Living Out The Prophetic
Everything Jesus did, He did based on Scripture. Everything He said was based on Scripture. Matthew 4 is an example of how He lived out Scripture. He spoke the Word to overcome. He would read prophetic passages and then He would live it out. He became what the Scriptures said He was.
When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah: “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Matthew 4:12-17 (New International Version, NIV)
In this passage, we see Jesus living out the prophetic, written Word of God. Once Jesus heard His cousin, John the Baptist, had been imprisoned, He returned to Galilee, and lived in Capernaum to fulfill what God had said through Isaiah the Prophet about living in the land of Zebulun and Naphtali.
Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan— The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. Isaiah 9:1-2 (New International Version, NIV)
From that time on, Jesus began to preach, proclaiming that the kingdom of heaven was near. He was fulfilling His call that was outlined in the Scriptures.
He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Luke 4:16-21 (New International Version, NIV)
Jesus unrolled the scroll and found Isaiah 6:1-2 where it spoke of Him. He had found Himself in the Word of God. That’s how He knew who He was and what He was to do. He acted out these verses throughout His earthly ministry. As the Son of God and as a prophet, Jesus lived out the prophetic Word of God. He did what was written of Him.
The point is that we can all find ourselves in the Scriptures. God has given us 66 books of the Bible, and whatever the situation may be, we can act on the Word of God, and, by faith, release the prophetic in our lives. And that prophetic Word will be fulfilled by God.
The Word is a seed. As we plant it in our spirits, and speak it out of our mouths, God will fulfill the written and spoken prophetic Word. By this, we’re living out the prophetic.
