Luke 4:14-21 NIV
14 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. 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. 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 favour.”
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. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
If you want to summarise what Jesus is all about in a couple of sentences, then I’d say you can’t got far wrong with this! Quoting from Isaiah 61 (had you noticed how often in Luke and Acts, Isaiah is referred to), Jesus presents his mission statement: he has been chosen by God and empowered by the Spirit, to be good news for those in trouble, those so often overlooked or downtrodden by society. Makes me wonder how others would describe what we’re all about as a church family, both when we’re together and when we’re dispersed.
Lord, help us be, and point to, good news.
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