Jesus’s power confirms He is the Messiah.
Scripture: Luke 4:31-44
Central Truth
Jesus taught with authority and did mighty deeds of power to authenticate His claim to be Messiah. It’s one thing to say you’re something special or you can do something special. It’s another thing to prove it. Jesus’s powerful teachings and miracles leave no doubt that He is the Messiah—the Anointed One of God.
Key Question
What did the power of Jesus’s teaching reveal about who He is? What does this mean for us today?
Keep in Mind
Sometimes people claim Jesus of Nazareth was simply a moral teacher and good man, a teacher worthy of consideration alongside countless other teachers in history. The problem with this assertion is Jesus claimed to be far more than a good man or moral teacher. Jesus claimed to be the Messiah, the fulfillment of centuries of prophecy. Jesus claimed not only to be the Son of David but also the Son of God. Jesus received worship. Jesus claimed to be the only way to salvation and a relationship with the Father.
These claims, and many others, are outrageous unless Jesus could authenticate the claims. The unique authority and content of His teachings and the astonishing displays of miraculous power confirmed Christ’s claims. His dominance over demonic spirits, physical diseases, and the forces of nature demonstrate His divinity. Most notably, His rising from the dead wholly authenticates all He taught and all He claimed to be.
APPLICATION
How should we live differently based on Jesus’s example?
THE WIN
FOR THE STUDENT: We can be confident Jesus is unlike any teacher in history. Jesus made claims and confirmed His claims with miraculous power. Staking our eternity on Him is the most reasonable thing we can do. He’s trustworthy because He left no doubt He is the Son of God.
FOR THE LEADER: We must stoke students’ confidence in Jesus as the utterly unique Son of God. Many try to erase Him from history or equate Him with other influential figures. No one in history performed Christ’s miracles, and no one else rose from the dead. Focusing students on Christ’s miracles is one way to strengthen their faith in His claims.
