II. THE SCROLL OF THE PROPHET ISAIAH ( Luke 4:17-19) Jesus basic message was that God cares. He preached that God is concerned about the poor, the brokenhearted, the captive, the blind, and the bruised. This teaching was not new; it can be found in the writings of the prophet Isaiah as todays lesson passage shows us. What was new was the universal thrust of the invitation. Now, not just the Jews would be invited into Gods Kingdom and given his salvation, but anyone could come to Gods table and feast on his redemption. Jesus reiterates this point in the Parable of the Great Banquet: And the lord said unto the servant. Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper (Luke 14:23-24, KJV). Jesus was throwing open the doors of heaven for the less fortunate of the world, and He was going to bless them richly: Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are ye that hunger now; for ye shall be filled (Luke 6:20-21, KJV). Jesus was now determined to bring the Good News to a world that truly needed saving (see Heb. 7:35). Leon Morris emphasizes this point well: Jesus saw himself as coming with good news for the worlds troubled people. Morris goes on to say, :The acceptable year of the Lord was Jesus way of referring to the era of His salvation.Gods new movement of salvation that would envelop the entire world was to focus especially on the poor. His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, was going to be the primary vessel to deliver this message. This message from God would culminate with His Sons dying on Calvarys cross to prove His love for all those entrapped in poverty and sin. This message would be clear for anyone. Jesus told His Disciples, And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me (John 12:32, KJV). Jesus promised all who were enslaved to sin that ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free (John 8:32, KJV). And if there was ever anybody who really needed to hear the truth directly from God God, it was and is the poor and brokenhearted of this world.
Posted on: Tue, 13 May 2014 01:46:48 +0000
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