Isaiah 63:9
In all their distress he too was distressed,
and the angel of his presence saved them.
In his love and mercy he redeemed them;
he lifted them up and carried them
all the days of old. (NIV)
Today’s Reading: Isaiah 63:7-10 and Matthew 25:31-46
In Isaiah:8, God begins speaking. He speaks fondly of his people Israel and looks forward to the day when they will be true to Him. Israel historically has been marked by their rebellion and unfaithfulness to God. But He sees them not as people who reject Him but as people who will one day be as faithful to Him as He has been to them. So God sent Jesus as the Savior of Israel:
“The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a cross. God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins” (Acts 5:30-31).
Then Isaiah tells us a little detail about the Messiah that Israel missed when Jesus came as their Savior – he would be distressed in the midst of their distress. The NASB1995 translation says, “In all their affliction He was afflicted.” Israel’s Savior would have all the same feelings as his people.
Israel was expecting a king who would stamp out their enemies and make the nation of Israel great for all eternity. But kings don’t experience and feel the same emotions as their people. Kings live in palaces protected from affliction and distress. They have servants and attendants who take care of their every need. But Isaiah says that the Savior would experience affliction and distress. Jesus fulfilled this prophecy:
“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin” (Heb 4:14-15).
And because he experienced affliction and suffered as a man, Jesus is able to help us navigate the trials of this life. He’s been there and done that too. There’s nothing we can experience that he didn’t experience. He has the answers for us that can help us persevere:
“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Heb 4:16).
But then just as Jesus helps us in our time of needs, we also have an obligation to help others in their time of need:
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me,I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me’” (Matt 25:34-40).
Christ in the Old Testament 
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