Case For Christ Bible
What Miracles Were Required of the Messiah?
Isaiah 35 speaks of the advent of the Messiah, when God will come with his “divine retribution” to save those who have trusted in him (Isaiah 35:4). When this time comes, Isaiah prophesies, many miracles will accompany him, specifically the healing of those who are blind, deaf, lame and mute (see Isaiah 35:5–6).
When John the Baptist sent his disciples to ask Jesus if he was the Messiah (see Matthew 11:2–3), Jesus answered by alluding to Isaiah 35:5–6. “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor” (Matthew 11:4–5). John’s disciples and many other eyewitnesses could testify firsthand that Jesus had done these supernatural acts and that the lives that he touched were changed forever (see also Matthew 12:22–23; Mark 7:31–37; John 9:1–12).
In Jesus’ loaded answer to John’s question of whether he was the Messiah, Jesus made clear not only that he was the Anointed One but also that his public miracles signified his true identity: the Son of God.