"The Spirit of the Lord
is upon Me,
because He has anointed Me."
Luke 4:18
After Jesus was tempted by the devil, He returned in the power of the Holy Spirit to Galilee, the region where He grew up, as a boy. News of Him went out through all the surrounding area. He taught in their synagogues, and was praised by everyone who heard Him.
Then He came to Nazareth, His home town. And as he usually did, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. He was handed the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written:
"'The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty (freedom) to the captives,
and recovery of sight to the blind, to release the oppressed,
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 were fastened on Him, and He began by saying to them, 'Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.' All spoke well of Him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from His lips.' Isn't this Joseph's son?' " Luke 4:18 NKJ/NIV
What did Jesus mean when He said 'Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing'? Jesus revealed for the first time who He is... Messiah, The long awaited Messiah. There He was, standing right before their eyes. He grew up among these people for thirty years and they did not know who walked among them.
When He read this passage in Isaiah 61, He was reading the character and signs of Messiah. Here Isaiah describes the ministry of God's Anointed, God's Messiah, as a healer and a messenger of freedom and comfort. This is the very essence of Jesus' ministry... the very essence of who Jesus was and what He came to do. Isaiah prophesied this description of Messiah some 700 years before Jesus came.
To anoint means to rub with oil, especially to consecrate; which means to set someone apart for a holy use. Jesus' whole life was set apart to please God, His Father. He is the Messiah and His title came to be "Jesus the Messiah". Messiah was translated into Greek as Christos, this is how we know Him today as "Jesus Christ".
Read through His reading of Isaiah 61:1, 2. Do you see yourself there? Poor? Broken hearted? Captive to sin or destructive attitudes? Blind to the kingdom of God? Oppressed? In need of God's favor and grace? Come to Him... be rich in Him... find comfort and joy in Him... find freedom in Him... find favor and grace with "eyes to see" the kingdom of God! Come!
How blessed we are that Jesus has come! Now, every year is the year of God's favor, because His Son has come! Through Him we may enter in to everything that He has accomplished through our faith and knowledge of Him. (2 Peter 1:3, 4)
3 comments:
"'The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty (freedom) to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.'
This Scripture has been a compelling one for me since the earliest days of my conversion! The Holy Spirit calls all those who love God to continue Jesus' ministry on earth.
To preach the good news of salvation through words and example.
To heal hurting hearts by reaching out to individuals with God's love overflowing within us.
To set captives free with repentance, inner healing and deliverance.
To open blind eyes by helping darkened intellects understand the wisdom of God's ways. His ways are so high above our ways as the heavens are above the earth. There is a gracious reason (not an unreasonable restriction) for every command God gives.
The year of the Lord's favor.... another reminder from Scripture that original sin set mankind at complete enmity with God. Jesus' coming to offer Himself as atonement enables any who choose to respond to draw near to God in relationship with Him. A stand-off that was being resolved by God himself. His love and mercy towards us -- His desire for us -- is astonishing and humbling.
Just this morning, I ran across some words of Mother Teresa that so aptly applies to the great need for healing the brokenhearted: "The biggest disease today is... the feeling of being unwanted, uncared for and deserted by everybody. The greatest evil is the lack of love and charity, the terrible indifference towards one's neighbor..."
Hi Marjie, thank you for your inspiring comment. I appreciate your heart and maturity. I especially like your practical comments on making the word real in our daily life. One that stands out to me is the importance of repentance in deliverance for those held captive by their own sin and the misery it creates in their life. If this were understood, and used more in the body of Christ so many people would be set free from crippling misery to enjoy a life of the good fruit God intends for them.
Would love to share scripture study with you in person Sheri! Shall we pray that God leads you to move up here???!!!
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