The Announcement: Luke 4:16-21
“16) And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. 17) And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written, “18) The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, And recovery of sight to the blind, To set free those who are oppressed, 19) To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.” 20) And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21) And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”” Luke 4:16-21
When properly understood, this text captured the decisive launch of Jesus into His public ministry. On the Sabbath after returning from His time in the wilderness, Jesus entered His home town synagogue.
He had been there many times as a boy growing up in Nazareth. He had most likely participated in public reading of Scripture numerous times. But this was very different.
As the scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to Him, Jesus quickly “scrolled down” to Isaiah 61:1-2. It was not an easy task for the ancient scrolls did not have chapter and verse divisions.
The Jewish synagogues were the keepers of these treasures know as “the sacred writings.” (2 Timothy 3:15). The sabbath was when Jewish people would assemble for the public reading of Scripture.
As Jesus began to read, He announced that something new as prophesied through Isaiah was beginning. The Spirit of the Lord was upon Him. He was about to start preaching what is commonly called “the gospel of the Kingdom.” (See Matthew 4:17; 23-25 These parallel verses must be studied to understand what was launched that day.)
According to Isaiah, His ministry would include preaching the good news, healing the blind and sick, setting captives free from sin, bondage and demonic oppression and inaugurating the favorable year of the Lord. God was keeping His promise to Israel!
Jesus was indeed the Messiah. His ministry was about to impact many in Israel. His power and authority resulted in signs and wonders that confounded the spiritually dead religious leaders. Jesus became a light in the abyss of religious darkness.
Few perceived the significance of His closing words as recorded in Luke 4:21; “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” And so it started! The announcement was made. The public ministry of the Messiah was launched! The course of human history was about to change!
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
Sent from my iPhone
“16) And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. 17) And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written, “18) The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, And recovery of sight to the blind, To set free those who are oppressed, 19) To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.” 20) And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21) And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”” Luke 4:16-21
When properly understood, this text captured the decisive launch of Jesus into His public ministry. On the Sabbath after returning from His time in the wilderness, Jesus entered His home town synagogue.
He had been there many times as a boy growing up in Nazareth. He had most likely participated in public reading of Scripture numerous times. But this was very different.
As the scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to Him, Jesus quickly “scrolled down” to Isaiah 61:1-2. It was not an easy task for the ancient scrolls did not have chapter and verse divisions.
The Jewish synagogues were the keepers of these treasures know as “the sacred writings.” (2 Timothy 3:15). The sabbath was when Jewish people would assemble for the public reading of Scripture.
As Jesus began to read, He announced that something new as prophesied through Isaiah was beginning. The Spirit of the Lord was upon Him. He was about to start preaching what is commonly called “the gospel of the Kingdom.” (See Matthew 4:17; 23-25 These parallel verses must be studied to understand what was launched that day.)
According to Isaiah, His ministry would include preaching the good news, healing the blind and sick, setting captives free from sin, bondage and demonic oppression and inaugurating the favorable year of the Lord. God was keeping His promise to Israel!
Jesus was indeed the Messiah. His ministry was about to impact many in Israel. His power and authority resulted in signs and wonders that confounded the spiritually dead religious leaders. Jesus became a light in the abyss of religious darkness.
Few perceived the significance of His closing words as recorded in Luke 4:21; “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” And so it started! The announcement was made. The public ministry of the Messiah was launched! The course of human history was about to change!
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
Sent from my iPhone
