Good Morning Friends,
“The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent
me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and
release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for
those who grieve in Zion -- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of
ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead
of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting
of the LORD for the display of his splendor.” (Isaiah 61:1-3)
This is a prophetic word that Jesus said
found fulfillment in His life and ministry. Jesus stood in the synagogue of
Nazareth, His hometown, unrolled the scroll that contained the writings of Isaiah
and read this passage. Then Jesus declared, “Today this scripture is fulfilled
in your hearing.” (Luke 4:21)
Isaiah listed the
things that Jesus, the Messiah, would come to do:
Preach the good
news of God’s grace to the poor, the spiritually poor.
Bind up the
brokenhearted, sharing God’s comfort with them.
Proclaim freedom
for those made captive by sin.
Proclaim release
for those caught in the darkness of wickedness.
Proclaim the year
of God’s favor and of His vengeance, a day coming when God will save and judge.
Comfort those who
mourn.
For all of the people in Isaiah’s day and for
all of us Jesus takes the trash of our lives, the ashes and marks of failure,
and turns them around. In Him, there is beauty, not ashes. There is gladness,
not mourning. There is praise, not despair. And in all of this God is glorified
in what He does in us.
Why would anyone follow Jesus? Read it again,
why would anyone not want to follow Him!
His, by Grace,
Steve
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