Having resisted Satan’s
temptation successfully, Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit.
News of His return spread throughout that district. He then started His public
ministry and all who heard Him praised Him. All that Jesus accomplished could
have easily filled more than one book. But here Luke in verses 14-15, only summarized
His successes everywhere He went in just two short verses. Then in verse 16, we
are told He came back to His hometown in Nazareth. Remember He was born in
Bethlehem, but raised in Nazareth. This was where He grew and picked up Joseph,
His father’s trade as a carpenter. Many here must have known Him in His childhood
days. Given His fame elsewhere, He should have been greeted like a celebrity. Here
we shall see how He was accepted initially.
At Nazareth, as His custom
was, Jesus went to the synagogue on a Sabbath and stood up and read. He chose the
text taken from Isaiah 61:1-2b. Jesus omitted a few lines from Isaiah’s text.
That must have caught the attention of all who were present. There was complete
silence as Jesus rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat
down. By this time every eye was fixed
on Him as He confidently and clearly said, “Today this scripture is fulfilled
in your hearing.” He wanted to make known two things. Firstly, that all the comfort
Israel was promised, long through the prophet Isaiah, had found its ultimate
expression in Him and His message. And secondly, “the day of vengeance of our
God”, the text in Isaiah which He omitted, would not be fulfilled that day. It
would come later. What would be fulfilled that day would be the year of the favor
of the Lord.
In His exposition that followed, Jesus addressed
four categories of people that would benefit from His ministry: the poor, the
prisoners, the blind, and the oppressed. It was to these people Christ came and
it was they who were saved. The poor covers all kinds of poverty, especially
those who are spiritually poor. For they will receive the Kingdom of heaven. They
are the people who will be most receptive to His message. The word “captives’
refers to those who are in spiritual bondage. All who were under the bondage of
sin and guilt, He came to set them free. Next, He referred to helping the blind
to recover their sight. This is a huge spiritual promise – He wants to open
blind eyes to turn us from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to
the power of the Son of God. He came so that we might have forgiveness of sin
and be sanctified by faith. Finally, the oppressed are those who are victims of
their circumstances. Those who are crushed by life’s harsh treatment. Jesus
came to liberate all who are crushed by life’s hard circumstances.
The favorable year of the
Lord that Jesus referred to, was the “Year of Jubilee.” Israelites celebrate
what is a Sabbatical year on the seventh year. On that year the land was to be
rested. And after seven Sabbatical years, the next year or the fiftieth year
would be designated as the Year of Jubilee. It was the year that slaves were
set free and returned to their families. It was the year that properties sold would
be returned to the original owners, and debts canceled. Here Jesus applied all
these to His ministry, but in a physical and spiritual sense. He came to restore
spiritual health and wealth to those are robbed blind by sin and the
circumstances of life. Christians ought to live daily as in the year of Jubilee
in the liberty the Lord has provided. As we do so, bear in mind what Paul said
to the Galatians. Live as free people but only do not use the liberty as a
pretext to sin. We ought to use the liberty to serve Him freely.
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