Saturday, September 17, 2005
Luke 4:18-19 "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."
DELIVERANCE
We have the same deep needs as the people of Nazareth.
You mean we are poor, brokenhearted, captives, blind, oppressed? Exactly! For this is Isaiah's picture of people as needy sinners -- pictures drawn from some of the horrific results of sin in this world. Yet the ultimate answer is not better doctoring or legislation against slavery, or better education. Sin needs to be torn up at the roots, its power over the human heart destroyed, its eternal consequences nullified.
When Jesus told the Pharisees that they are truly free whom the Son sets free, they responded that they were not in bondage to anyone. But as Jesus told them, this only proved how deeply they were enslaved -- for sin blinds people to their true condition. Human beings have gotten used to the chains of pride and lust and hatred.
Jesus' call is not heard by the self-satisfied and the self-righteous, but those whom the Spirit has brought to know that without God's gracious intervention and aid sin makes them beggars, captives, blind, oppressed. To such Jesus still speaks deliverance.
He did so in Nazareth. He still does the same today. Jesus still speaks the Word of life, the word of forgiveness, of peace with God. His Word still creates and sustains saving faith in His redeeming work.
