While teaching Adult Sunday School the previous Sunday I used the phrase "Messiah things" to describe actions taken by Jesus that confirmed or fulfilled prophecy about him being the Messiah, as I think it's a fun way to describe the actions of Jesus during his ministry. I wasn't expecting it to gain any traction, then the following Sunday a couple of people referenced it, one from over the pulpit, and they seemed to enjoy using it as well.

The primary time that I use the phrase is when I'm teaching about the time that John the Baptist sent his disciples to ask Jesus if he was the one or should they look for another (Luke 7:19-20). The question behind the question was "are you the Messiah?" Many words have been spilled by scholars about why John would ask that question, but the scriptures don't tell us, so we'll just have to accept that he did and that we are given no reasoning. What we do know with certainty is that Jesus answered the question and answered it with specificity. The scriptures tell us that upon being asked this question, Jesus immediately started doing "Messiah things" ... healing the sick, restoring sight and casting out evil spirits (Luke 7:21). After doing these "Messiah things", Jesus addresses John's disciples and tells them to go and tell John what they had just seen (Luke 7:22-23).

Jesus' answer to John was perfect for a number of reasons. First, the Jews knew their Messianic prophecies down cold. They knew what they expected of the Messiah because the prophecies were clear about these things. Secondly, Jesus was doing all of the things that the Messiah was prophesied to do. We see no indications in the scripture that anyone else was wandering around the Holy Lands raising the dead, casting out demons and healing people, so his actions stood out pretty clearly. Third, while there had been men previously who had claimed to be the Messiah, their claims quickly fell apart with the lack of supporting evidence (Acts 5:36-37).

Jesus was a walking prophecy fulfilling machine. He didn't just claim to be the Messiah, although he did do that (John 4:25-26), rather he went around being the Messiah (with all that was involved therewith) and that made all of the difference. It has long been a truth among humans that actions speak louder than words, such that when someone's words do not match their actions, you should trust their actions for the best indicator of who they really are. Jesus taught many powerful lessons during his ministry, but some of his most impactful teachings came as a result of his actions or as I like to describe it, doing "Messiah things".