June 26, 2024: Isaiah 49:5 - Jesus Shall be Glorious in the Eyes of God

“And now, saith the LORD that formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, and my God shall be my strength.” - Isaiah 49:5

For thousands of years, Israel has gone through periods where they depended on Almighty God for their every need, and then turned away from Him and turned to false gods, to themselves, or to earthly men to save them. The coming of their Messiah - Jesus Christ - was prophesied all throughout the Old Testament, particularly in the pages of the scroll of Isaiah. Though God’s word tells us that Jesus would first come as a servant who would suffer tremendously, it also tells us that at His second coming, He will come as the King of kings and Lord of lords and will execute His righteous judgment upon a wicked and evil world that chooses sin over salvation.

As prophesied in the book of Isaiah, when Jesus came to earth the first time, He was rejected by His own:

“Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.” (Isaiah 53:1-4)

“And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things? And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save [except] in his own country, and in his own house. And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.” (Matthew 13:54-58)

Jesus knew before it happened that even those in His inner circle of His disciples would be offended by Him when the Jewish leaders would seek to arrest Him and to find those who followed and believed in Him as their Messiah:

“Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee. Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended. Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice [three times].” (Matthew 26:31-34)

While Jesus walked the earth, He performed many miracles, and yet, most people having seeing with their own eyes the miracles He performed, yet they did not believe in Him and that He is the Son of God. One of the many miracles He performed was the healing of a man who had blind since birth. Jesus saw the man when He and His disciples passed by him:

“And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him [Jesus], saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” (John 9:1-5)

We as human beings often do not understand why certain things happen to us, why God allows suffering. This blind man who could not see from birth would have had to rely on his parents and likely other people to help him through his life to navigate his existence. The disciples thought this man had been blind at birth because of his sin or because of his parents’ sin, but Jesus told them that was not the case. Instead, this man had been blind so that the power of Almighty God could be revealed through the One who would restore sight to the blind man. There was a greater work, a greater purpose in the blind man’s life, and that was to show many of the people that though they could see with their eyes, they were spiritually blind because they refused to believe the truth with their hearts. Let us read what happened next:

“When he [Jesus] had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is, by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing. The neighbours therefore, and they which before had seen him that he was blind, said, Is not this he that sat and begged? Some said, This is he: others said, He is like him: but he said, I am he.” (John 9:6-9)

Did you catch that last part? Here were his neighbors, who had seen this man day after day begging and knew that he was born blind, and now saw that this man COULD SEE and now they themselves could NOT see because they refused to believe the miracle that Jesus had just performed. They said it wasn’t the man but someone like him. This is what a hard heart does: it blinds one to the truth! It can be standing right in front of you and yet you deny it! Let us continue reading about this man whose sight was restored by Jesus:

“Therefore said they unto him, How were thine eyes opened? He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and received sight. Then said they unto him, Where is he? He said, I know not. They brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind. And it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes.” (John 9:10-14)

Clearly the man’s neighbors did not believe what the man had told them, and took him to the Pharisees, thinking these scholarly religious leaders could pull the truth out of the man’s mouth. The man stood before the Pharisees as they questioned him:

“Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He said unto them, He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see. Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man [speaking of Jesus] is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day, Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was division among them.” (John 9:15-16)

The Pharisees questioned the man a second time, wanting to know what he thought of the man who had restored his sight:

“They say unto the blind man again, What sayest thou of him, that he hath opened thine eyes? He said, He is a prophet.” (John 9:17)

The Pharisees called Jesus a “sinner” and were upset because Jesus had healed the man on the sabbath day. They said Jesus “is not of God” for hardness and jealousy filled their hearts. They did not believe the man had been blind from birth and did not believe the miracle that Jesus had performed. The blind man’s eyes had been opened, but the Pharisees’ eyes were blinded because of their sin in their hearts. They were so upset that they called in the parents of the man to question them:

“And they asked them, saying, Is this your son, who ye say was born blind? how then doth he now see? His parents answered them and said, We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind: but by what means he now seeth, we know not; or who hath opened his eyes, we know not: he is of age; ask him: he shall speak for himself. These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue.” (John 9:19-22)

The Jewish Pharisees did not want to hear the truth that Jesus had indeed performed a miracle by giving the blind man the ability to see, and they threatened anyone who would proclaim that Jesus is the Christ by expelling them from the synagogue. They denied that Jesus could only perform miracles like this through the power of Almighty God. Let us read what happened next:

“Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise: we know that this man [Jesus] is a sinner. He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see. Then said they to him again, What did he to thee? how opened he thine eyes? He answered them, I have told you already, and ye did not hear: wherefore would ye hear it again? will ye also be his disciples?” (John 9:24:27)

The Pharisees questioned the man three times and yet did not believe him when he told them the truth: that he was blind from birth, that it was Jesus who had restored sight to him, opening his blinded eyes so that he could see. Let us read the Pharisees’ response to his question to them:

“Then they reviled him, and said, Thou art his disciple; but we are Moses’ disciples. We know that God spake unto Moses: as for this fellow, we know not from whence he is. The man answered and said unto them, Why herein is a marvelous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes. Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth. Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind. If this man were not of God, he could do nothing.” (John 9:28-33)

You can hear and feel the stinging in their words and their unveiled insults in their reply to him. This is a demonstration of people who worshipped God with their head knowledge and not with their heart. If they had worshipped God with their heart, they would have remembered long ago Moses’ prophecy of Messiah that he (Moses) spoke to Israel:

“The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; according to all that thou desiredst of the LORD thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not. And the LORD said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken. I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.” (Deuteronomy 18:15-19)

In the days of Moses when God used him to bring Israel out of Egypt and into the Promised Land, the land of Canaan, God Himself was going to speak to the people at Mount Sinai. However, when they saw the thunderings and lightnings and heard the noise of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, they were filled with fear. Consequently, they told Moses that he should speak with them instead of God because they worried that they would die. Thus, God used Moses instead to speak to the people, and it was Moses who would later tell the people of a coming Prophet to whom they should listen. However, when Jesus, who IS the Prophet prophesied by Moses, came to earth, the Pharisees, even though they had many years of learning about the Bible, did not heed what Moses had written to them long ago. No Pharisee remembered this, but Philip, one of the twelve untrained men Jesus chose to be His apostles, remembered what Moses and also the prophets of God had written long ago:

“The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me. Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile [deceit]! Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel. Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these. And he saith unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.” (John 1:43-51)

Returning to John chapter 9, let us read what the Pharisees said to the blind man whose eyes were opened by Jesus after the man told them, “If this man were not of God, he could do nothing” (John 9:33):

“They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out [excommunicated him]. Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him. And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into the world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind. And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also? Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.” (John 9:34-41)

The Pharisees talked down to the man who had been blind all those years from his birth and whose eyes were opened by the power of Jesus Christ. They felt they were better than him and acted like they had no sin. We are all sinners, including the Pharisees, and so was the man who was blind at birth. However, as Jesus had told His disciples, it wasn’t the man’s sins nor his parents’ sin that caused the man’s blindness. This man was born blind because God knew from the beginning when the man was conceived in his mother’s womb that a great and powerful work would be done through the man’s blindness: he would be a testimony as to the power of God that was exemplified in the Son of God, Jesus Christ. The Pharisees were so threatened by the testimony of this man who had been healed from blindness by Jesus that they cast him out of the synagogue! Isn’t that what people in our world today do to those who tell the truth of God? They don’t want to hear it, and they do everything they can to shut us up; nothing has changed in our world in nearly 2,000 years. Jesus had opened the eyes of blind man. The man had seen with his own once blinded eyes Jesus face-to-face, and the man believed on Jesus as the Son of God. The Pharisees had also seen Jesus face-to-face, yet they chose not to believe. Their pride and their egos stood in the way of believing with their heart, and though they could see Jesus with their eyes, they rejected Him. Jesus told them because of that, they remained in their sin. This is not what Jesus wanted for them, and He would go on to tell them that:

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.” (Jesus Christ; Matthew 23:37-39)

There IS coming a day when Israel will be gathered in their homeland and will finally turn to Jesus Christ, the One whom they have pierced, and they will mourn for Him as one mourns for their only son. However, before that happens, they will undergo the most difficult time in human history, a time known as the time of Jacob’s trouble. Though the majority of the Jews rejected their Messiah, He IS glorious in the eyes of the LORD, and Jesus IS going to return to earth a second time. However, this time, it won’t be to offer salvation from sins but He will return to judge the earth in His righteousness, for God has granted all rights of judgment to Jesus:

“Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God. Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel. For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them [gives life to]; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: that all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him. Verily, verily I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation [judgment]; but is passed from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; and hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.” (John 5:18-30)

Jesus was betrayed by one of His own, by Judas Iscariot. Judas’ heart was not with Jesus but with Satan. As the Bible tells us, Satan entered Judas, who agreed to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. With this betrayal of Jesus, who would subsequently be crucified on a cross and die when He gave up His life, Satan hoped that that would be the end of Jesus and that Jesus would not be glorious in the eyes of God. However, let us read what Jesus said when Judas betrayed Him at the last supper:

“I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen: but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me.” (John 13:18)

This is the Scripture of which Jesus spoke that was indeed fulfilled, which is a psalm written by King David long ago:

“Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.” (Psalm 41:9)

Don’t you just love the many connections between the Old Testament and the New Testament? There are many prophecies that were made in the Old Testament that were fulfilled by Jesus at His first coming. There are prophecies that are yet to be fulfilled and which surely will be fulfilled by Jesus at His second coming. Now, let us continue reading from John 13 and read the words of Jesus that He spoke to His disciples during the last supper, the last time that He would eat with them before Jesus would go to the cross for us:

“Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake. Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved. Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake. He then lying on Jesus’ breast saith unto him, Lord, who is it? Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop [piece of bread], when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly. Now no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him. For some of them thought, because Judas had the bag [money box], that Jesus had said unto him, Buy those things that we have need of against [for] the feast; or, that he should give something to the poor. He then having received the sop went immediately out: and it was night. Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify him. Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you. A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” (John 13:19-35)

Satan’s purpose was defeated: Jesus IS glorified and God IS glorified in Jesus, and that continues today as each person who turns to Jesus Christ in belief in who He is - the Savior of the world. Jesus knew what He had to endure in order to provide the way - the only way of salvation from sins - and He was willing to do it, He was obedient to the Father. Before He would be crucified on the cross, He went to the Mount of Olives to pray, and His disciples followed Him. Jesus knew what was coming. He knew the agony He would suffer, and He prayed to God. An angel of God appeared to Jesus and strengthened Him:

“And he came out, and went, as he was wont [accustomed], to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him. And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation. And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast [throw], and kneeled down, and prayed, saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was at it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” (Luke 22:39-44)

Jesus was obedient to the Father, and the Father’s will was done when Jesus went to the cross. Before Jesus gave up His life, He said,“Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do,” (Luke 23:34). His body was placed in a tomb, and three days later He rose again. He revealed Himself to many during the 40 days after He was resurrected and walked on the earth, and then He ascended to heaven, where He sits now at the right hand of God. But His work on earth is not yet finished.

As the Bible tells us, Jesus will come again, and when He does, it won’t be like His first coming. At the second coming of Jesus Christ, He will strike down all wickedness with the sword of His mouth. All of the remnant of Israel will be gathered together in all of their land that God gave them. Jesus, the rod from the stem of Jesse, the Branch that grows out of his roots, will reign with a rod of iron for 1,000 years with the spirit of the Lord resting upon Him. Isaiah wrote of this long ago in Isaiah chapter 11. This will be a time of peace in the world, even among the animal kingdom. Let us read this chapter in its entirety below, and let us give glory to our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, the One who came long ago, and the One who is coming again to judge the earth in all of His righteousness. I believe His second coming is sooner than any of us may know. ✝️

“And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: and the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; and shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: but with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle [belt] of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed [graze]; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking [nursing] child shall play on the hole of the asp [cobra], and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ [in the viper’s] den. They shall not hurt nor destroy any in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign [a banner] of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And he shall set up an ensign [a banner] for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex [harass] Ephraim. But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil [plunder] them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them. And the LORD shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go overdryshod. And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.” (Isaiah 11)