Thursday after Epiphany : Thursday 9th January 2020

Whether by accident or design, Jesus found a passage from Isaiah, which he read aloud to the synagogue congregation and then commented on it and applied it to himself (Is 61:1-2). This very significant in that it helps us to realize that Jesus’ understanding of his life’s mission was influenced much by the prophet Isaiah.

As a real human being, Jesus had to find his vocation in life as we all do. The overall message of Scripture is that he found his mission in Isaiah’s grand vision of the Suffering Servant, and that is what the Gospel reveals to us. Jesus was the Son, who always did what was pleasing to his Father. He was faithful to his Father in everything he taught and did.

This sinful world rejected Jesus with much suffering on the Cross. In Isaiah’s vision, God does not save us through the power and mighty strength, but through the pain of an especially Chosen One, the Suffering Servant who was Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. In Matthew’s Gospel 11:1-4 in answer to John the Baptist’s two disciples, Jesus quotes a passage from Isaiah to assert that he was the coming One, and therefore we need no other Redeemer.

Lord, Jesus, You came to save us from sin and death through Your fidelity to the Father, faithfulness unto death, even death on a cross. Grant that we may be faithful to Your call and Your glorious grace.