The testimony that was said of him by Cleopas and his friend on the road to Emmaus was not that He (Jesus) was a prophet of God, who was mighty in not just His preaching (word), but in His actions (deed) as well. Interestingly, His actions (deeds) went hand in hand with his preaching (word), and He was not mediocre in either, but mighty in both.
We often get excited about preaching the word of God. We ought not to be merely enthusiastic about preaching the word of God but our lives (actions) must reflect the same. Interestingly, in the response that was given to Jesus, it was reference to His deeds that was mentioned first. His deeds came before His words. Someone once said, that your life may be the only Bible that someone reads.
The second part of that testimony was that Jesus was mighty in deed and word before both God and man. It was not just before man that Jesus was mighty in his actions and preaching. It was before God as well. Author of Life’s Little Instruction Book, H. Jackson Brown, Jr. once said “Our character is what we do when we think no one is looking“. We often seek man’s approval and try to be mighty before them, (sometimes putting on a show), but before God, our sinful lives are exposed and shameful. We must strive to be first mighty in deed and word before God and only then before men.
Point(s) to ponder:
As imitators of Jesus Christ, we must strive to be like He was, mighty in deed first and then word, before God first and then all his people! Think about ways that this can come true in our life. What an accolade it would be when we meet Jesus face to face and He tells of us, “Well done, my good and faithful servant, you were mighty in deed and word, before me and all my people“.
Luke 24:19 (KJV)
19 And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people:
