Luke 4:14-21 (NIV)

Jesus Rejected at Nazareth

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.”

Reflection:

Of all the Old Testament prophets, Isaiah was noted as the one who most vividly predicted the coming of a Messiah. To give a bit of context of what was written on the scroll, we come to a time of political change. Judah finds itself in a time of greatness, being ruled by a king who sought the Lord and obeyed God. But upon his death, the Lord appears to Isaiah in a vision that warned of the judgment to come. But who will go to deliver this message that will certainly be rejected by the people. It is Isaiah who responds, “Here I am! Send Me” (Isaiah 6:8). It is with this reading that we hear Jesus declare his heart and mission - a foreshadowing for what He has come to fulfill - to proclaim “good news to the poor” and “the year of the Lord’s favor” - that which only He could proclaim and do.

Responding to the Transmission:

Jesus came with purpose and mission, to proclaim the good news to the poor and the year of the Lord’s favor. We are living in the time of the Lord’s favor where there is still time to respond to the Good News. But this time will end when Jesus comes back. Let’s recommit our lives today to tell others the Good News that Jesus has come to free us, save us, and heal us. Let’s pray that this would be the crux of our ministry and our walk with the Lord.