Which Old Testament prophecies align with the miracles listed in Luke 7:22? What Jesus Told John’s Messengers “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.” — Luke 7:22 Why These Miracles Matter Each sign Jesus names had already been promised in the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings. By doing them openly, He was declaring in living color, “The long-awaited Messiah is here.” Miracle by Miracle: Old Testament Echoes • Blind Receive Sight – Isaiah 29:18-19 — “In that day the deaf will hear the words of a scroll, and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see.” – Isaiah 35:5 — “Then the eyes of the blind will be opened…” – Isaiah 42:6-7 — God’s Servant is appointed “to open blind eyes, to bring prisoners out of the dungeon.” These passages speak literally of physical sight restored when Messiah comes. • Lame Walk – Isaiah 35:6 — “Then the lame will leap like a deer…” – Jeremiah 31:8-9 — God gathers His people, “among them the blind and the lame… a great throng will return here.” Fulfillment is plain when the paralyzed began walking at Jesus’ word (Luke 5:24-25). • Lepers Are Cleansed – Leviticus 14 establishes divinely given rites for cleansing a leper, looking forward to a day when the disease itself would be banished. – Isaiah 53:4-5 — “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows… by His stripes we are healed.” Messiah’s atoning work literally reaches the most dreaded uncleanness. — When Jesus touched and immediately cleansed lepers (Luke 5:12-13), the prophetic anticipation became reality. • Deaf Hear – Isaiah 29:18 — “The deaf will hear the words of a scroll.” – Isaiah 35:5 — “Then the ears of the deaf will be unstopped.” – Isaiah 42:18-19 — A call to “hear, you deaf,” answered perfectly as Messiah restored hearing (Mark 7:32-35 parallels Luke’s summary). • Dead Are Raised – Isaiah 26:19 — “Your dead will live; their bodies will rise.” – Hosea 13:14 — “I will ransom them from the power of Sheol; I will redeem them from death.” – Ezekiel 37:1-14 — The valley of dry bones promises national and physical resurrection under the coming Davidic King. When Jesus raised the widow’s son at Nain (Luke 7:14-15) and later Jairus’s daughter and Lazarus, He previewed the fuller resurrection Isaiah foresaw. • Good News Reaches the Poor – Isaiah 61:1-2 — “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me… to bring good news to the poor.” – Isaiah 41:17; 11:4 — The poor and needy receive justice and comfort under Messiah’s reign. Jesus had already read Isaiah 61 in Nazareth (Luke 4:18-21) and now points John back to the same promise: the gospel is being preached without cost to those society overlooks. Putting It All Together Every act Jesus cites in Luke 7:22 traces directly to promises God had already put in writing centuries earlier. By matching prophecy with performance—sight, strength, cleansing, hearing, life, and hope—He let Scripture authenticate His identity for anyone who had eyes to see and ears to hear. |
    |