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Luke 4:16-22
Jesus is beginning His ministry throughout the region of Galilee (Luke 4:14-15), and in overcoming the temptation of the devil, He is filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:14) as this has been prophesied in Isaiah 61:1,2. Jesus is not just beginning His ministry, but is announcing what His ministry is. He has been anointed by God to (1) preach the gospel (good news), (2) heal the brokenhearted, (3) proclaim liberty, (4) recover sight, (5) set at liberty, (6) proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.
Jesus states, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21, NKJV). At first, the people “marveled” at His “gracious words” (Luke 4:22a) but very quickly they turned to disbelief as they began to question the authority of Jesus, “Is this not Joseph’s son?” (Luke 4:22b).
This is Jesus proclaiming the purpose of His ministry.
This is Jesus calling the people to attention as He will spend His ministry explaining these things.
This is the fulfilling of the prophecy of Isaiah concerning Jesus (Isaiah 61:1, 2).
Jesus will teach us throughout His ministry in the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) that He has been anointed by God to share the gospel (good news). We will find that we are all brokenhearted, and Jesus will proclaim that in Him is liberty (freedom) from sin. Jesus will physically give sight to the blind and open our eyes to spiritual blindness. Along with proclaiming liberty (freedom) in Him, He will set us at liberty (freedom) from sin. Jesus will proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD and is believed to be in relation to the year of Jubilee that God gave to the Israelites in Leviticus 25:8-17. Leviticus 25:9-10 states, “Then you shall cause the trumpet of the Jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement you shall make the trumpet to sound throughout all your land. And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a Jubilee for you; and each of you shall return to his possession, and each of you shall return to his family.”
God has sent His Son that we may return to Him in Jubilee (celebration); that we may turn (repent) from living in the sinful nature and return to Him in a new life found in His Son Jesus; that we would make the free choice to choose God and His will for our lives over allowing Satan to hold us in his grasp. Jesus has already won your fight against Satan; open your heart to Jesus and begin celebrating in jubilation your newly found freedom in Christ.
Dear Lord,
Jesus has given us an overview of His ministry. Please open our eyes, hearts, minds, and souls to the way, the truth, and the life that is found only in Jesus (John 14:6). Touch our hearts Lord that we would open them to Jesus and receive Your Holy Spirit to cleanse us from sin as we inherit eternal life through what Jesus has done for us in paying our price to sin on the cross and claiming our victory in Him through His resurrection from the grave. In Jesus name I pray, amen.