Read: Isaiah 61
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted. (v. 1)
There are many Messianic passages in the Old Testament, but this is the passage that Jesus chose to read in his own synagogue as he began his public ministry. Luke 4 tells us that after Jesus read these verses from the Isaiah scroll, he proclaimed, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21). Jesus identified himself with this description of the servant Messiah.
Isaiah prophesied that God’s Spirit would anoint the Messiah for his special ministry; he would preach the good news to the poor and proclaim liberty to the prisoners. He would “bind up the brokenhearted” (Isa. 61:1) by comforting those who grieved; they would exchange beauty for ashes, gladness for mourning, and a garment of praise instead of despair (v. 3). The ancient ruins would be rebuilt, and God’s people would know prosperity (vv. 4-7). Best of all, they would be known as priests and ministers of the LORD, “an offspring the LORD has blessed” (v. 9). The Messiah would make “righteousness and praise to sprout up before all the nations” (v. 11).
The Messiah was coming to a broken and grieving world; he was coming to comfort them with the good news of salvation and restoration as the redeemed people of God. In Jesus, we see this prophecy fulfilled, and his concern for the brokenhearted throughout his ministry. Tomorrow we will begin looking at how he interacted with the desolate and lost.
As you pray, praise Jesus, the servant Messiah, for his love and concern for you.
Laura N. Sweet is a wife, mother, grandmother, and former Christian school teacher from Midland, Michigan. She writes devotional material for both adults and children, and her work has appeared in more than a dozen publications.
