Luke 4:14-30

We are going to be in Luke 4 this evening but I want to start in Revelation 21. You may know the words I’m going to read even before we get there because they are so familiar. We’ve heard them so many times we can almost recite them. As I read them to you again this evening I want you to think about how these words make you feel.

1 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” 5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” (Revelation 21:1-5)

What did you feel as I read those words? Hope? Joy? Excitement? Anticipation? We look forward to the day when these words will be fulfilled because we long for the day when there will no longer be any tears, death, mourning, crying, or pain. We anticipate the day when everything will be made new and whole.

Now turn to Luke 4. In this passage Jesus goes to the synagogue where he reads a passage from the prophet Isaiah that was just as familiar to the Jews as Revelation 21 is to us and it would have brought them the same emotions as these verses from Revelation 21 bring to us.

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 favor.”

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.” 22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked.

23 Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ And you will tell me, ‘Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.’ 24 Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown. 25 I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. 26 Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. 27 And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed – only Naaman the Syrian.”

28 All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. 29 They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. 30 But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way. (Luke 4:14-30)

It’s difficult to gauge the time that passes between Luke 4:13 and verse 14. When verse 13 ends, Jesus is still in the wilderness after his forty days of fasting. The devil has left him alone for the time being. By verse 14 Jesus’ ministry has been started in earnest. Matthew, Mark, and Luke do not include some stories of those early days that John included like his turning water to wine at the wedding in Cana or conversations with Nicodemus and the woman at the well. Matthew, Mark, and Luke pick us his ministry after these events.

Luke reminds us the Spirit’s filling. The Spirit had come upon Jesus after his baptism, had led Jesus into the wilderness, and now filled him with power. Evidence of that power was seen in his teaching and miracles and reports about him began to spread across the countryside.

One day, Jesus visits Nazareth. Nazareth is about twenty miles from Tiberias. We don’t read about Tiberias in the New Testament but there are other towns you might recognize: Nain (Jesus raised a widow’s son back to life), Cana (where Jesus turned water to wine), Magdala (Mary Magdala from from this town), Jesus pronounced judgment Korazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum because of their unbelief. Most of Jesus’ ministry took place on the north side of the Sea of Galilee in the towns and the surrounding area.

On this day though, Jesus is in his home town of Nazareth. And because it is the Sabbath, Jesus goes to synagogue. Luke tells us that it was his custom. Every Sabbath Jesus went to synagogue. If there was anyone who ever lived that didn’t need to go it was Jesus but he was there. People give all kinds of reasons for not going to church on Sunday but If Jesus felt the need to attend synagogue don’t you think we all need to be in church?

There’s no record of them handing out bulletins but there was a uniform order for the service. It began with an invocation. An invocation is a prayer at the beginning of the service that asks for God’s presence and blessing on the service. It was followed by the congregation reciting a traditional Hebrews confession of faith. It might be Deuteronomy 6:4-9 which begins with the words:

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. (Deuteronomy 6:4)

That was followed by prayer and then a reading from the scriptures. There would be a lengthy passage from the Books of Law which include Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. And then there would be a reading from the Books of the Prophets which include everything but the Books of Poetry. The readings followed a prescribed schedule so that the same passage would be read at the same time every year. Then there would be a teaching from one of the passages read. The service would then end with a prayer.

When Jesus was asked to read that day, the prescribed reading was from Isaiah 61:1-2. As I said, everyone would have been familiar with the passage. It brought them hope as Revelation 21 does us. They understood the passage to speak of the coming Messiah and the five-fold ministry he would have. As Jesus read the passage the people would have been thinking about the coming Messiah but as he read them Jesus was talking about himself. Let’s spend some time looking at this short passage. It begins with this phrase:

The Spirit of the Lord is on me

Luke has already told us twice that the Spirit on God was on Jesus. The Spirit came after he was baptized and Luke reiterated this in verse 14 when he said that Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit. In the Old Testament the Spirit only came upon people at specific times for specific reasons. When God had a particular job to be done he would send his Spirit upon people to help them carry it out. There are some tasks the Messiah will do that will require the power of the Spirit. What are they?

Because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor

This does not refer to the financially poor but the spiritually poor. Jesus referred to the poor in the Sermon on the Mount where he also talks about the spiritually poor. The very first Beatitude says:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:3)

To be poor in spirit is to understand your spiritual need before God. Jesus said that those who understand their spiritual need for God are blessed. They are blessed because only the ones who are aware of their need will call out to God for help.

Last month I saw an article from a religious organization saying what people need today is not to be told their sinners but that they need to be reminded of their worth. I think I understand what they’re saying, but they’re missing something. Do you remember John’s mission? He came to turn the hearts of the people back to God. He did so by pointing out their sins. He didn’t tell them how he understood they were being abused and taken advantage of by the Roman government and that God still loved them. John pointed out their sins and told them to repent. It’s interesting that the people who received John’s message and were baptized were the ones most receptive to Jesus while those who rejected John also rejected Jesus. They didn’t think they had any problems.

It’s still true today. Jesus is the answer to our problems but you don’t need the answer if you don’t have any problems.

A preacher said he was asked to visit a man on his death bed. The told the preacher about his declining health and how it didn’t look like he had long to live. The preacher immediately began sharing the gospel. He wanted to make sure of the man’s salvation. So he talked about how Jesus had died for our sins and given the promise of eternal life. When the preacher finished sharing, the man looked at him and the man started talking about his car. Even having heard that we are all sinners in need of forgiveness and how Jesus died for those sins the man had no interest in hearing about it. Even on his deathbed he still didn’t understand his spiritual bankruptcy. What more can you say to such a person? Jesus came to proclaim good news but it’s only good for those who recognize they need it. It’s good news for the spiritually poor.

1. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners

Notice that there is an order to this. First, Jesus proclaims good news to the spiritually poor. Next, he proclaims freedom to the captive. The captive are the ones who understand their sin and their captivity to it. That what sin does. It causes captivity. In the both the Old and New Testaments sin is compared to slavery. God told Cain:

If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it. (Genesis 4:7)

And Jesus said:

Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. (John 8:34)

And Paul wrote to the Galatians:

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1)

Even though we have been set free it is possible for us to return to that life of sin and slavery.

Jesus came to proclaim freedom or liberty to those who are slaves to sin. We don’t talk about sin in that way today though. Actually, like that article I referenced, even Christians don’t like to talk about sin and slavery. Instead, we use terms like addiction. But what is an addiction? Is it not to which we are captive and unable to break free from? There are many who are in desperate need of freedom today.

2. Recovery of sight for the blind

Once again the passage is talking about spiritual realities and not physical even though Jesus did give sight to the physically blind. Jesus talked about this spiritual blindness after physically healing a man who had been blind from birth.

Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.” (John 9:39)

Jesus has to be talking about spiritual blindness because he never made anyone physically blind. The Pharisees who overheard Jesus say that understood what he meant and asked if they were blind too.

Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.” (John 9:41)

They are guilty because they claim to be able to see spiritually. Jesus told the church of Laodicea in Revelation 3:

17 You say, “I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.” But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. (Revelation 3:17-18)

This passage shows us that it is possible to think everything is good while we are completely blind to our true spiritual condition.

3. To set the oppressed free

Once more we read about freedom but now it is for the oppressed. First it was for the captive and now it is for the oppressed. The Greek word here that’s translated as “oppressed” literally means to be broken: to break or to bruise. It refers to those who have been victimized. The Jews had been victimized by the Romans. We can think of examples of people today who have been victimized by others. In reality though, we have all been victimized and we are not all that we could be as a result.

A few weeks ago a mother told me that her children no longer draw. They liked to draw when they were younger but they don’t any longer. Why? Why do kids stop drawing? The biggest reason is because of critiques they receive from other kids. Because their pictures aren’t as good they are made to feel shame and just give up. Some people are the same with singing. They don’t sing because at some point they were told they couldn’t sing very well. Fortunately, my grandfather wasn’t like that. He couldn’t sing very well but it didn’t stop him. He sang in the choir and you could hear him from the back of the church. What do you think matters more to God, that we sing his praise or that we sing well? But people give up singing because they have been told they don’t sing well.

I first met Tommy Oaks when I was a student at Johnson. I was traveling for the school one summer and we were working at a camp in Pennsylvania where Tommy was the speaker for the week. One night he told a story about a little girl who all her life had been told she couldn’t because she wasn’t good enough. Tommy said that each of those criticisms and negative comments were like a string of a spider’s web. They were thin and easily broken but over the years those thin strings built up to be a bundle that held here fast.

I think we’ve all been bruised like that in some area. We’ve been bruised by parents, friends, and people who don’t even know us. We’ve been told we aren’t good enough. We look forward to the day Revelation 21 points to when there will no longer be any physical problems but I also look forward to the day when there will no longer be any emotional and psychological problems. Jesus says that he has come to set the oppressed free.

Lastly, he comes to:

4. To proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor

The year of the Lord’s favor refers to the Year of Jubilee which is fulfilled in Jesus. The Year of Jubilee was commanded by God in Leviticus 25. It was to take place every fifty years. On that year all slaves were released. On that year all property went back to its original family. Perhaps a family fell on hard times and had to sell their land. On that year the land was returned at no charge. On that year all debts were wiped out. That would be nice. And on that year the land was to be allowed to rest. That meant you weren’t allowed to plow it or sow seed. You could only reap what grew up voluntarily. The land got a rest and the people got a rest. It all sounds great. The problem is there is no evidence the Israelites ever practiced it.

Jesus is talking about a time when all people will be made whole and free and everything wrong with the world will be made right. And then Jesus makes a totally unexpected comment about the passage:

Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. (Luke 4:21b)

Wait no more because what you’ve been waiting for is finally here! Initially, the people were amazed and gladly received what he was saying. And then, someone spoke up. “Wait a minute. Isn’t this Joseph the carpenter’s son? What does he know?” Then they remembered that they all knew him. They remembered the rumors about his birth. Who was he to teach them anything from the word of God? And they just as quickly rejected his teaching.

Jesus then quoted from a well known proverb:

Physician, heal yourself.

It’s pretty much what the chief priests, teachers of the law, and elders were saying to Jesus as he hung on the cross. “If you can save others, why don’t you save yourself.” The people had heard about the miracles Jesus had been performing in Capernaum, they wanted to see them in Nazareth as well. But Jesus tells them that no prophet is welcome in his hometown. It’s harder to recognize greatness in those you know.

And then Jesus reminds them of a couple of incidents from their nations past. After Elijah had proclaimed it wouldn’t rain again until he gave the word, God had sent him to a widow to provide for him. Elijah had been getting water from a stream and food from what God had ravens bring him. But when the stream dried up because of the lack of rain, God sent him to a widow. While Elijah was with her, her oil and flour never ran dry. Where did that widow live? She lived in Zarephath. That meant that she was a Gentile. There were plenty of Israelite widows but God sent him to a Gentile one. Later, Elisha healed a man with leprosy. The man was a military leader from Syria named Naaman. That meant that he too was a gentile. There are no stories of Elisha healing any Israelites with leprosy, but he healed the Gentile who was a hated enemy of God’s people. Jesus is saying that if they wouldn’t receive him the Gentiles would.

Instead of accepting his rebuff and acknowledging the truth of what he had been saying, the people became angry. They led him out of town to a bluff and were ready to throw him over but he miraculously walked right through the crowd with no one being able to lay a hand on him.

Matthew and Mark tell about a second time Jesus visited Nazareth. He came back later in his ministry and we read:

And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith. (Matthew 13:58)

Jesus was ready and willing to do more but was prevented because they refused to place their trust in him. Jesus is ready to help those who are ready to admit they need his help.