DAY 3 OF WEEK 3
And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
(Luke 4:16-21 ESV)
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
(Luke 4:16-21 ESV)
Chapter 4 of Luke’s gospel finds Jesus in the synagogue of His hometown, Nazareth. He’s recently survived a 40 day fast, and a temptation battle with Satan. He’s just beginning His public ministry, and word about him is spreading as people are blown away by his teachings. We can imagine it’s a packed house on the sabbath as people are trying to figure out what’s going on with this son of a carpenter turned rock-star rabbi…
And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.
They sat in stunned silence—they were amazed that this teacher is the son of a local carpenter—and then Jesus took it one step further…
And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
Jesus is in essence saying: “I am the Messiah and this is what I came to do… I am here to proclaim good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, and freedom to those who are oppressed”. Jesus is incredibly clear about His mission and identity. Regardless of how people tried to define or confine Him, He knew exactly who He was and what He was about. If you are a follower of Jesus, your identity and mission should be intricately linked to His.
What is your mission? What is your purpose? Why do you exist? Could you define who you are, and what you are about, in two to three sentences? If yes, would it line up with the mission of Jesus? Take time today to pray about this concept, and find out where your heart has been leading you.
Adapted From: http://shortdailydevotions.com
