Now, let's turn to the Word. "Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all" (Luke 4:14-15). As Jesus began His ministry, He went around the region of Galilee in northern Israel, teaching in the synagogues (the Jewish place of worship). Before long, everyone was talking about Him and His excellent teaching. "So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read" (v. 16).
The passage He read was Isaiah 61:1-2, where Isaiah speaks of the Year of Jubilee, and the release of captives, and the return of the Jewish exiles from captivity in Babylon. All through the passage, Isaiah holds forth the hope of the coming Messiah, who will save them from their sins. Upon reading this Scripture, Jesus declares that this passage refers directly to Him: "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing" (v. 21). There can be no mistake. Jesus claims Himself to be that Messiah, that Savior who has to come into the world. He proclaims Himself to be the very Son of God!
The people of Nazareth were ready to throw Him off a cliff as they rejected His claim outright: "So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff" (vs. 28-29). Of course they failed to do so: "Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way" (v. 30). Jesus just walked away. They could not touch Him.
Like these people, we too must consider for ourselves who this Jesus really is. Unlike these people, we must recognize that He is indeed the Savior of the world, our Savior, and we must receive Him as such. We must not reject Jesus in any way. Rather, we must follow Him every day by faith.
In verse 18, Jesus read, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor." Jesus’ life and ministry is uniquely marked by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. This is seen throughout His ministry by the many miracles of healing. He came teaching and preaching the truth of the gospel, that salvation is available to the poor and to all who are in need. Whatever your need, the answer is Jesus. Only believe, and you will experience that great gift of salvation in Jesus’ name.
He continued in verse 18, "He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind." Proof of His Messiahship is found in the works He performed. He came to heal, as Isaiah had prophesied. His was a ministry of deliverance. He came to heal spiritually and physically. He gave sight to the blind, healed the lame, cleansed the lepers, gave hearing to the deaf, and raised the dead, in addition to preaching the gospel to the poor (Luke 7:22). All of this gives proof that Jesus is the Savior.
The final words that Jesus read make clear His objective: "To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD" (Luke 4:18-19). Jesus came to set us free. He came proving Himself by doing the works of the Messiah according to Isaiah 61. He came specifically to die on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins. He came to set us free from our imprisonment to sin. We are the captives He came to release. We are the ones who are oppressed by sin. The "acceptable year of the LORD," the year of Jubilee, is now. "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2).
Jesus came to set us free from sin. He has accomplished that very thing. Now what we must do is respond to Him in faith, receiving His free gift of forgiveness. Then we must be faithful to Him in all areas of life, following Him every day in prayer and obedience. Do this and your life will never be the same. Instead, it will be a life filled with peace and joy in the Lord. Amen.
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