14 Then Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread throughout the entire vicinity.
The first question you might ask is, “where did he come from?” Based on the previous verses, it looks like he just came out of the temptation in the wilderness, but the reality is Jesus had been on the road with his disciples for over one year! I am not sure why Luke skips over that year, but he does.
This is the Galilee phase of Jesus’s ministry; he has been on the road for about 4 months now and has not even selected his 12 disciples. Recap:
He was born in Nazareth
baptized and introduced to the world by cousin John the Baptist.
goes into the desert for the 40 day temptation as his preparation for his ministry (phase 0).
By the time he arrives at Galilee, he had already…
conducted his first miracle at Cana (John 2)
cleansed the temple (John 2:14-22)
met Nicodemus (John 3)
the Samaritan woman (John 4), and
healed the child from Cana (John 4).
And this bring us to Galilee.
15 He was teaching in their synagogues, being praised by everyone.
By this point, Jesus has some momentum and he’s filled with the Spirit, people are getting healed, and new is spreading.
Note: the series “CHOSEN” captures the journey beautifully. They hike, they set up camp (aka. Bivouac), and Jesus does his thing. The gang scrambles to find sticks for fire, and food to eat. Life on the road is hard, but they count it all joy to be with the Messiah!
Look at the map. These distances are not for the faint of heart. As the crow flies, Galilee is 90 miles to the Dead Sea. Perhaps a weeks journey.
16 He came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. As usual, he entered the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read.
Luke points out that Jesus’s cusom was to attend synagogue. I can imagine, he’s perfecting his sermons and delivery. He knows the routine of the Synagogue and what to do. I can imagine that he’s excited to 1) be back in his home town, 2) he know’s he’s going to reveal his big news (i.e., the Messiah has arrived), and 3) another prophecy is about to be fulfilled!
I can relate to this feeling of returning home after many years. My last job was in the town where I was raised. I reunited with people I had not seen in 25 years. The excitement and anticipation was mutual. “You’re a pastor now!? Let’s hear you preach!” Jesus is 30 years old and his presence was undoubtedly, strong. Feel the build up in this passage…
17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him, and unrolling the scroll, he found the place where it was written:
The Greek texts says Jesus “found” (heurisko [strongs 2147]) the place where it was written. Regarless if Jesus was told to read this portion or if he found it himself, he is still in control of this entire situation. This passage is not a conincidence, but a Godincidence.
Note: Jewish Scholar, Arnold Fruchtenbaum writes, “It was Jewish practice, and still is, to go through the Mosaic Law each Sabbath throughout the year. It is divided into 54 sections, and the same part would be read no matter what synagogue one attends anywhere in the world. The books of the prophets are likewise read in such a fashion, correlating with the reading of the Mosaic Law. A minimum of three verses would be read. Jesus broke this tradition by not reading the full three verses, only half the passage. This passage of Isaiah 61:1-3 was recognized as being Messianic.”
Get ready for the exciting part…
Notice that Jesus stops reading at Isaiah 61:2a (as if there were chapters and verses). He stop reading becuase he will end with, “today this has been fulfilled.” And out of all the places on earth, in a small, obscure city in West Galilee called Nazareth! Again, Jesus doesn’t say it will be fulfilled, but that it hass been fulfilled. It is safe to say the next section is for a later time, perhaps even the end times.
And now let’s break down Jesus’s five operational objectives or “lines of effort.”
Notice the verbs. In my bible I always put a box around verbs. The verbs show what is being done or what needs to be obeyed. It’s all about verbs. I see four verbs and five objectives: preach, proclaim, set free, and proclaim. There are four categories of people: the poor, the captives, the blind, and the oppressed. God’s desired end state is the restoration of all things. Jesus’s five operational objectives set the condition on earth as it is in heaven; namely, kingdom life here and now.
In the military, the lines of operation refer to a series of operations executed in a defined sequence. These operations define the directional orientation of the friendly force in time and space relative to the enemy. Jesus is a warfighter; a spiritual one. And he wants his church to be familiar with the art of spiritual warfare. Any christian who doesn’t know he or she is in a battle has already lost.
18 The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.
Poor (4434)(ptochos from ptosso = crouch, cringe, cower down or hide oneself for fear, a picture of one crouching and cowering like a beggar with a tin cup to receive the pennies dropped in!) is an adjective which describes one who crouches and cowers and is used as a noun to mean beggar. These poor were unable to meet their basic needs and so were forced to depend on others or on society. Classical Greek used the ptochos to refer to a person reduced to total destitution, who crouched in a corner begging. As he held out one hand for alms he often hid his face with the other hand, because he was ashamed of being recognized. Ptochos describes not simply honest poverty, and the struggle of the laboring man to make ends meet but also describes abject poverty, which has literally nothing and which is in imminent danger of real starvation. Ptochos focuses on a state of dependence, so that in Mt 5:3 "the poor in spirit" are those who have learned to be completely dependent on God for everything and these are the ones who possess the kingdom of heaven.
In sum, the word "poor" can cover poverty of every kind, but in this passage Jesus lays the emphasis on a soul's sense of moral and spiritual poverty, which often is the case of those who are literally poor. A soul who is worldly rich is less likely to be aware of his or her spiritual poverty (see Laodicea below), whereas the financially poor are often open to receiving Jesus' teaching as good news because they realize their poor spiritual condition and thus their desperate spiritual need.
The captives (prisoners) (164)(aichmalotos from aichme = a spear + halotós = to be taken or conquered) was a military term which describes one who has been taken captive (at spear point) as a prisoner or be led away captive. Jesus is using it figuratively to describe a soul in moral and/or spiritual bondage (to the world, the flesh and the devil and Sin). This is the only NT use but see below for 25 uses in Septuagint.
Recovery of sight (309)(anablepsis from aná = up or again, + blépo = see or look) describes the ability to see again, to regain one's site. Used only here in NT and in the Septuagint only in Isaiah 61:1. The related verb anablepo is used primarily in a literal sense (Mt 11:5, 20:34, of ears opened = Mk 7:34, Mk 10:51, 52, Lk 7:22, 18:41-43).
Clearly this refers not just to recovery of literal eyesight (as was the case in a number of Jesus' miracles) but in the context of proclamation of the Gospel speaks of recovery of spiritual sight, opening the eyes of one's heart to see spiritual truth, because the natural (unregenerate) soul simply cannot see supernaturally, for as Paul explains...
a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised (I.e., He needs to receive spiritual 20/20 vision!). (1 Cor 2:14-note)
In Acts 26 Jesus explained Paul's role
‘But get up and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you; 17 rescuing you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, 18 to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.’ (Acts 26:16-18-note)
Blind (5185)(tuphlos from tuphlóo = envelop with smoke, be unable to see clearly) can refer to literal blindness (Mt 9:27, 28; 11:5; 12:22; Lk 7:21, 22; Jn 9:1, 2, 3.; Acts 13:11 Lv 19:14; Job 29:15) but more often is used to describe spiritual blindness, picturing one's mind as blind to spiritual truth, even incapable of comprehending (see Mt 15:14; 23:16, 17, 19, 24, 26; Ro 2:19; 2Pe 1:9; Rev 3:17; Isa 42:16,18,19; 43:8) The Greek writers used tuphlos to describe those who were "mentally blind".
Jesus used tuphlos figuratively in his discussion with those who had religion but no relationship with God (the Scribes and Pharisees, but this applies to many who are in churches today and profess "religion" but tragically and deceptively do not possess a "relationship" with Jesus!)...
And Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, so that (Same purpose as here in Lk 4:18) those who do not see may see (Good News), and that those who see may become blind.” (Bad News) Those of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these things and said to Him, “We are not blind too, are we?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind (I.e., if they recognized their state of spiritual blindness, humbled themselves, and cried out to God to "heal" them) you would have no sin; but since you say, ‘We see,’ (I.e., In a state of total self-deception and steadfast rejection of the "sight giving Gospel") your sin remains. (John 9:39-41)
Comment: Jesus called the hypocritical religious leaders of His day "blind guides" because instead of leading the people to the Light of the world (Jn 8:12) and eternal life (Jn 3:16, 36), the were leading the people who were in temporal (spiritual) darkness to eternal darkness (Mt 8:12, 25:30). Jews in general, and the scribes and Pharisees in particular, considered themselves to be superior mentors of the community in spiritual and moral matters. They saw themselves as religious guides to their unlearned Jewish brethren and especially to the spiritually blind Gentile pagans. But because of their arrogant pride and blatant hypocrisy, Jesus charged them with “blindness” in regard to "the Way, the Truth and the Life" (Jn 14:6)! Far from being qualified to guide others, they were themselves in desperate need of their spiritual blindness removed and their sight recovered so that they could see the one and only "Way Leader", Christ Jesus.
To the worldly rich but spiritually dead, lukewarm church at Laodicea Jesus said
‘Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked (NOTE: YOU HAVE TO "KNOW", TO RECOGNIZE YOUR CONDITION, YOUR NEED! THE CHURCH MEMBERS AT LAODICEA DID NOT KNOW THEIR NEED FOR THE GOSPEL - THEY WERE SELF DECEIVED LIKE SO MANY IN THE CHURCH TODAY!), I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see (SPIRITUAL SIGHT WHICH PAUL DESCRIBES IN 2 Cor 4:18-note - "we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen;"). (Rev 3:17-18-note)
Set free (649)(apostello) literally means to send off or send away from. Vincent adds to set at liberty (ἀποστεῖλαι) is l to send away in discharge. Inserted from the Sept. of Isa. 58:6. See on Luke 3:3, and Jas. 5:15.
Are oppressed (2352)(thrauo) means literally to shatter or to break in pieces as pottery (used literally in Mk 14:3 but text is not accepted as authentic by most scholars). Josephus also used it literally (e.g., Antiquities 8.14.5). This is the only NT use of thrauo and is figuratively and passive voice, of persons broken in spirit by oppressive circumstances, those who have been downtrodden or overwhelmed with trouble. They have been broken by calamity, crushed by the circumstances of life to the point that they see no way of escape.
Verse 19 ends Jesus’s reading and completes the 5th operational objective.
“To proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor..”
“The Year of the Lord’s Favor” or “Acceptable Year of the Lord” is a clear allusion in Isaiah 61:2 to Leviticus 25, which describes the year of Jubilee:
10 You are to consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim freedom in the land for all its inhabitants.
It will be your Jubilee when each of you is to return to his property and each of you to his clan.
11 The fiftieth year will be your Jubilee; you are not to sow, reap what grows by itself, or harvest its untended vines.
12 It is to be holy to you because it is the Jubilee; you may only eat its produce directly from the field.
NOTE: the Year of Jubilee, which came every 50th year, was a year of releasing people from their debts, releasing all slaves, and returning property to those who owned it (Lev. 25:1-13). This was a year dedicated to REST and RESTORATION. If the land is overworked, it stops producing fruit. So it is with Jubilee, which allows the people to rest and recover in order to become productive again.
Is this speaking to anyone like it is for me?
Are you full of bitterness? There are four types of bitterness:
Bitterness toward others (Anger).
Bitterness toward self (Guilt).
Bitterness toward the World (Greed).
Bitterness toward God (Jealousy).
Bitterness or resentment (i.e., unforgiveness) is arguably the single most underlying common denominator in “anger issues.” It is important for people to forgive others because they have been forgiven. God completely forgave us of all of our trespasses in order that we can join God in the business of unconditional forgiveness - no string attached.
God loves to forgive people through people because it glorifies himself. When people witness our unconditional forgiveness they see it and begin to praise the Father (i.e., they “thank God” for forgiving people).
Bitterness has no place in anyone’s life. Period.
Ask God to bring to your mind every person that he wants you to forgive through this prayer:
Dear heavenly Father, I thank You for your forgiveness - that you hold nothing against me. I confess that I have not extended that same forgiveness toward others who have sinned against me, but instead I have harbored bitterness and resentment.
THANK YOU for your forgiveness. Bring to mind only those people that I have not forgiven in order that I may do so (Matthew 18:35). I also pray that if I have sinned against others you would bring to mind only those people from whom I need to seek forgiveness and the extent to which I need to seek it (Matthew 5:23,24). I ask this in the precious name of Jesus. Amen.
Coconclusion
Christians do not have to live in bondage. Sin (all sin) is a choice and the believer has the liberty to choose Christ instead of fleshly desires or comfort-based decisions. Freedom in Christ is available for all believers who abide in Jesus’ word (John 8:31-32). The abundant life is available for all of Jesus’ flock. Jesus's promise to the “Jews who had believed him” says it all: 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
FinFinally, know that true freedom doesn't refer to the ABSENCE of someTHING, but rather the PRPRESENCE of someONE. Hear the words of the Apostle Paul:
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (2 Corinthians 3:17).
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