Can you imagine never having to apologize to anyone? Some people manage to do that, even when they should apologize. But Jesus never needed to say that he was sorry, because he never did the wrong thing. He never said the wrong thing. And he never thought the wrong thing. He was 100% flawless, perfect and holy.
Everything he did, he did well. He glorified and honored God. Add to this the fact that he did miracles and spoke the authoritative word of God.
Some people say the reason they aren't a Christian is because there are too many hypocrites in the church. But I would suggest that in many cases, this is nothing more than a shallow excuse to hide behind. Jesus lived a flawless life. He never did anything hypocritical. Yet the people in his hometown of Nazareth still didn't believe.
Luke's gospel tells us that one Sabbath day when he was in Nazareth, Jesus went to the synagogue, as his custom was. The attendant there who was in charge of the scroll gave it to him to read.
So, Jesus stood up and began reading from the scroll of Isaiah: "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" (Luke 4:18–19 NKJV).
When Jesus finished reading, he said, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing" (verse 21 NKJV).
The people would have understood what he was implying. They would have recognized that Jesus was making a clear claim that he was the Messiah of Israel.
And in this statement, Jesus also addressed the question of why he came to this earth.
First, he said that he came to preach the gospel to the poor. This refers to poverty of any kind, not only a lack of resources, finances, or possessions. It speaks of a conscious moral and spiritual poverty.
When someone doesn't have much materially, they are aware of their weakness. They are aware of their need. And often they are aware of their dependence on God for help.
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But when someone has a lot, typically they don't even think about God. When the bills are paid and they have money in the bank, they don't think they need God at all. But the person who may be poor, down and out, and hurting often sees their condition accurately and turns to Jesus Christ by faith.
Next, Jesus said that he came to heal the brokenhearted. There are a lot of ways we can get a broken heart. It can be a relationship that has broken up. It can be a marriage that's in trouble. We can get a broken heart when we're estranged from a son, daughter, mother, or father.
It's hard to mend a broken heart. No psychologist or psychiatrist can do it. A medical specialist can't do it. But Jesus said he came to heal the brokenhearted.
Do you have a broken heart today? God can heal it. That's exactly what he wants to do. He wants to bring healing and restoration to your heart. He is the Great Physician and has the exact answer that you need.
Third, Jesus came to proclaim liberty to the captives. From the original language, the word "captives" could be translated "prisoners of war." We are like spiritual POWs. The Bible teaches that the devil has taken us captive to do his will. He is able to manipulate the lives of so many people who don't even realize that he exists.
They think they're in control and are the masters of their own destinies when, in reality, the devil (whom the Bible identifies as the god of this world) is manipulating and running their lives.
Maybe you're bound by something right now – a habit or lifestyle or practice that you have tried to break free from, but to no avail. Jesus came to proclaim liberty to the captives. He can free you and change you.
Fourth, Jesus came to bring recovery of sight to the blind. The Bible teaches that before we become Christians, we are blind to spiritual truth. That was true for me. Before I was a Christian, I heard the gospel and had a respect for it, but I didn't understand it. I wanted to know God, but I couldn't figure it out.
The problem was that I was spiritually blind. But then one day, I got it. It clicked for me. God opened my eyes.
Before a person can become a Christian, his or her eyes need to be opened spiritually. There are no clever statements or insightful analogies, in and of themselves, that I could bring up to cause someone to believe. When people come to Christ, it's because God has opened their eyes spiritually and has helped them see their need for Jesus Christ.
Fifth, Jesus came to set at liberty those who are oppressed – or as one translation puts it, "crushed with life."
During the holiday season, more people check in to hospitals for psychiatric help because they're disturbed and upset. Their Christmas isn't like what they see on television. Maybe their problems are intensified because they're aware that their family is messed up or their life is messed up. But Jesus came to set at liberty those who are crushed with life.
Lastly, Jesus came to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. This refers to the time when God is looking in grace on those who are separated from him by sin. The acceptable year of the Lord is the time when the gospel is going out. The acceptable year of the Lord is right now.
Therefore, you ought to come to him now if you haven't already. Come to know his grace and love, and invite him into your heart and life. Don't wait until he comes with judgment for a sin-sick world.
The post When Jesus read from the scroll: 6 things he came to do appeared first on WND.
