Recognizing Jesus

Recognizing Jesus

“He cured many who were sick with various diseases, and he drove out many demons, not permitting them to speak because they knew him.” (Mark 1: 34)

How was Christ recognized in the Gospel by people and by evil spirits?

We recognize people by clues. Which clues helped John the Baptist to recognize Jesus? The clues about Jesus were revealed in the Old Testament. Any Jew who knew the Hebrew scriptures and had longed for the coming of the Messiah would have recognized Jesus. At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus quoted from Prophet Isaiah:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.” (Luke 4: 18 – 19)

Jesus did everything the scriptures said he would do. He healed, he taught and he fed the people. How do we recognize Jesus today. Those who behave like Jesus remind us of him.