Jesus came to the synagogue on the Sabbath day as did every good Jew. On this particular day, He is in His hometown of Nazareth, and He is asked to read aloud from the book of Isaiah. He turns to what we refer to as the 61st chapter and He reads from verses 1 and 2, excluding the last half of that last verse. By claiming that “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears” (Luke 4:21), Jesus is claiming to be the Anointed One, or, the Christ.
Each thing that Jesus was anointed to do is so important in all of our lives. Notice the six things that He came to do:
1. “Preach the gospel to the poor” – The “gospel” is “good news” or “good tidings”, and it goes forth first to the poor. God sends the good news of His covenant to the poor first, for they are in need of some good news the most! Isn’t it awesome that the God of glory would bother to make the recipients of His New Covenant those whom the world has cast off?
2. “Heal the brokenhearted” – A greater pain than physical pain is the hurt of a broken heart. Millions have been abandoned, or lost a loved one, and their hearts are shattered, seemingly beyond repair. The anointing that is in Jesus will bind up the wounds and take all of your sorrows, making them His. “Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows” (Isaiah 53:4).
3. “Preach deliverance to the captives” – Jesus cannot make anyone go free, but He can offer freedom to anyone. Some remain slaves to their sins and their habits, in spite of the fact that Jesus has paid the price for their deliverance. Calvary unlocked the prison doors and man need only walk out by faith. Far too many remain enslaved in sin and are always “captives”.
4. “Recovering of sight to the blind” – Read Isaiah 61:1 carefully and you will notice that this one is not listed there. Jesus added this, and as author of the book He reserves that right. There was no record in the Old Testament of anyone ever being healed of blindness, but Jesus made it a staple of His ministry. More important than the physical healings is the fact that Jesus came to open spiritual eyes to the glorious light of the gospel of grace.
5. “To set at liberty them that are bruised” – Every person that is abused and hurt in any way not only has a broken heart but there is a bruising that occurs in their life that not even time can take away. We can easily become enslaved to these bruises, allowing past memories and events to cage us from living free. Jesus came to set us free from our past, and to take those bruises away.
6. “To preach the acceptable year of our Lord” – Where Jesus added something to the text earlier, here, He leaves something out. Isaiah writes that He will also preach the “day of vengeance of our God” (Isaiah 61:2). Jesus drops this portion because it does not reflect His earthly ministry, at least not yet. His first advent was the declaration that God was going to deal with mankind through His Son. The second advent of Christ will usher in the “day of vengeance”.
Whatever you need, the anointed Jesus has your answer. As the song says, Take your burdens to the Lord and leave them there. Be blessed today saint!
Each thing that Jesus was anointed to do is so important in all of our lives. Notice the six things that He came to do:
1. “Preach the gospel to the poor” – The “gospel” is “good news” or “good tidings”, and it goes forth first to the poor. God sends the good news of His covenant to the poor first, for they are in need of some good news the most! Isn’t it awesome that the God of glory would bother to make the recipients of His New Covenant those whom the world has cast off?
2. “Heal the brokenhearted” – A greater pain than physical pain is the hurt of a broken heart. Millions have been abandoned, or lost a loved one, and their hearts are shattered, seemingly beyond repair. The anointing that is in Jesus will bind up the wounds and take all of your sorrows, making them His. “Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows” (Isaiah 53:4).
3. “Preach deliverance to the captives” – Jesus cannot make anyone go free, but He can offer freedom to anyone. Some remain slaves to their sins and their habits, in spite of the fact that Jesus has paid the price for their deliverance. Calvary unlocked the prison doors and man need only walk out by faith. Far too many remain enslaved in sin and are always “captives”.
4. “Recovering of sight to the blind” – Read Isaiah 61:1 carefully and you will notice that this one is not listed there. Jesus added this, and as author of the book He reserves that right. There was no record in the Old Testament of anyone ever being healed of blindness, but Jesus made it a staple of His ministry. More important than the physical healings is the fact that Jesus came to open spiritual eyes to the glorious light of the gospel of grace.
5. “To set at liberty them that are bruised” – Every person that is abused and hurt in any way not only has a broken heart but there is a bruising that occurs in their life that not even time can take away. We can easily become enslaved to these bruises, allowing past memories and events to cage us from living free. Jesus came to set us free from our past, and to take those bruises away.
6. “To preach the acceptable year of our Lord” – Where Jesus added something to the text earlier, here, He leaves something out. Isaiah writes that He will also preach the “day of vengeance of our God” (Isaiah 61:2). Jesus drops this portion because it does not reflect His earthly ministry, at least not yet. His first advent was the declaration that God was going to deal with mankind through His Son. The second advent of Christ will usher in the “day of vengeance”.
Whatever you need, the anointed Jesus has your answer. As the song says, Take your burdens to the Lord and leave them there. Be blessed today saint!
