist, imprisoned by Herod, asked if Jesus was truly the Messiah, Jesus told the messengers to report back to John about the miracles they saw and the teachings they heard. The blind received their sight and good news was proclaimed to the poor. The prophets had foretold that this was what the Lord’s Anointed would do, and it was exactly what Jesus was doing. People who listened to Jesus and witnessed His miracles wondered, “When the Christ appears, will He do more signs than this man has done?” (John 7:31b ESV). Was Jesus really who He claimed to be? Jesus Himself told the crowds, “The works that the Father has given Me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about Me that the Father has sent Me” (John 5:36b ESV).
By the greatest miracle of all, the crucified Savior “was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by His resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 1:4 ESV). The disciple Thomas saw the marks of the nails and spear in Jesus’ hands and side and confessed the risen Savior to be his Lord and God. Jesus was and is who He claimed to be—the Son of God and promised Messiah. He is the Lord who loves the righteous and lifts up His people. He watches over those who are helpless and defends them from evil. We have seen, with eyes of faith, what He has done for us and what He continues to do in our lives. He has revealed His glory, and we believe!
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I believe that You are the Messiah and the Son of God! Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler.
Originally published in The Lutheran Hour on September 19, 2022
Used by permission from International Lutheran Laymen’s League, all rights reserved
Reflection Questions:
1. Have you ever witnessed a miracle before? What was it?
2. How are Jesus’ words good news to the poor and liberty to those who are oppressed?
3. Do you think it’s harder to believe in Jesus’ resurrection today or back in the days of Thomas?