Luke 4:18-19
"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 to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."
So much doctrine in such a short passage. Here's the scene. Jesus is chosen to read aloud in a Sabbath synagogue service, and in what could only be described as the providential timing of God, that day's reading was from the prophet Isaiah. After he is finished, Jesus sits down. Every eye in the room was upon him. What would this young prophet and preacher of God have to say? Would it be controversial? Would it set the town in an uproar?
It didn't take long to find out. In verse 21, Jesus simply says, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." And the people marveled. Maybe God had not forgotten Israel after all.
Not one to shy away from truth, Jesus' words are that of claiming to be the promised Messiah. From Isaiah, the Jews knew the Christ would be anointed by the Spirit's touch to preach the word, heal broken hearts, deliver freedom to the captives, mend the sick, defend the oppressed and even make the people acceptable to God after millenniums of wondering if God still cared.
Don't let anyone tell you Jesus never claimed to be God, for Israel understood that only one from God could come and make such a claim to be the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy. From an anointing of the Spirit, Jesus claims to be the one of such a ministry.
The Holy Spirit's touch has always been required to accomplish ministry unto and for and from the Lord. The anointing of God is what makes it possible to fulfill the plans God has for our lives. Just like Jesus, we too are anointed of God to be the people he would have us be, serving within and without of the church.
LORD JESUS
May your Spirit be upon your church for ministry, that we would be empowered to serve you and each other according to your will and for your glory alone. Amen.
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