LUKE 4:14-21
Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit,
and news of him spread throughout the whole region.
He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all.
He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up,
and went according to his custom
into the synagogue on the sabbath day.
He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah.
He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.
Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. He said to them, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”
WHY DO WE NEED THE GOOD NEWS?
One of the hardest questions to answer is, “How are you doing?” How do you feel when people ask you this question? Some people are really doing wonderfully and are happy to share this – and that’s really a great thing. But for many people this is a hard question. Some may carry around past burdens, things that hurt them a long time ago, things that they just can’t let go off. Other people are in the middle of present pain, so much pain that they feel like they have to pretend that everything’s fine. And maybe yet others just feel so insignificant that they may think that they have nothing to say because no one actually cares.
Jesus comes to his home town synagogue, and he is to preach. How are the people there feeling? Are they all fine? What would they tell you if you asked them? Perhaps they’re a lot like we are.
The expectation in the room is great; “the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him”. I imagine the people excited and joyful, looking for the locally famous preacher to make them proud. There is approval, but also expectation: Jesus is expected to make them feel good.
The passage that Jesus chooses to read is from the prophet Isaiah. Who is the audience for Isaiah’s words? Think about the categories of people: the poor, captives, the blind, the oppressed – in other words, people who are not fine. This may be hard for you to accept. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, he has anointed me bring glad tidings to the poor.”
We need the glad tidings, the gospel of Jesus Christ, because we are not always fine. To be able to hear Jesus proclaiming glad tidings to you, you need to acknowledge in your heart that sometimes you’re not fine. And that’s okay to say, because it means we’re all in the same boat. The first part of hearing the good news is based on a realization that Jesus sees us as we really are, and that he loves us in this.
Good news means, glad tidings, liberty, recovery, freedom, a year acceptable to the Lord – everything the way that God intends it to be. The journey of faith, from lost to found, starts by knowing this: whether or not you’re fine, you are loved. Jesus has come for you.