Anointed to Preach the Good News

KEY VERSE: “The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor.” —Luke 4:18

SELECTED SCRIPTURE: Luke 4:16-21, 40-43

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. It was there that he read the outline of his commission from the prophecy of Isaiah 61:1-3, saying to his hearers, ‘This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.”—Luke 4:21

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.” To be ‘poor in spirit’ means to realize one’s need of God and the riches he alone can provide. From the standpoint of worldly values a person may be wealthy, yet realize his need of that which money cannot buy, which is the favor and blessing of God. On the other hand, one may be poverty-stricken from a material standpoint, yet be proud, haughty, and self-sufficient. No one in this attitude can receive and appreciate the blessings of the Lord.

The truly ‘poor in spirit’ of this world realize that regardless of worldly treasure they are impoverished through the fall and its resulting separation from God’s favor. They are the ones who are ready to hear that a gracious opportunity has been given to be lifted out of poverty and to become unspeakably rich. It is stated concerning Christ that “though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.” (II Cor. 8:9) Paul also speaks of the “unsearchable riches of Christ.” (Eph. 3:8) This has been described as “riches beyond the discovery of human enterprise.”

The riches the Christian enters into by faith are riches which cannot be searched out by his own efforts, human energy, or hard work—but come as a gift. Through justification, and consecration to God, we have been inducted into the body of Christ, and Paul says that in Christ are “hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”—Col. 2:3

These treasures of wisdom and knowledge show us that through Christ we may become heirs of a grand and eternal inheritance: “Heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ.” (Rom. 8:17) Nevertheless, we are also shown that the future riches of heavenly glory depend upon our proving faithful stewards of what the Lord has entrusted to us during the present life. As the Master said, “If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?” (Luke 16:11) The true riches now imparted to the faithful include a knowledge of the truth—the “treasures of wisdom and knowledge”—or, as Paul expressed it elsewhere, “the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God.”—Rom. 11:33

The eternal riches beyond the veil are also “unsearchable,” in that they cannot be secured by human enterprise, but by a faithful conformity to the will of God, allowing him to work in us to will and to do his good pleasure. “The gift of God is eternal life.” So also the heavenly inheritance—yet from one standpoint a reward of faithfulness—it is the gift of God through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Rom. 6:23) The poet said, “Thou hast called us to a station we could never by merit win.”

Seeing that the Father and our Redeemer have arranged to bestow upon the called ones of this Gospel Age such boundless riches of his grace, what manner of persons ought we to be, in all holy conversation and godliness? (II Pet. 3:11) As Paul exhorted the church, so let us pray for one another, that we may walk worthy of the calling wherewith we are called (Eph. 4:1); seeking to become “rich in faith” (James 2:5); rich in grace, rich in wisdom and the knowledge of God; and to abound in love through the power of the Holy Spirit; setting our affections on the things which are above, for where our treasure is, there will our hearts be also.—Matt. 6:21

It was Jesus who proclaimed and opened up this feature of the Gospel to us. He invited us to follow him. This same anointing of the Holy Spirit is upon his followers, the poor of this age, who hear and heed his call. They, too, are commissioned to proclaim the kingdom of heaven to others who are “poor in spirit.”

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