The Acceptable Year

Illustration: post-Christmas…the tree is empty, excitement done, etc.

Luke 4:16–21 NKJV

16 So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. 17 And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; 19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” 20 Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Jesus was born for a purpose. God had promised His people a Savior. A King in the line and lineage of David through whom would bring the Kingdom of Heaven into the world. He was called Immanuel which means, “God with us.”

When God gave His only begotten Son so that those who believe in Him might be saved, He also gave Him the Spirit without measure (John 3:16, John 3:34).

After His baptism and a period in the wilderness being led by the Spirit, Jesus goes to Synagogue (Church), as was His custom. And when He stands up to read the Scriptures for the congregation, He reads a portion of text about Himself and His mission.

Jesus was born for a purpose. He was anointed by God to do some things:

Preach the gospel to the poor

Heal the brokenhearted

Proclaim liberty to the captives

Proclaim recovery of sight to the blind

Set at liberty those who are oppressed

Proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord

This is a chiasm of purpose. A chiasm is a poetic writing style used regularly in Scripture for repetition and clarity. It is like a sandwich: bread (top), mayo, meat, more meat, mayo, bread. This structure gives us an idea of what the author might be emphasizing. Here, the “good news sandwich” is good news, healing, freedom, healing, freedom, good news.

The repetition is important because it emphasizes the message and mission of Jesus.

Healing

One of the clear demonstrations of God’s good intention for people is the healing that is found in Jesus. Healing often accompanies the message of Jesus.

Isaiah 53:4–5 NKJV

4 Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.

Healing is a physical manifestation of a spiritual reality. It is a sign that God means to keep His promise to us.

Sin destroys our souls. It ruins our relationships. It makes us a target for shame and guilt. Sin is not simply an action. It is a spiritual disease that withers and weakens the soul.

When God heals a person physically, He is healing something that it temporary. Our bodies are destined to fade. We will all physically die (Hebrews 9:27). Those whose sins have been forgiven and who are awaiting the return of Jesus in faith and patience will receive the promise of eternal life and with that life, new imperishable and powerful bodies (1 John 2:25, Hebrews 6:12, 1 Corinthians 15:42-44, 53-54).

Jesus was anointed to bring healing to the sick and diseased. He was anointed to heal the broken body and the broken heart. He came to restore us physically, mentally, and emotionally so that we might prosper in His goodness (3 John 2).

Illustration: My healing of torn-biceps and then praying for friend to be healed of strep throat. When we are blessed it is natural to share that blessing (Matthew 10:8).

Being able to testify to what God had done in my life physically opened the door to spiritual conversations.

Freedom

Another critical component to the good news and a reason why Jesus came to the world is for freedom.

Galatians 5:1 ESV

1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

Before Jesus, we are prisoners to disordered desires. We are pulled in various directions by temptation and self. We are held captive to the flesh. But Jesus came to bring us into freedom from the control and domination of sin.

Romans 6:14–18 The Message

14 Sin can’t tell you how to live. After all, you’re not living under that old tyranny any longer. You’re living in the freedom of God. 15 So, since we’re out from under the old tyranny, does that mean we can live any old way we want? Since we’re free in the freedom of God, can we do anything that comes to mind? 16 Hardly. You know well enough from your own experience that there are some acts of so-called freedom that destroy freedom. Offer yourselves to sin, for instance, and it’s your last free act. But offer yourselves to the ways of God and the freedom never quits. All your lives you’ve let sin tell you what to do. 17 But thank God you’ve started listening to a new master, 18 one whose commands set you free to live openly in his freedom!

Illustration: In 1973 at a bank was robbed in Stockholm, Sweden. There was a six-day negotiation between the thieves and police to ensure they left the bank safely. Something baffling happened in that the majority of the bank employees who had been taken hostage became sympathetic to the hostages. So much so that even after being set free some of them refused to leave their captives. They went as far as refusing to testify against them in court and even raising money to help hire defense attorneys. This unusual response resulted in the term, “Stockholm Syndrome.”

Jesus came to bring freedom so that we can truly be free. His freedom is our freedom and we need to stand firm in faith so that we do not return to the control of the flesh.

Wherever Jesus went, He set people free. He continues to set captives free so that they can truly live in freedom from sin and walk in the abundance of peace and joy in the kingdom.

Good News

The Scripture that Jesus quoted actually comes from the prophet Isaiah. He said,

Isaiah 61:1–2 NKJV

1 “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn,

Did you notice that Jesus closed the book before He read that last phrase (Luke 4:19-20)? He did not keep reading, “And the day of vengeance of our God.”

Jesus did not come to proclaim God’s vengeance, but instead God’s favor. The year of the Lord’s favor was the year of Salvation. This was a reference to the Year of Jubilee.

The Year of Jubilee was a designated Sabbath year that took place every 49 years (Leviticus 25:8). During the Year of Jubilee debts were forgiven. This included economic debt, the restoration of family land that was sold to pay debt, and slaves that were sold to repay debt were liberated.

The good news was declared to the poor—those who had debts that they could not pay. Christ had been sent to rescue us from bondage in this evil age and to pay the debt of sin that we could not pay ourselves (cf. Galatians 1:4, Romans 6:22-23).

Matthew 5:3 NKJV

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus came to declare good news. Notice in His choice of texts there is not a mention of the Law or of rules or regulations. He simply comes with good news.

Conclusion

With Jesus, it is good news before good advice. When you hear the good news of Jesus and receive His offer of healing and freedom and forgiveness of debts and salvation you will be changed.

He heals our broken spirits, hearts, and bodies.

He frees us from the tyranny of sin and the prison created by disordered desire.

He forgives our sin debt and restores us to our place and purpose in His kingdom family.

Illustration: receive before benefit

The good news of Jesus has the power to save us and change us so completely—for all who believe (cf. Romans 3:21-26).

When God became flesh on Christmas morning, He came with a purpose. Though He had been speaking for centuries to His people through the prophets, and to the world through His people, this message was so important and so good that He came to tell the world Himself.

Jesus came to save. He came to heal and deliver and redeem. He came to declare that this was the Acceptable Year, the time of God’s favor.

If you receive that good news it will change your life. And as this good news changes your life, it will change others through you.

Will you receive the good news? Will you recognize that this is the year of God’s divine favor? This is the moment of healing and freedom and salvation to all who receive.