No other passage shows the heart of love of the Lord seen in the Suffering Servant, the Messiah, Jesus, more than this one. And all this 700 years before Christ lived on earth. The NT quotes more from Isaiah than all the other prophets combined, with an amazing 308 references in the various NT books. For example, John quotes Isaiah in chapter 12 of his Gospel, and then he adds this commentary in verse 41, “These things Isaiah said when he saw (Jesus’) glory and spoke of Him.” As a matter of fact, when one reads verses like these, it’s almost as though Isaiah was an eyewitness to the flogging and the crucifixion—that he was there. But remember, Isaiah’s long ministry was roughly 700 years prior to that of Jesus. Seven centuries separate them. I’ve used this as an example before, but that’s like someone writing in the early 1300s about the events related to the terrorist attacks here on 9/11/01!

Some of you may remember the classic A Charlie Brown Christmas. There’s a scene where an exasperated Charlie Brown yells, “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?” I have to admit I’ve felt that way before. Amid the commercialism, materialism and the general confusion of the holiday, we probably all want to understand what happened to make Christmas the largest season in retail. During my short time as a manager at Walmart, I was truly amazed at what happened in our stores around Christmas. Multiple millions of dollars in retail moved through the stores I was in. People going into debt, for gifts that others don’t really want or need, in some cases attempting to impress those who don’t care, and buying things that will be out of the style trends next year. We seek to understand, just like Charlie Brown. “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?”

1. Are you troubled by the events, people, or circumstances in your life?

2. Are you worried about the events, people, or circumstances in your life?

3. Are you fearful because of the events, people or circumstances in your life?

4. Is your heart at peace?

I’m going to suggest that if we’re honest, we are prone to being troubled, worried, and fearful. And we’re not alone. It’s common for all of us. Just look at the disciples of Jesus and consider that Jesus knew their hearts.