“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released,
that the blind will see,
that the oppressed will be set free,
and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come. Luke 4:18-19
It’s that time of year between Easter and Jesus’ Ascension and waiting for the promised Holy Spirit. It is also the perfect time to focus on the reasons Jesus was born into a world very much like ours. He came as a baby so He could grow up and experience all the things we do, the good, the bad and the ugly. That’s what makes Him such a wonderful advocate as He sits at the right Hand of the Father, ever interceding for us with our Father. He is our Light to show us the way and reveal those spiritual things we can’t see without Him. And that Light brings hope, a hope that never fails.
The passage for today was read by Jesus from Isaiah in the synagogue in Jesus’ home town. Now you would think they would be excited about the good news they just heard Him read. But they were far from happy, as a matter of fact one translation says they were “furious”! So Jesus, in His calmness walked out of the presence of His own people He came to seek and save, and took His message to the outside, where you and I would have been. He walked among the people of this earth for three and a half years and brought the Good News to the poor, He set captives and oppressed free and made the blind to see not only physically, but spiritually. He showed us how to walk and live in God’s favor through His amazing grace.
So what are you captive to? Is something oppressing you and causing you anxiety, worry and fear? Are you blinded to the very things that are destroying you? If you said yes to any of those questions, Jesus is waiting for you to come to Him and receive that good news He came to give to all who would accept it. Are you poor in spirit, are you becoming aware of how much you need Jesus?
Jesus spent forty days on this earth after His resurrection to show the power that is released and available to every Believer who wants to experience all He accomplished for us in His death and resurrection. Beloved we are no longer captives of the enemy, so it’s time for us to take advantage of the hope of the things we cannot see, but that God has promised us. In other words, it’s called faith, trusting in the One we can’t see, and yet His power flows through us when we believe it and choose to live it out so that others will come to know Him and the power of His resurrection.
Leave a Reply