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Jesus Came to Proclaim Good News to the Poor

Devotional Banner2015

Jesus came to proclaim good news to the poor.

And [Jesus] came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as was His custom, He went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and He stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” –Luke 4:16-19

After having been baptized by John and tempted in the desert, Jesus is now making His public debut in His hometown. Now, Nazareth was as about as sophisticated as a rural small-town in Mississippi. So imagine the hometown boy coming back after a short time away, stepping into a place of authority (teaching in a synagogue) and telling everyone that He is the fulfillment of the prophet’s words. Imagine that situation and you might better understand what happens in the subsequent verses, namely the towns people’s attempt to kill Jesus.

Jesus came to fulfill the words of the prophet. He came to bring good news to the poor. Certainly, the words of Jesus are meant to bring hope to those with little, those who have material need. But the subject is wider than that. The captive, the blind and the oppressed are also mentioned. It is the socially, politically, and economically disadvantaged and disenfranchised to whom Jesus brings good news, news of a far of country where everything is made right.

Jesus’ hearers were not upset at the message; they were upset that Jesus claimed He would be the one to bring it to fruition. So it is today. Messages and programs to help the disenfranchised are everywhere. In today’s climate laboring for justice for the oppressed is a form of social capital. But if you would like to claim Jesus as the exclusive means by which men might be set free from their chains, you will find yourself on the edge of a cliff.

The news from our Savior is indeed very good. He has come to make all things new, to declare the year of the Lord’s favor. He has come to turn the world on its head, and all of those who find themselves in need of a Rescuer rejoice.