#DailyDevotion Jesus Is Not Only A Great Prophet, He Is The Great Prophet
Luke 7:16-17 16They were all overawed and praised God. “A great prophet has risen among us,” they said, and, “God has come to help His people.” 17This story about Jesus spread all over the country of the Jews and in all the surrounding territory.
There really aren’t a whole lot of miracle workers in the Bible. The first person to perform supernatural manifestations is Moses. The LORD used him to announce plagues which came to pass, divide the Red Sea, call for water from a rock, amongst other signs to call the Israelites to faith. Joshua kind of manifest one with the toppling of Jericho’s walls. After that, we really don’t see much miraculous activity till Elijah and Elisha. After them, we don’t see many miracles. After the rebuilding of Jerusalem the prophet as far as we can tell ceased…until John.
But John the Baptist didn’t perform any miracles as far as we know. He was a dynamic preacher. He called people to repent of their sins and they did. People flocked out to meet him and hear him and I guess that is something of a miracle but not really miraculous.
Jesus however is a different story. We read in Deut. 18, 15“The LORD your God will raise a Prophet for you, one of you, an Israelite, like me; listen to Him.” Next to Elijah and Elisha, there hadn’t been a prophet like Moses. Now, in Jesus of Nazareth, we see a prophet like Moses. He preaches God’s Word with authority. He preaches the Law in its purest sense. Jesus heals the sick. He casts out demons. He gives sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf and speech to the mute. He heals lepers. Now, here in Luke 7, Jesus raises a young man from the dead. So of course the people are overawed and praised God. They shout, “A great prophet has risen among us.” This news of Jesus raising the dead spreads pretty much like wild fire. There were lots of witnesses.
Jesus indeed is the promised prophet foretold by Moses. As Moses led the people out of Egypt with miraculous signs and wonders, Jesus leads us out of this age of Misery with his signs and wonders. Moses provided the people with manna, quail and water. Jesus multiplied the fish and the bread, more than that, he gives us his very body and blood to eat and drink as we partake the bread and wine and receive immortality. Most importantly, Jesus not only raise this young man from the dead and other people from the dead, Jesus himself rises from the dead never to die again. The other people Jesus raised from the dead eventually died again. Jesus died and rose immortal. Death has no grip on him. He has overcome death.
This is important because he has overcome death for you. His resurrection is your resurrection. We are joined to Jesus’ resurrection when we are baptized, our spirit/soul/heart being resurrected to new life.(Rom. 6) Not only that we are promised through faith in Jesus and through baptism we too will rise and be like Jesus now, with immortal, imperishable, and glorious bodies like Jesus’ risen body. Unlike those who died again, on that day we shall never die again. For that we should now give Jesus thanks and praise even as the crowds did on the day in Luke 7.
Heavenly Father, give us faith in Jesus and remember your promise in our baptisms into Jesus, so we may live new lives now and be resurrected with a resurrection like Jesus’ on the day of his revelation. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.