Unstoppable! 'Jesus' Ministry Roadmap' — Acts 8:29-33

[The Word, Jesus,] came into the very world he created, but the world didn't recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him (John 1:10–11).

Jesus gave up his heavenly place as God, knowing his creations would cruelly reject him. As the "Suffering Servant,"* he knew what lay ahead of him as the Messiah. Isaiah had spelled out that the Lord's Servant, the Messiah, would not conquer militarily, but would serve sacrificially to bring salvation to God's people and reach the nations. In other words, Jesus knew his roadmap as the Messiah was to suffer and die to free people from their bondage to sin, death, and hell. Jesus came to earth willingly, to be our sacrifice and heal our brokenness. Such love takes my breath away.

* The "Servant Songs" are usually identified as Isaiah 42:1–4, 49:1–6, 50:4–7, 52:13–53:12, and Isaiah 61:1-3. These servant poems of God's chosen "Suffering Servant" prophesied about God's coming servant-Messiah. Jesus used Isaiah's prophecies to explain the path of suffering his ministry followed. {Even though Jesus applied Isaiah 61:1-3 to himself in different situations (Luke 4:16-21, 7:20-23), it sometimes isn't included in the "Servant Songs" since the word "servant" is not used. Nevertheless, this passage describes a servant.}