Luke 4:14-28
14 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside.
What was the good news? The good news was that Jesus was going around working miracles, healing people, he was changing lives, he was raising the dead and he was making religious leaders of the day look kinda foolish, the religious leaders of the day who often made them feel foolish.
15 He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.
16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him.
Often times in the synagogue if there was a new preacher in town or somebody who is considered to be educated in the scriptures they would often allow them if they were credentialed in their mind they would come and read the scriptures and then to give an interpretation to preach. Now the attendant hands Jesus the scroll unrolling it found the place where it is written
Isaiah 61
Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." 20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him.
Why were the eyes fastened on him?
There was a part of the scripture he left out at the very end, that he would give sight to the blind and he would help the oppressed and he would bring about the day of the Lord's vengeance, but he stopped and didn't read that part. He just finished with God healing and blessing the oppressed and then he sat down and everyone looked at him and thought, 'huh...I wonder why he didn't finish?'
Like all of us we like a good message, a message that is positive and up beat, something that makes us feel good about ourselves, feel good about our friends and family, a message that comforts us and doesn't bring in any negativity.
when he started by saying
"good news to the poor."
He was talking not to those who were poor by financial need, he was talking to those who were poor in spirit, people who realize they had nothing that before God they were nothing. Imagine a system, a religious system that you could never get close to God because you weren't good enough. Poor in spirit recognizing there were something missing in them. The truth was there were something missing in them but he came to bring good news and the good news was this 'God loves you and now unlike any time you don't have to walking around feeling like you don't matter.' The good news is this for those of you who actually feel that way. that is your ticket in, recognizing that there is nothing you can do for yourself you need God to do it for you.
"proclaim freedom for the prisoners"
Freedom is to do what? Do what you choose. The people he was speaking to wasn't prisoners, but there are all sorts of bondage, bondage to greed, lust, pleasing to other people, pride.
What puts us in this bondage? The need to have something that we feel we are missing, the need to fill a hole inside of us that nothing seems to fill, but Jesus says he has come to give us freedom and to fill that gap in you that you can't fill yourself.
"Recovery of sight for the blind"
They were blind to truth, which made them blind to love, which made them blind to hope, which made them blind to joy. Jesus came to open their eyes so they may see that God loves them so much and the truth is found in that love and the truth of that love there is hope for you.
"Set the oppressed free"
to set the oppressed free from what? Guilt, condemnation, low self esteem, the abuse and the harassment of others.
When Jesus enters your life, nothing can separate you from him all the abuse and harassment of this world can not separate you from Christ.
21 He began by saying to them, "Today this scripture if fulfilled in your hearing."
22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. "Isn't this Joseph's son?" they asked.
All seen Jesus came home and they think he is done so well and he is so eloquent then something settles in, because they are comfortable and when we are comfortable we are judgmental, self protected, then they realize that he is Joseph's son, the carpenter family, wondering why he would act like this? All high and mighty, all wise? One minute they feel comfortable and the next moment they feel conflicted.
23 Jesus said the them, "Surely you will quote this proverb to me: 'Physician, heal yourself!' And you will tell me, 'Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did Capernaum.'"
24 "Truly I tell you," he continued, "no prophet is accepted in his hometown.
What is happening here? Jesus had this wonderful way of reading people and he could tell what was on their minds. They had already canceled him out
in fact what was really going on in their minds was 'if your really special why don't you do a miracle here for us, why don't you give us a hometown show. Basically Jesus says no.
No miracles for you because prophet is not welcome in his home town.
25 I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah's time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. 26 Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon.
There was a famine, there had been no rain and instead of God sending a prophet to Israel he sent a prophet to a gentile woman and he asked her to bake him a cake with her last grains and she trusted him and did what he asked after that she had more of her meal and God blessed her. God did this for a Gentile woman but not his own people, Why?
His own people had hard hearts they were prideful and stubborn and they really didn't want his comfort infarct they just cursed them.
27 And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed-only Naaman the Syrian."
Jesus was saying 'I'm not going to do a miracle because like the people of old you are so hard hearted, that the only to get your attention is through affliction, to drive you to your knees and realize that what you think you know you don't know. I came here to comfort the afflicted, the ones you afflict and I came here to conflict the comfortable, people like you.
28 All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this.
I. Humble Yourself:
We humble ourselves with the reminder that we are not God. We are just retched people in whom so much evil dwells, and yet now Christ dwells in us and that what makes us special and without Christ we are not special.
II. Give Yourself:
If you want to walk in comfort and not affliction then give yourself away, dedicate everything to God. So many people won't give their time, money, hands to labor, ear to listen because they are pacing themselves. Stop pacing yourself, give yourself
III. Release Yourself:
Release yourself from your bond, know that God has forgiving you and he loves you. Release yourself to the power that he promised, if you let him he will take away all your guilt and shame. Guilt convicts us and shame binds us.
IV. Remind Yourself:
Remind yourself of these things constantly everyday.
Notes taken by: lorelllawrence@comcast.net
Any errors or miscommunication please refer to me not the pastor, the intent is for you to have the notes for review in the series, also to reflect on during the week.
God Bless,