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Read: Isaiah 35:5-6
Listen: Isaiah 35

Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Isaiah 35:5

This year in Beyond the Weekend, we’ve been reading the Old Testament to look for Jesus. God tells a cohesive story throughout the Bible, pointing to Jesus’s coming. Matthew makes a direct tie to the Old Testament. Isaiah says the Messiah will open blind eyes, unstop deaf ears and heal those who can’t walk. The crowds likely realized Jesus does those things. They’re trying to figure out who Jesus is, and all signs point to the promised Messiah. The religious elite, with their hard hearts, don’t believe Jesus is the Messiah. They don’t want to see what God is doing. They say that Jesus performs miracles with help from demons. They come to a decision point and dismiss Jesus. Instead of turning to him as Lord, they make him an enemy.

We all eventually come to a decision point regarding Jesus. John Dickson writes that most historians agree that Jesus’s friends and enemies all believed something supernatural was happening (A Doubter’s Guide to Jesus, 71). The questions are: Who Jesus is, and is he worth following? We can either dismiss Jesus like the religious leaders did or choose to follow him. Jesus is either God or he isn’t. That doesn’t mean we may not have doubts from time to time; doubts are natural. But we have to make a decision. We need to answer the question, is Jesus worth following?

TODAY: Reflect on any doubts that keep you from following Jesus fully. Some people doubt if we can understand or trust the Bible. This fall, we’re offering an Ada Bible Academy course on Understanding and Reading the Bible. This class will cover the fascinating history of our Bible and why we can trust it. Click here for more information and to register.

JESUS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT:

Read Ezekiel 45-46. Highlight anything that points to Jesus. Look for descriptions of proper worship and leadership. Reflect on how Jesus reveals true worship and servant leadership (John 13:13-15).