THE THIRD WEEK IN ADVENT - SUNDAY

LESSON: MATTHEW 11:2-10

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good tidings to the afflicted. Isaiah 61:1

Kings and priests are normally anointed to a kingdom and priesthood respectively. But this anointed King and Priest, Isaiah says here, is to be anointed by God Himself, not with any temporal oil but with the Holy Spirit who rests upon Him as He says: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me.”

And so He preaches the Gospel, restores sight to the blind, heals all manner of sickness, and preaches the acceptable year, the time of grace. “Behold, your God will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing for joy.” Isaiah 35:4-6.

If we compare the Scripture with Christ’s works and Christ’s works with the Scripture, it becomes evident that in Christ we have the right man. Luke declares that at the time when the disciples of John the Baptist came to question Him, “he cured many of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many that were blind he bestowed sight.” Luke 7:21.

Here we must take Christ’s example to heart. He takes up His stand on His works and tells us to form our ideas about the tree from its fruits.

SL.XI.77,10
AE 75,137

PRAYER: Thanks be to you, O King of grace and salvation, for the fullness of your works of grace and salvation encouraging us at all times to place our full faith and reliance in you alone. Amen.