Wednesday, February 6, 2019
Luke 4:16-19 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.”
FOR SIN-WEARY HEARTS . . . SWEET NEWS!
Visualize the scene. A synagogue service is being conducted at Nazareth. Jesus, who only recently returned to His hometown for a visit, is there and is invited to read the Bible lesson. So He walks to the front of the synagogue, He is given the scroll of Isaiah, and unrolls it to the place where Isaiah describes the coming Messiah’s work. After finishing up the reading Jesus tells the assembled worshipers: “What you heard Me read from Isaiah has come true in your hearing of it this very day.”
Remarkable! Jesus was affirming that the work His Father called Him to do from eternity and that Isaiah spoke of 800 years before, He was now doing! This, in fact, was to be His work all through His earthly ministry. He’d take the Good News message of sins forgiven and life eternal in His name and broadcast it far and wide for the comfort of sin-weary souls, to hearts sad on account of their guilt, to hearts craving the assurance of God’s love and wanting to have the certainty of living in the glories of heaven beyond the grave. Jesus would tell people everywhere: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). “Be of good cheer. Your sins are forgiven” (Matthew 9:2). “Your faith has saved you; go in peace” (Luke 7:50). "I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever” (John 6:45).
Jesus continues to fulfill His divine mission as our Messiah-Savior today. As often as we join in confessing our sins at the start of the Sunday service and hear the absolution-words (spoken by the pastor in Christ's name): “God, your heavenly Father, has forgiven all your sins. By the perfect life and innocent death of our Lord Jesus Christ, He has removed your guilt forever. You are His own dear child” . . . whenever we receive His body and blood with the bread and wine in Holy Communion, it’s Jesus applying His healing Gospel to our sin-bruised souls.
How sweet the name of Jesus sounds In a believer’s ear!
It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds, And drives away his fear.
It makes the wounded spirit whole And calms the troubled breast;
'Tis manna to the hungry soul And to the weary, rest.
Dear name! The Rock on which I build, My Shield and Hiding-place;
My never-failing Treasury filled With boundless stores of grace.
(The Lutheran Hymnal, 364:1-3)
