Luke 4:18-19. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal, the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captive, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord”.
The Lord had anointed Jesus first, “to preach good news to the poor”. The poor are the socially inferior. Jesus proclaims that the poor, those persons who view themselves as inferior and are treated as such, are to hear the good news of wholeness, equality, and authenticity.
What a relevant word to us 21st century persons who feel like God has caught us with our hands in the cookie jar. There are some who feel of no significance, of no worth, guilty. Some expect God to treat us as inferiors – as indeed we are. But no, He has come to preach Good News to us. He has come to proclaim that we can know and relate to Him from the position of children. Good News indeed!
Jesus was further anointed to proclaim the “recovery of sight for the blind”. Here blindness is used in both a literal and figurative sense. People are blind to God’s words and deeds, and Jesus has come to open their eyes to see what God is really like. The Son wanted to communicate to “Pharisee types” who felt that God was Holy and moral and had to be bought off with good behavior, and to “Publican types” who felt that God was so holy and moral that there was no possibility of a relationship with the “Holy one of Israel”. To these people Jesus proclaimed the Good News that God is for us and that we do not have to earn His favor, which was begun in the person and work of Jesus. All that Jesus has proclaimed is based on the fact it is “the year of the Lord’s favor”. God is for us. He is on our side – Because “People Matter” to Him. That’s Good News indeed!
We must always remember that God is with us, for us, and in us- because He loves us and gave His life for us – That’s Love!
Much Love,
Because He Is – I Am
Presider
