Prepare for Signs and Wonders

1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. 2 He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord’s favor has come, and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies. 3 To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory.

Part of this is an old testament prophesy about the coming messiah

Jesus quotes it at the start of his ministry 700 years after it was spoken

Luke 4:17–21 NLT

17 The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written: 18 “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, 19 and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.” 20 He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently. 21 Then he began to speak to them. “The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!”

Notice that Jesus did not read the rest of the passage.....

and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies. To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory.

This second part that Jesus did not include, talks about his second coming when he will deliver:

1) “the day of God’s anger against their (Israel’s) enemies”

2) and deliver Israel (the nation) from their end times persecution

The second coming will be when Jesus gives beauty for ashes to Israel

Believers condition

Believers since the cross have already received beauty for ashes

The scripture identifies how Jesus gave beauty for our ashes and still does today

Good News to the poor

A Commentary, Critical, Experimental, and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments, Vol. III: Job–Isaiah Chapter 61

those afflicted with calamity, poor in circumstances and in spirit

The good news that:

if you are afflicted and have no one who cares about your situation…Jesus does

If you are poor..that God promises to provide for your needs

Fish with silver coin for taxes

Feeding of the thousands from very little

Jesus chose the poor and elevated them into leaders

1 Corinthians 1:26–28 NLT

26 Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. 27 Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. 28 God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important.

Jesus also read this part of the prophecy.....

He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free

Be Comforted 2. The Beginning of a New Life (Isa. 61:1–11)

The background of this passage is the “Year of Jubilee” described in Leviticus 25:7ff. Every seven years, the Jews were to observe a “sabbatical year” and allow the land to rest. After seven sabbaticals, or forty-nine years, they were to celebrate the fiftieth year as the “Year of Jubilee.” During that year, all debts were canceled, all land was returned to the original owners, the slaves were freed, and everybody was given a fresh new beginning. This was the Lord’s way of balancing the economy and keeping the rich from exploiting the poor

Jesus obviously did not go around forgiving dept and getting people out of prison

Remember the laws were a shadow of the real spiritual things that were to come.

Here is how Jesus freed captives- open blind eyes - and freed the oppressed

Luke 13:10–13 NLT

10 One Sabbath day as Jesus was teaching in a synagogue, 11 he saw a woman who had been crippled by an evil spirit. She had been bent double for eighteen years and was unable to stand up straight. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Dear woman, you are healed of your sickness!” 13 Then he touched her, and instantly she could stand straight. How she praised God!

Jesus tells us again what the problem was:

Luke 13:16 NLT

16 This dear woman, a daughter of Abraham, has been held in bondage by Satan for eighteen years. Isn’t it right that she be released, even on the Sabbath?”

Opened blind eyes

Jesus did this literally and also figuratively

John 9:39–40 NLT

39 Then Jesus told him, “I entered this world to render judgment—to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.” 40 Some Pharisees who were standing nearby heard him and asked, “Are you saying we’re blind?”

The greatest sight any person can be given is awareness of their sinful state and Christ’s redemption from it.