We’ll
be taking two posts on the next passage.
The
Passage
Matthew
4:13-16; Luke 4:16-30[1]
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. 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:
“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;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the
LORD.”
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. And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture
is fulfilled in your hearing.”
So
all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out
of His mouth. And they said, “Is this not Joseph’s son?”
He
said to them, “You will surely say this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal
yourself! Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your
country.’ ”
Then
He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country.
But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when
the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine
throughout all the land; but to none of them was Elijah sent except to
Zarephath, in the region of
Sidon, to a woman who was a
widow. And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and
none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”
So
all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with
wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow
of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over
the cliff. Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.
And
leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the
regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by
Isaiah the prophet, saying:
“The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
By the way of the sea,
beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles:
The people who sat in
darkness have seen a great light,
And upon those who sat in
the region and shadow of death
Light has dawned.”
A
Little Background
It
was customary in synagogue worship for a few leaders to read from the scrolls
(Old Testament), and they would often invite an honored guest to read. Jesus
had been getting much attention by traveling around Galilee teaching and
healing. Now, here He was in His old hometown, so they gave him the honor of
reading the scroll. Jesus read from Isaiah 61:1-2a which was a well-known
prophecy about the Messiah, the Anointed One.
Some
Explanation
“The Spirit of the LORD is
upon Me, because He has anointed Me...”
The act of anointing someone or something was done to set it apart for God’s
use only. Anointing was often done with oil that was smeared on the object or
person. When this was done that object was considered “holy” unto God’s use.
The act of anointing did not magically change the item into something of a
mystical holy nature. The idea of being holy meant to be “separated unto” for
one purpose only. It could not be used for any other purpose. The articles of
worship for the tabernacle were for God only. To use them otherwise would have
been a sentence of death. When Uzzah touched the ark (2 Samuel...) he died
instantly because the ark was holy.
“To
proclaim liberty to the captives... To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”
Both of these phrases refer back to Leviticus 25:10 (which by the way, for all
our history buffs...is the verse inscribed on our Liberty Bell.) What is
referred to there is known as Jubilee. The Law of Moses required that every
seventh day be a day of rest or Sabbath. Likewise, every seventh year was also
to be a year of rest for the land. No crops were to be planted. God promised to
provide an abundant enough harvest from the previous year so that the land
could replenish itself. Then, after seven sets of seven years (49), the
following year (50th) was to be known as Jubilee.
Jubilee
refers to the ram’s horn that was blown in celebration of the 50th
year when all debts were to be forgiven, all slaves[2] set
free, labor ceased and all land returned to its original owner.[3] Jesus
was declaring that He was the One promised by Isaiah 62; He was the fulfillment
of Jubilee.
Observations
and Insights
A
mortgage—a car payment—a school bill—medical bills and credit card debt—all of
them wiped away in one payment—oh what joy! What relief! Many of us have all of
these debts. Yet no matter how massive these debts seem, they pale in
comparison to the sin-debt I owe my Creator. Even the national debt is a drop
in the proverbial bucket compared to this.
I
find that it is easy for me to get caught up in the everyday circumstances and
chores of life. I can become oblivious to the reality of God and His truth.
Jesus is the fulfillment of Israel’s Jubilee that frees me from the debt of sin
that keeps me enslaved. The website www.gotquestions.org
explains it well:
The Jubilee
presents a beautiful picture of the New Testament themes of redemption and forgiveness.
Christ is the Redeemer who came to set free those who are slaves and prisoners
to sin (Romans 8:2; Galatians 5:1; 3:22). The debt of sin
we owe to God was paid on the cross as Jesus died on our behalf (Colossians 2:13-14),
and we are forgiven the debt forever. We are no longer in bondage, no longer
slaves to sin, having been freed by Christ, and we can truly enter the rest God
provides as we cease laboring to make ourselves acceptable to God by our own
works (Hebrews 4:9-10).[3]
It
is ever and always all about Jesus—Jesus is our Jubilee! Oh, the freedom! Did you catch that? HE SETS THE CAPTIVES FREE! That's me and every single human being. Do you have a particular sin that keeps you in bondage? I would like to recommend a ministry to you that focuses wholly on the Lord Jesus Christ and His Word. Every addictive bondage is addressed through the Word of God, and the Bible studies there are great for everyone. Please check out www.settingcaptivesfree.com
Enjoy the following song of praise as you worship the Lord Jesus and praise your Jubilee. I pray that we will all have a greater understanding of the depth and nature of our own sin debt and then become overwhelmed by the grace and love of the Lord Jesus Christ who paid its price for us. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I15coFa1ug0
Enjoy the following song of praise as you worship the Lord Jesus and praise your Jubilee. I pray that we will all have a greater understanding of the depth and nature of our own sin debt and then become overwhelmed by the grace and love of the Lord Jesus Christ who paid its price for us. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I15coFa1ug0
To
be so completely guilty, given over to despair
To look into your judge’s face, and see a Savior there...
To look into your judge’s face, and see a Savior there...
[1]
Note:
Much of the Harmony readings will be pieced together like a puzzle putting the
four Gospels together into one narrative. I am copying the order or
format from A Simplified Harmony of the
Gospels, George W. Wright, Holman Bible Publishers, 2001. However, I
am using the New King James rather than the HCSB. This order is from the
research of Wright and is open to discussion. Of course, you can also
read the passages side by side separately if you prefer.
[2]
Slavery
in Hebrew Old Testament culture was not the same as we identify slavery today.
For an excellent explanation see: http://www.gotquestions.org/Bible-slavery.html
[3]
For more
information: http://www.gotquestions.org/Jubilee.html
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