Our Scripture reading today is Luke 4:18-22.
Verse 18, "The Spirit of the Lord 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 recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,"
The Lord Jesus is reading from Isaiah 61. His first of many teaching-preaching times lays out the overall purpose of His time on Earth. He is not a military leader, but Someone Who is anointed and sent help the lowly. Sin always causes heartache and suffering. Jesus Christ came to eliminate any and all the affects of sin.
- To preach the gospel to the poor: Sin impoverishes, and the Messiah brings good news to the poor.
- To heal the brokenhearted: Sin breaks hearts, and the Messiah has good news for the brokenhearted.
- To preach deliverance to the captives: Sin makes people captive and enslaves them. It always brings bondage. The Messiah came to set them free.
- Recovery of sight to the blind: Sin blinds us, and the Messiah comes to heal our spiritual and moral blindness.
- To set at liberty them that are bruised: Sin oppresses its victims, and the Messiah comes to bring liberty to the oppressed.
It is our privilege to proclaim this same message to our world today. Your world...the people you know, the people you meet, and the people you pass by are in need of this same kind of healing.
We are all sent to proclaim HIS message!