Isaiah 42:6-7 ” I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness; I will take hold of Your hand. I will keep You and will make You to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.”

God’s plan was to save the nations through the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ.  In this Scripture, Isaiah foretells of this plan and purpose…or what we call the New Covenant.  Jesus explained this plan and purpose to Paul on that fateful road to Damascus in Acts 26:18 when He said, “I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.”  And God has faithfully maintaining that covenant with all mankind…offering salvation and life… and the chance to break free of the chains of bondage that hold us prisoner.

Isaiah 42:2-3 ” He will not shout or cry out, or raise His voice in the streets. A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not snuff out.”

It says in Matthew 26:62-63,  ” Then the High Priest stood up and said to Jesus, ‘Are you not going to answer?  What is this testimony that these men are bringing against You?’  But Jesus remained silent.”   In this hastily assembled kangaroo court, the  priests, scribes and elders gloated in the fact that they finally had Jesus where they wanted Him.  They had lined up false witnesses to testify against Jesus…but He wasn’t taking the bait.  The High Priest believed that he was in total control of the situation…but he had no idea that he was simply a pawn being used by God within the annals of eternal redemptive history.  Jesus had no reason to answer the High Priest… no need to justify or defend Himself.  For the plan of salvation, created before the dawn of time, was playing out perfectly.

Zechariah 11:12 ” I told them, ‘If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it.’ So they paid me thirty pieces of silver.”

When Judas approached the High Priests offering to betray Jesus for them…He basically asked them, “What’s it worth to you?”  In observance of the Law,  which stated in Exodus 21:32, “If the bull gores a male or female slave, the owner must pay thirty shekels of silver to the master of the slave.”…the High Priests counted out thirty pieces of silver…considering Jesus no more important than a slave.

Zechariah 9:9 ” Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your King comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. “

The Prophet Zechariah spoke of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem that Palm Sunday…right down to the details of what He’d be riding.  And when the crowds saw Jesus, they laid their clothes on the road before Him and waved palm branches, shouting “Hosanna!”   The Prophet Isaiah echoed this prophetic word in Isaiah 62:11, “The Lord has made proclamation to the ends of the earth: ‘Say to the Daughter of Zion,  See, your Savior comes!’ ”  The Word ties this all together as we look at the Hebrew word for salvation which is Yasa.  The name Jesus is derived from this root word.  The word “Hosanna” that the crowds were shouting is also directly traceable to the word Yasa.  That Palm Sunday,  Jesus may have entered Jerusalem seemingly as a meek and mild man…but who really rode in was the King of Kings and Lord of Lords…our Messiah and the Savior of our soul.

Acts 10:47 ” Then Peter said, ‘Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.’ “

Peter and the other Believers with him couldn’t dispute what they witnessed in the house of Cornelius.  The Holy Spirit was super-naturally  poured out on the Gentiles while Peter was still mid-sentence, telling them about Jesus.  Now Peter could have questioned this…”But Lord, these people are very different from us!  We don’t have anything in common with them.  They’re a different race and culture from us!  Are You sure You know what You’re doing?”  Sometimes, as fellow-Believers, we can find ourselves asking the same questions of those we find different from us.  Yes, we may not share a lot…but we do have a common denominator…faith in Jesus Christ.  Together we are one Body…one Church…united in our trust of our Savior…joined together eternally by our faith.

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