Jesus Proclaims His Mission

GOLDEN TEXT: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and the recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord” —Luke 4:18,19

LUKE 4:16-24, 28-30

IN HIS covenant of sacrifice with his Heavenly Father, Jesus had agreed to do all that had been written of him “in the volume of the book.” (Ps. 40:7,8) When he was baptized at Jordan the Holy Spirit came upon him, anointing him to be the Messiah, the Christ. This anointing, or authorization, by the Holy Spirit included his ministry of the Gospel, the good tidings of the kingdom, as it had been outlined in Isaiah 61:1-3.

After his baptism, and after his temptation in the wilderness, Jesus “returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.” (Luke 4:14) Then he went to Nazareth, his home city, and on the sabbath day he went into the synagogue, and it was there that he read the outline of his commission from the prophecy of Isaiah, saying to his hearers, “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.”—vs. 21

There are various aspects of the Holy Spirit’s commission to proclaim the Gospel. First, the Gospel is to be preached to the “poor.” In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 5:3) The very wealthy may be “poor in spirit” in the sense of realizing their great need of God, whereas a pauper might be very proud of heart and have no hearing ear for the Gospel. Jesus was commissioned to proclaim the Gospel to the “poor in spirit,” those who were hungering and thirsting after righteousness.

Jesus was also commissioned to “heal the brokenhearted.” Jesus said, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matt. 11:28) The truth of the Gospel is a powerful healing agency for those who are weary and sad because of their own imperfections and the evils with which they are surrounded. It is “the power of God unto salvation.”—Rom. 1:16

Jesus was commissioned to “preach deliverance to the captives.” Isaiah’s account reads, “To proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.” (Isa. 61:1) Jesus quoted this as “bruised,” Greek, “crushed,” as in death. This does not refer to “captives” and “prisoners” in the ordinary sense.

The reference here, rather, is to those held captive in the great prison-house of death. The Gospel is a proclamation of liberty for all who are in the grave. Jesus said that all these would hear his voice and come forth. The fact of the resurrection is a very vital aspect of the Gospel, and the Holy Spirit commissioned Jesus to give assurance to all who would hear that the prisoners of death would be released. And that commission carries through to the kingdom time, when Jesus, as the “resurrection and the life,” will actually call the dead from death.

The anointing or commission of the Holy Spirit included proclaiming the “acceptable year of the Lord.” This is a reference to the special work of God during the Gospel age; that is, the calling and preparation of those who are to live and reign with Christ in his kingdom. These are invited to lay down their lives in sacrifice, and assured that their sacrifice is made acceptable to God through Christ. The age in which this work of sacrifice is being accomplished is therefore called the “acceptable” year, or time, in the divine plan.

Jesus proclaimed this feature of the Gospel. He invited his followers to deny themselves and to take up their cross and follow him. He told them that they would have the opportunity of drinking of his cup, and of being baptized with his baptism into death. He explained that this way of “acceptable” sacrifice would be very “narrow” and difficult, and that only a few, a “little flock,” would find it.

This same anointing of the Holy Spirit is upon the followers of Jesus, because they are “members” of his mystical body. We, too, are commissioned to proclaim every aspect of the Gospel, including the “acceptable year of the Lord.” And with us, also, if we are faithful even unto death, the commission will carry through to and include the actual work of restoring the dead world to life, for we will reign with Christ and will be associated with him in the great kingdom work of putting down all enemies of God and of righteousness, even death.—I Cor. 15:25,26

There is one feature of the divine commission for service mentioned in the original list, as given by Isaiah, which Jesus did not apply to himself; that is, “the day of vengeance of our God.” (Isa. 61:2) This day of vengeance was not due until the close of the Gospel age, the present “distress of nations with perplexity.” It is our privilege now to proclaim this truth.

QUESTIONS

Where did Jesus first minister after the Devil tempted him?

Who are the “poor” to whom Jesus and his followers are commissioned to proclaim the Gospel?

Who are the “brokenhearted” and how are they healed by the Gospel?

Who are the “captives” and “prisoners” to whom liberty is proclaimed?

What is the “acceptable year of the Lord,” and how is it proclaimed?

To whom, besides Jesus, does the commission of the Holy Spirit apply?

What is the “day of vengeance” and why did Jesus not proclaim it?

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