Luke 4:18-19 (NIV®)
“‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’”
Jesus was around thirty years old when He visited the synagogue in His hometown and read these words from Isaiah. Kind of astonishing for those in His day. They placed a lot of emphasis on the Word of God. So when Jesus stood up and read these words and then added that He was the fulfillment of that prophecy, those listening were shaken.
It is easy today to forget the significance of scripture. After all, it is just a really old book written by really old men a really long time ago. But the fulfilling of the prophecies in the Word of God are no joke, and Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of all that had been written then, and continues to be the fulfillment of all of that today.
He is the good news we need. The good news that poor, wretched, hopeless, sinful man can be reconciled to God. The good news that we no longer have to be slaves to sin or anyone or anything else because Christ has set us free. The good news that we don’t have to stumble through this life unable to see the truth, unable to identify spiritual forces at work in our day. The good news that we can have our spiritual eyes restored. The good news that we do not have to suffer under the oppression of those who would lie and tell us there is no hope and no chance of salvation. The good news that God has placed His favor on us.
After all the years of the rule of law, Christ came to give us a better way. He fulfilled all that the Father had prophesied through the prophets. We are the beneficiaries of that and have the privilege and honor of living in the freedom He brought to us. We can live at peace with God. Think about it. Think about all that He has saved you from. Think of all He has saved you for. Imagine all He has saved you to in the future. The Lord’s favor is upon us because Jesus came. He is the fulfillment of prophecy. I am grateful.