◄ What Does Luke 4:18 Mean? ►

Jesus had been teaching the good news of the gospel of the kingdom to the lost sheep of the house of Israel for over a year. God's kingdom had finally arrived for He was indeed the promised King of Israel Who will one day sit upon the throne of His father David. Jesus was the prophesied Jewish Messiah and Saviour of the whole world Who will one day bring in His eternal kingdom, for He is King of kings, Lord of lords, and God incarnate.

Throughout His life, Jesus had regularly attended this very synagogue, and for over a year He had been healing the sick, casting out demons, and teaching that the time of God's favour had come to His chosen people.

He alone could proclaim: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent Me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those that are bruised and to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour." The year of the Lord's favour is the Sabbatical year of Jubilee when all debt will be cancelled and all slaves will be set free.

But despite His gracious words, inspiring teaching, and multiple miracles, the people did not believe that the local carpenter's son could be their long awaited Messiah and so because of their unbelief, He was not able to do many miracles there.

But how like the world in which we live today, where Jesus is hailed as a great teacher, a moral man, a charismatic character, a good influence, a person to be emulated, and even a prophet from God. But when hailed as God incarnate, the resurrected Son of Man, the only Way to Father, the non-negotiable Truth, the singular One through Whom alone we can receive eternal Life, and the righteous Judge (before Whom every knee will bow and every tongue will confess Him as Lord), the world despises, scorns, derides, and rejects Him.

But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed. Yet by grace through faith in Him our sins have been washed as white as snow and we have been forever forgiven of our sin, adopted into God's family, placed into the Body of Christ, and reconciled to the Father.

By grace through faith in Him, we have been redeemed by our Kinsman-Redeemer and received our new life in-Christ. We have been in-dwelt by the Holy Sprit, received a heavenly citizenship, and are now living stones that are being built up into the very dwelling place of the living God.

Praise God that He loved us so much that He sent His only begotten Son to preach the gospel to the poor, to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind. Praise God that Jesus set at liberty those who are bruised, and proclaimed the year of the Lord's favour to all who by faith have trusted in Him.

May we abide in Him and He in us until He comes to take us to be with Himself.

Heavenly Father, I stand amazed that You should love me so much that You sent the Lord Jesus to be my Saviour, to be wounded on my account, to die a cruel death on my behalf, and rise again on the third day so that by grace through faith in Him, I have been redeemed from the pit. He has healed me of my wounds, set me free from slavery to sin, given me a new life in Christ, and I have found my rest in Him. May I live My life in humble dependence upon You, day by day. In Jesus' name, AMEN.