Jesus was the advocate for the poor

JESUS WAS THE ADVOCATE FOR THE POOR
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Luke 4:18 18"TheSpirit of the LORD is on me,
because he has anointedme to proclaimgood news to
the poor. He has sent me to proclaimfreedom for the
prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the
oppressedfree
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
The PoorAnd The Gospel
Luke 4:18
W. Clarkson
A most significant fact that the first work of the Messiahshouldbe his
"preaching the gospelto the poor." What is the significance ofit?
I. BY THE POOR DIVINE TRUTH IS MOST NEEDED. Theirlife on earth
is the hardest; it is often one of unremitting toil; often one of severe privation,
almost destitute comfort and enjoyment; often one of serious and hard
oppression, in which the strong will of another robs of all liberty of action.
The past is sad, the presentgloomy, the future dark. There are no pleasures in
recollection, andthere is no relief in hope. How precious, how necessary, to

these are the joys which earth cannotgive and cannot steal - the treasures
which enrich the heart, the hopes which reachbeyond the grave!
II. BY THE POOR, DIVINE TRUTH IS MOST APPRECIATED. "How
hardly do they that have riches enter the kingdom of heaven!" Their time is
occupied, their minds are filled, with pursuits and pleasures whichare on an
earthly plane, and things higher and worthier are hidden from view. The
poor, though they have indeed their own temptations and their own errors
and failings, are yet more likely to see the Divine hand beckoning to them, and
to hear the heavenly voice calling them to wisdom and service and eternal joy.
And, as a fact, they do. The common people still hear Christ gladly, while the
wealthy and the strong and the famous are sitting at the feetof "the world,"
to learn its wisdom and to seek its favor.
III. TO THE POOR, DIVINE TRUTH IS CLEARLY AND MARKEDLY
OFFERED. It was, in fact, a very greatthing to say, "To the poor the gospelis
preached." It was one of the "watermarks"ofChristianity that our Master
made his appeal, not, as philosophy and theologyhad done before him, and as
science in our day is doing, to human learning and influence, but to the
unlettered and the lowly, to the multitude and the millions among men, to the
common human heart. Other systems had tried to reachthe lowerlevels by
affecting the heights of societyfirst. The gospelofJesus Christ "moves
upward from below." It teaches,cleanses, raisesthe people;and so it purifies
and exalts the nation. This is the Divine method, and must be ours. It is for the
Church of Christ to follow its Divine Master, to see that the signs of truth are
about its handiwork, and amongstthem this leading sign, that "to the poor the
gospelis preached." If this feature should be absent, it will be time for the
Church to be considering where it stands - how near to or remote from its
Master. - C.
Biblical Illustrator
The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to preach the
gospelto the poor.

Luke 4:18-22
The acceptable yearof the Lord
A. B. Bruce, D. D.
Every Christian would wish to know what were the first words spokenby
Jesus as a preacher of goodtidings. Two of the evangelists seemto gratify this
natural curiosity. According to Matthew the Beatitudes were the inaugural
utterances of the Galilean gospel;according to the third evangelist, notthe
sermon on the mount, but the sermon in the synagogue ofNazareth. There is
reasonto believe that neither of the sermons occupiedthe place of an
inaugural discourse. Luke himself knows ofthings previously done, and we
may assume said also, in Capernaum (ver. 23). Why then does he introduce
this scene atso early a place in the narrative? He has selectedit to be the
frontispiece of his Gospel, showing by sample the salientfeatures of its
contents. Probable that for St. Luke's own mind the emblematic significance
of the scene lay chiefly in these two features:the gracious characterof Christ's
discourse, and the indication in the close ofthe universal destination of the
gospel. These were things sure to interest the Pauline evangelist. It is a worthy
frontispiece, in respectboth of the grace and of the universality of the gospel.
1. In the first place the text of Christ's discourse was a most gracious one;
none more so could have been found within the range of Old Testament
prophecy. Made more gracious than in the original by the omissionof the
reference to the day of vengeance, andby the addition of a clause to make the
Messiah's blessedwork as many-sided and complete as possible.
2. If Christ's text was full of grace, His sermon appears to have been not less
so. That this was so the evangelistindicates when he makes use of the phrase
"words of grace" to denote its generalcharacter. Thatphrase, indeed, he
reckonedthe fittest to characterize Christ's whole teaching as recordedin his
Gospel, and on that very accountit is that he introduces it here.
3. In respectof the universal destination of the gospel, the scene is also
sufficiently significant. The attempt on the life of Jesus foreshadowsthe tragic
event through which the Prophet of Nazareth hoped to draw to Himself the

expectanteyes of all men. The departure of Jesus from His own town is a
portent of Christianity leaving the sacredsoil of Judea, and setting forth into
the wide world in quest of a new home.
4. The two features most prominent in this frontispiece are just the salient
characteristicsofthe Christian era. It is the era of grace, and of grace free to
all mankind. And on these accounts it is the acceptable yearof the Lord. It is
acceptable to God. It should be acceptable to us.
(A. B. Bruce, D. D.)
The interrupted sermon
H. R. Haweis, M. A.
In the course of His first preaching tour Jesus came to Nazareth. It was the
Sabbath. He entered the synagogue "according to His custom." Observe —
for the greatestrevolutionistthe world had ever seenthe current forms and
church services ofthe day sufficed. He was even willing to pour the new wine
into the old bottles till the old bottles burst. He enters the village synagogue —
His parish church. He offers to read the lesson;He ascends the pulpit; the
clerk hands up a roll of the prophet Isaiah; before Him are a curious medley
of faces — the easternwomen veiled behind lattice-work onone side, the men
of the village with a sprinkling of the tradesfolk and gentry on the other. He
unrolls the scroll and finds the place, Isaiah61:1. I wish our clergy would
always take care to find the right place — the suitable text — the passagein
season. In this case it was actually the lessonfor the day. So out of routine the
Lord brings life. He reads, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me." Ah, without
that spiritual concentrationin the pulpit as well as in the pew, priest may
preach and people may hear in vain: "He has anointed Me to preachthe
gospelto the poor." Yes, you neglected, suffering people, the Saviour of the
world places you on a level with the favoured of the earth. The permanent and
the spiritual belongs to you as much as to them; the same Father;the same
love revealed;the same heavenbeyond — are for you. "To heal the broken-
hearted." What a lift there is for the sorrowful in the sympathy of God, that

steals like summer light into the darkened room; no despaircan ever quite
keepit out. "Recoveryofsight to the blind." The mists of passion, the clouds
of prejudice, the veil of selfishness,the pall of spiritual ignorance, lo, at a
touch the scales fall off, you see yourselves as others see you, you know as you
are known, your heart grows pure, you see God. "To preach the acceptable
year of the Lord." There He stopped. The next words of Isaiahare, "The day
of vengeance ofour God." He would not break into that new train of thought
which might clashwith the spirit of His sermon. The lastwords of the text
should be words of peace, thoughthe end was to be tumult. "He closedthe
book, and satdown" to deliver His sermon. We shall never know what the
sermon was. It began with a searching application;no beating about the bush.
"This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears." It ended with that fierce
storm of invective which was the Lord's dauntless reply to the rage of an
envenomed minority. He has fascinatedthe majority. They "wonderedat the
gracious words," &c.;but the conceitedgentry could not bear to be lectured
by "a Carpenter," and they soonlet Him know it. "Enough of that," they
cried. "A sign! a sign! you can do wonders at Capernaum; give us a taste of
your quality here. A miracle is worth all this talk — unwholesome, democratic
talk about the poor, and a message forall men, and pray what is to become of
us if we are to be mixed up with the rabble?" It was all over with the sermon.
The knot of malcontents expressedtheir dissentloudly, and were resolvedto
break up the meeting. So Christ castHis bread upon the waters. The last
words maddened His adversaries, but they struck the secondkey-note of His
ministry. The first was "peace onearth; goodwilltowards men." A gospelof
healing, liberty, illumination, and comfort for all, beginning with the lowestof
the people. The secondkey-note was animplacable opposition to bigotry,
heartlessness,and formalism. "You want a sign? You shall have one. My signs
are the seals ofmy teaching. Those who acceptmy teaching get my signs. You
will have none of my message, youshall have none of my miracles. You are no
better than your fathers, who persecutedthe prophets. Were they not outcasts
and rejectedwanderers? There were many widows in Israel, but Elias only
healed the Gentile's son at Sarepta. There were many lepers in those days, but
Eliseus only healedNaamanthe Syrian. Syrian lepers and Gentiles go into the
kingdom before you." They would hear no more; they rose in their fury,
hustled Him out of the building, hurried Him up the steep, rockypath to the

summit of the hill, and would have castHim down, but His friends, doubtless
some of those sturdy Galileanfishermen, rallied around Him and got Him
clearof the village. In one way or another He passedthrough the crowd, on
His wayback to Capernaum and the Galileanshore. He left Nazareth, never
apparently to return. The secludedmountain village had indeed castHim out
— the world receivedHim.
(H. R. Haweis, M. A.)
The matter of Christ's preaching
G. Brooks.
I. I preachthat the greatatonementfor sin has been offered.
II. I preachthat the guilty may be forgiven.
III. I preach that the slave may be emancipated.
IV. I preach that the lost inheritance may be regained.
(G. Brooks.)
The Gospeland the poor
Canon Liddon.
That our Lord's ministry was eminently a ministry for the poor is a
commonplace which need not be insisted on. His relations were poor people,
with the associations, the habits, the feelings of the poor. He passedamong
men as the carpenter's Son. He spoke, it would appear, in a provincial north-
country dialect, at leastcommonly. His language, His illustrations, His entire
method of approaching the understandings and hearts of men, were suited to
the apprehensionof the uneducated. When He spoke the common people
heard Him gladly. When He was askedby what signs He could prove His
claims, He replied, among other things, "The poor have the gospelpreached
to them." His first disciples were poor men. As they lookedback upon it, the

grace ofHis example was felt by His disciples and servants to consistpre-
eminently in this: — "That, though He was rich," &c.
1. Notice the marked connection, in this and other passages,betweenthe
preaching of the gospelto the poor, and the gift of the Eternal Spirit.
2. The work of preaching the gospelto the poor is far from being either
commonplace or easy. Notice two mistakes whichhave been made in
undertaking it.(1) It has failed sometimes from a lack of sympathy with the
mental condition and habits of the poor.(2) The other mistake has been in an
opposite direction. Men who have sympathized warmly with the mental
difficulties of the poor have endeavouredto recommend the Christian faith
sometimes by making unwarranted or semi-legendaryadditions to it, and
sometimes by virtually mutilating it.
3. These considerations, then, may lead us to reflect that the connection
implied in the text betweenthe presence ofthe Spirit and the task of
evangelizing the poor, is not, after all, so surprising. To be sympathetic, yet
sincere;true to the messagewhichhas come from heaven, yet alive to the
difficulties of conveying it to untutored minds and hearts;sensible of the
facilities which a few unauthorized additions or mutilations would lend to the
work in hand, yet resolvedto decline them — this is not easy. Forsuch a work
something higher is needed than natural quickness of wit or strength of will,
even His aid who taught the peasants of Galilee in the upper chamber to speak
as with tongues of fire, and in languages whichmen of many nations could
understand. And the effort for which He thus equipped them continues still;
and His aid, adapted to new circumstances,is present with us as it was with
them.
(Canon Liddon.)
Ministry for the poor
W. E. Channing, D. D.
To awakena spiritual interest in the poor is my object.

1. The outward condition of the poor is a hard one, and deserving of our
sympathy — though not necessarilywretched. Give them the Christian spirit,
and they would find in their lot the chief elements of good.
2. The condition of the poor is unfriendly to the action and unfolding of the
intellect — a sore calamity to a rational being.
3. I proceedto another evil of poverty — its disastrous influence on the
domestic affections.
4. Another unhappy influence exerted by poverty is that it tends to breed
discontent, envy, and hatred — hence crime.
5. I pass on to another sore trial of the poor — the temptation to make up for
their anxieties and privations by resorting to debasing gratifications — drink,
&c. Yet —
6. The highest culture is in reach of the poor, and is sometimes attained by
them. The greatidea on which human cultivation especially depends is that of
God.
7. We are solemnly bound, therefore, to cherishand manifest a strong moral
and religious interest in the poor. Every man whom God has prosperedis
bound to contribute to this work. The Christian ministry is a blessing to all,
but above all to the poor. If there be an office worthy of angels, it is that of
teaching Christian truth. The Son of God hallowedit by sustaining it in His
own person.
(W. E. Channing, D. D.)
Christ the greatHarmonizer
The gospelis the greatharmonizer of all the conflicting interests of human
society. It alone canelevate the "masses";it alone can reclaim the fallen. Dr.
Alexander M'Leod, in his "Christus Consolator," says that"when Orsted
first exhibited to Frederika Bremer the beautiful and now familiar
experiment of sand-grains upon a glass plate arranging themselves, under the

influence of a musicalnote, in symmetrical and harmonious figures, this
reflectionpassedthrough the mind of the lady: 'A human hand made the
stroke that produced the note. But when the stroke is made by the hand of the
Almighty, will not the note then produced bring into exquisitely harmonious
form those sand:grains which are human beings, communities, nations? It will
arrange the world in beauty, and there shall be no discord, and no
lamentation any more.'" This is right. That divinely musical note is the
preaching of the glorious gospelof Christ.
The powerof Christ's sympathy
Christian Journal.
Some time ago, a Christian young lady was visiting a lunatic asylum, and her
soul was filled with sadness andpity with the sights she saw. By and by she
was led into a room where there was but one patient, a young girl of the same
age as herself. She was standing in the cornerof the room, her face almost
touching the wall. IN stony hopelessness she stood, immobile and rigid as a
statue. She neither lookednor spoke. She might have been as dead as the
statue she representedbut that she still stoodon. It was a heart-breaking
spectacle."Willyou speak to her?" askedthe doctor, "we cando nothing with
her. She has been thus for days; but one like yourself might move her." The
young lady, trembling with emotion, with one upward cry to heavenfor help,
stepped forward, gently laid her hand on the listless form and, with tears in
her eyes, spoke one sentence ofyearning sympathy and compassion. The poor
patient turned, gazedfor one moment, her form quivered, and she burst into
tears!The doctor exclaimed, "Thank God, she may be saved!" The visitor
could never recallthe words she had used; but they had done their work. This
poor, wreckedgirl, who thought that nobody knew or caredfor her, had felt
the heart that pitied her, the hand stretchedour to help her. O the power of
tears!the magic of sympathy I It is the sympathy of Christ that calls a mad,
despairing world to itself — to its better self.
(Christian Journal.)

The cold comfort of worldly philosophy
Dr. M'Cosh's "Certitude, Providence, and Prayer."
Some years ago (says Dr. M'Cosh) I had a call at my house in Ireland by a
young nobleman with whom I was at that time intimate, and who has since
risen to eminence as a statesman(I mean Earl Dufferin), who introduced to
me his friend Lord Ashburton. The nobleman introduced took me aside and
said, "You know that I have lately lost my dear wife, who was a great friend
of Mr. Carlyle's; and I have applied to Mr. Carlyle to tell me what I should do
to have peace, and make me what I should be. On my making this request he
simply bade me read Goethe's 'Wilhelm Meister.'I did so, and did not find
anything there fitted to improve me. I went back to Mr. Carlyle, asking him
what precise lessonhe meant me to gatherfrom the book;and he said, 'Read
"Wilhelm Meister" a secondtime.' I have done so carefully, but I confess I am
unable to find anything there to met my anxiety; and I wish you to explain, if
you can, what Mr. Carlyle could mean." I told him that I was not the man to
explain Carlyle's meaning — if, indeed, he had any definite meaning. I told
him plainly that neither Goethe nor Carlyle, though men of eminently literary
genius, could supply the balm which his wounded spirit needed; and I
remarkedthat Goethe's work containednot a little that was sensual. I did my
best to point to a better way, and to the deliverance promised and securedin
the gospel. I do not know the issue, but I gotan eagerlistener. Carlyle wished
to persuade his mother, a woman of simple but devoted piety, that his
advancedfaith was the same as that which she held firmly, and so much to her
comfort, only in a somewhatdifferent form. But, in fact, the mother's faith
was crushed in the form in which the sonput it, when it became a skeleton, as
different from the life which sustainedher as the bones in our museums are
from the living animal.
(Dr. M'Cosh's "Certitude, Providence, and Prayer.")
Prayer helps emancipation

This instructive anecdote relating to PresidentFinney is characteristic. A
brother who had fallen into darkness and discouragementwas staying at the
same house with Dr. Finney over night. He was lamenting his condition, and
Dr. F., after listening to his narrative, turned to him with his peculiar earnest
look, and with a voice that sent a thrill through his soul, said, "You don't
pray: that is what's the matter with you. Pray — pray four times as much as
ever you did in your life, and you will come out." He immediately went down
to the parlour, and taking the Bible, he made a serious business of it, stirring
up his soul to seek Godas did Daniel, and thus he spent the night. It was not
in vain. As the morning dawned he felt the light of the Sun of Righteousness
shine upon his soul. His captivity was broken; and ever since he has felt that
the greatestdifficulty in the way of men being emancipatedfrom their
bondage, is that they "don't pray." The bonds cannotbe broken by finite
strength. We must take our case to Him who is mighty to save. Our eyes are
blinded to Christ the Deliverer. He came to preach deliverance to the captive,
to break the power of habit; and herein is the rising of a greathope for us.
Christ the Emancipator
H. W. Beecher.
A doctrine with which the hearts of men are universally in sympathy. Men
want the restrictions and limitations around them to be destroyed. It is not
merely the few who are actually in dungeons that want it. Thousands are in
dungeons, around whom no stone wall is reared. Men in generalhave a
consciousnessofbeing prisoners, without actually being under military rule
and ward. Men are bearing bonds, and are bruised, who are not in the actual
relation of service;the consciousnessofcircumscription, of limitation, and of
suffering under various forms of bondage, is universal.
1. The first blow which Christ strikes for the enlargementof men's liberty
wears the appearance ofthe opposite;it is at the tyranny of sense and
sensuousnessin the individual. Man cannotrun awayfrom himself. Christ
emancipates him from this bondage by introducing him into the higher course
of nature; into that sphere in which, in his relations to God, he is actedupon

preciselyas in a family children are actedupon by the living presence and
powerof a goodfather and mother. Then the Divine influence becomes more
active in him than the flesh, and he achieves a victory over himself — the
nobler nature having gainedascendancyoverthe lower.
2. Christ delivers us from our bondage to secularconditions. The light and life
that we receive by faith make us superior to our circumstances, so thatwe can
maintain our manhood, not only in spite of adverse surroundings, but even by
reasonof them; working out through adversity and trouble what men in
prosperity and joy fail to find.
3. Christ is an Emancipatorin another way also. There is a power given to
men through faith in Him, to setthemselves free from the greatsource of
those cares, infirmities, and annoyances which chiefly afflict life. If pride be
essentialto a noble character-andit is; if the love of praise be one of the
civilizing elements — and it is; if both of these influences conjoinedunder
right directions and inspirations tend to ennoble, to soften, to sweeten, andto
beautify human nature — and they do: on the other hand, pride and vanity in
their corrupt forms tend to bring upon men in the most acute ways many
sufferings which afflict them — for our troubles are mainly of our own
making. He who is nervously sensitive to praise is in greatdistress when he
fears the withdrawal of praise or popularity. He who has an intense
consciousnessofhis own excellence and desertis continually harried and
annoyed and irritated by a lack of that respectand appreciationof which he
has himself so supreme a sense. All the world are over-proud, or over-vain, or
both; but he who has subdued his pride, and, by the love of God shed abroad
in his heart, has turned it to higher and nobler uses;he who, lacking nothing
of sensibility to praise, yet believes in the presence of God, wants praise only
for supernal things, and disdains the offering of praise for things meagre and
mean and low and vile; because he sets his standard, not according to the
current ideas of human society, and not according to the ways of men who are
unillumined, but according to that higher and nobler manhood which was
revealedin Jesus Christ — he is emancipatedfrom this universal bondage.

4. Christ emancipates from the bondage which comes through ignorance and
superstition. It is for men to choose whetherthey will govern themselves or be
governed. It must be one or the other.
(H. W. Beecher.)
Christ's method of emancipation
H. W. Beecher.
How strangelyChrist comported Himself! The Jewishpeople were at that
time living under one of the worstforms of Roman despotism, and there was a
universal desire all over Palestine that the land should be emancipated;yet He
never said one word to that effect, or performed one acttowards that purpose.
The prisons of Judea were crowded, to be emptied by the executioner, and
hundreds of thousands were lying in hopeless darkness;yet we do not hear of
Him taking up a single case. There was slavery, with all its cursed attendant
influences, spread through the civilized world; yet in all our Lord's discourses
we do not find a single word of reference to this condition of affairs. When He
died there was not one prison less in the land, nor one prisoner; there had
been no casting awayof chains or manacles, and the black darkness ofthe
people had not been lightened. Nor did His apostles, whenthey took up His
work after Him, disturb the order of society, orrevolutionize government by
the sword. On the contrary, they enjoin most explicitly, " Obey the
magistrates;obey the powers that be; obey the laws that are meant for good,
howeverbadly they may be administered." And so men sometimes saythat
Christ did nothing at all, that He came on a fool's errand. But, remember,
there are different ways of doing the same thing. Christ came to raise the
human race, to develop it one step higher, to construct kingdoms, establish
arts, rear manufactories, elevate knowledge — to make men happier, truer,
more perfect everywhere. He came to do this, not by working outwardly, but
by working inwardly. He did not come to found new institutions, or to
overturn old institutions. He came to produce such a state of heart in man
throughout the whole race, that the unavoidable outworkings of this new
powerwould be Ultimately to change all institutions and redeem the world

from animalism, crime, and oppression. Look at this internal working of
Christ. He deals with men, not in the mass, but one by one; and He deals with
the moral sentiments, subjecting all the others to them. The whole order
inside a man is changed by the influence of Christianity from lower to higher,
from flesh-man to spirit-man. The sovereignand central force employed in
this transformation is love. Christ undertakes to reconstructthe dispositions
of men by bringing into supreme agencythis transcendentlove.
1. Christ's gospelwas a more perfect disclosure ofthe greatnatural law as
applied to men than had ever been understood, or is understood to-day. There
is an unused principle in the human soul which, brought out by the stimulus
of the Divine afflatus, can cleanse the whole lowernature of man and deaden
the passions, notby direct attack, but by giving principle and authority to
their opposites, and shape to the inspiration-the central principle — love. It
was there before Christ came, only men did not know it; and so, until brought
out by Christ, it was a dead thing. He has put life into it, and through it into
men.
2. Christianity never has been, and never can be, contained wholly in the New
Testament. The gospelis only a hint and a guide to a higher nature, which
needs to be developed. If I take a handful of wheat from my granary, there is
a promise of a hundred bushels in it — only a promise, however. It must be
sownbefore the promise can be realized. So with the gospel. Everything of
knowledge that tends to the elevationof the human family is an unfolding of
Christianity. If there is anything goodfor man, capable of reconstructing his
nature, it is part and parcel of that human nature which is broader than the
earth and deeper than eternity; it is part of that Divine nature by which a man
is raised up to the glorious florescenceofmanhood and carried up to the
angels;and I hold and rejoice in everything that develops man, and assists in
the building of the new world.
3. The progress of this new kingdom has been very much hindered by the
materializing influences of man.(1) The incarnation of spiritual forces in
outward institutions. Men are always apt to pay more attention to the form
than to the spiritual reality it embodies.(2)The substitution of ideas for forces.
What is being a Christian but to be the embodiment of tender-heartedness,

generosity, self-denial, self-sacrifice— a desire for the welfare of others, even
though at the expense of your own? What is Christianity, if not this? Names
are nothing; being is everything. The power of the gospelis the promulgation
of dispositions. It is the heart-life. The heart wears the crown, ,and the
intellect is its servant, walking behind it, asking what it shall and shall not
do.(3) The substitution of worship for morality. How can a man who is living
in sin love God? How can a man be a partakerof the love of peace and joy if
he has not the spirit of long-suffering, gentleness, forgiveness, within him?
Morality is God's method when developedto the uttermost. Men will not be
acceptedfor being so obsequious to God, while they remain indifferent to
their fellows.(4) The substitution of justice for Divine love. When we can open
spring flowers by spring frosts, when we canripen summer fruits by summer
thunder-storms, and bring tranquillity by tempests, then you may by rigour
and threat have God's work in the soul — God's humility, love, patience, self-
sacrifice, forbearance, temperance.We hardly know our God under such
doctrine. Oh, Sun of Righteousness!Thou art not known by the tempest, nor
by the earthquake, but by-the still, small voice — love; and religious truth will
never be thoroughly understood until men are transformed into love, with
that systemwhich enthrones God as the universal cause, who knows how to
suffer most because He loves.
4. The road to liberty is a very simple one. Once change the unit and you
change the sum; begin with changing individuals, and you transform local
public sentiment. Laws, customs, and institutions must take on the same form.
No royal road to liberty, largeness,and freedom, exceptthat which comes
from the perfectionand exaltationof human nature; no true nobility until
mankind touch mankind, neighbourhood neighbourhood, nation nation. We
are scatteredhere and there. When are we to collectin communities like
bands of Christian graces allattuned to eachother, working out a visible
result? When that time comes men will say, "Human nature never was so
beautiful before as it is here." That is gospel. It appeals to, and changes, the
heart.
(H. W. Beecher.)

The slavery of unrest
E. Irving, M. A.
We do not require to be delivered from Egyptian bondage, or Greciancruelty,
or the Roman yoke;but we have lust, and we have passion, and we have the
restlessnessofcare, and we have the fears of anxiety, and we have vanity and
ambition, and a thousand other incendiaries and tyrants which abuse our
bosom while yet under the bondage of sinful nature, and which still abuse the
peace and welfare of all who have not been emancipatedby the Cross of
Christ. The captivity of sin seems no captivity to many. There are sleeping
draughts of pleasure with which tim devil serves his servants. There are vain
shows of pride, and castle-buildings of ambition, and dreams of wealth, by
which the spirits of people are charmed awayfrom the thought of their
condition. But it is a miserable trick played off on the immortal soul, and at
every instant it is liable to a fearful exposure. It is a fabric of grandeur built
over a horrid sepulchre, on which it totters and shakes,and at length falls on
the ambitious wight who trusted thereto. It is a wretchedbondage to be
captive to sin, though you were at large without any on the earth to make you
afraid. It is not the narrowness ofthe dungeon, or of his knowledge, wealth, or
power, that makes a man a slave; it is the disrepose, the unrest of the mind,
the coveting the things we cannot have, the fearing of things we cannotavoid,
the meeting of things we cannotbrook, the hoping for things we cannot have,
the enjoying of things we cannotkeep. Thus to be, is to be in slavery;and not
to be thus, is to be free What unchristian man is there who is not thus? There
is a discord betweenour spiritual man and this our earthly habitation, which
nothing but the religion of Jesus canappease.
(E. Irving, M. A.)
The acceptable yearof the Lord: Jubilee year
J. M. Wilson, M. A.
If you turn to Leviticus 25. you will see whatthe arrangements of the Jewish
jubilee were. It was intended to cure four great political evils which oppressed

that nation, and which have oppressedmany nations since — viz., slavery,
debt, chronic pauperism, and alienationof the land from the people. The
Jewishjubilee was a system intended to abolish by anticipation all these four
greatevils. Every fiftieth year every man who had been a slave was setfree;
he could not be kept in slaveryafter that year of jubilee. Every one was then
restoredto freedom; the nation took a fresh start of freedom. Men became
slaves for various reasons;they might have been captured in war, they might
have sold themselves into slavery in the payment of debts, or in severalother
ways — but in the year of jubilee all were set free. There might have been an
accumulation of debts which they were unable to pay off altogether, but at
this jubilee debts were all cancelled. Chronic pauperism was to be cured by
making certain provisions every seventh year and fiftieth year, by which those
who had sunk through incapacity, or illness, or intemperance, or from
whatevercause it might be — at this time they had an opportunity of starting
again. It was not possible for any family to part with its hereditary property
irrecoverably: at the yearof jubilee all went back to its original owners. Such
was the system; but there is no proof that it was evercarried out. Neither the
Old Testamentnor any other history affords the slightestevidence that these
laws were ever observedas a whole. When they are examined, one can see
such difficulties that it would require strong evidence to convince us that such
laws had workedat all. Still they remained on the statute-book, and therefore
formed the ideal and the hope of the people;but the ideal never came. Why
did it not come? Becausethese laves presupposeda condition of morality, of
brotherliness, of goodfeeling among the people, which never existed. When
laws are pitched in too high a key they become as it were dead laws. The laws
do not precede morality; they follow it, they perpetuate, they registerit. A
nation tins to raise its standard of morality; then the laws can be made which
will perpetuate that morality; but you cannot make the laws first. It would be
of no use for any Government now to make some law far above the standard
of existing morality, because the law could not be worked. That was the case
in Judah. It would presuppose a willingness to part with their property, a
willingness to give up their slavery; it would presuppose willing industry again
on the part of the people, and a greaterlevelof mental and moral equality
among them than ever existed;and so the law remained simply a dead letter.

(J. M. Wilson, M. A.)
The jubilee spirit in Christianity
J. M. Wilson, M. A. .
The Jewishjubilee was a legislationwhich never worked. Let us see what
Christianity has done instead in the way of socialreform.
1. Christianity has abolishedslavery. Not by preaching direct political action,
but by preaching the equality of all men as children of God. It has given men a
new interest in one another, and a new relationship to one another, secretly
transforming human character, so that slavery became impossible and melted
awayas ice — which will not melt under blows — melts before the sun.
2. If, again, you considerhow cruelly debtors were oppressed, you will see how
wonderfully that has been changedby the influence of Christ. Some of the
best Romans that ever lived complacentlyconsignedtheir debtors to slavery;
and in other countries debtors were imprisoned and their lives rendered
hopelesslymiserable;but Christianity has greatlyaltered such things, and has
compelled mankind to treat debtors with humanity.
3. The evil of chronic pauperism still faces us, and we can see no conceivable
method of getting rid of it, except by a wider spread of true Christian feeling
among the whole population. What else can we look to? Legislation? How can
legislationdo it? Legislationwill not make people industrious, and skilful, and
self-restraining. Nothing else but Christian principles of love and virtue will
do that.
4. Alienation of land. Legislationcould not completely getrid of this evil, for
the simple reasonthat the nation is not yet goodenough. If to-day there were
three acres and a cow given to every man in England, before ten years, or
even one year, had elapsedthere would be some with thirty acres and ten
cows, andthe rest with none. The nation has not sufficiently advancedin
morality, industry, and self-controlfor such an equality to exist, and the
attempt to force it would only produce idleness. But reform will come in the

way Christ indicated: it will come from the inner spirit. When men become
better, then happiness and prosperity will naturally follow. There is no cure
for the evils of this world — its competition, and crushing, and failure —
exceptthis inner reform of the spirit, the faith in Christ, and the love of God
and of man. Like all God's laws, it works slowly;but it is sure, and in the end
it will bring about that for which it was framed.
(J. M. Wilson, M. A. .)
The joy of acquiring liberty
Henry R. Burton.
— In the dark days of American slavery, a very fine Mulatto woman and her
nearly white boy were raffled for. Two kind men paid a share eachfor the
woman and her boy, so that they might have two chances fortheir freedom.
After all the others who had a share in that lottery had thrown the dice, the
poor woman was so overpoweredby hopes, fears, and solicitude, that she
could not throw for herself. Her boy, therefore, threw for her, and was
unsuccessful. Thenthe boy had to throw for himself, and there many hopes
and prayers that he might win. And he did, and the joy of the mother and son,
on acquiring their liberty, was indescribable. So Jewishparents and their
children rejoicedin the year of jubilee as they went forth from bondage to
liberty, and from poverty to posseses the inheritance of their fathers. But,
when "Christ makes us free," by "the truth," from spiritual ignorance, sin,
Satan, and evils, into "the glorious liberty of the children of God," with its
precious and eternal heritage of blessings, we then feel —
"A day, an hour of virtuous liberty,
Is worth a whole eternity of bondage."
(Henry R. Burton.)
Nazarethand its goodnews

H. Bonar, D. D.
The Lord here, quoting Isaiah, states His mission to be the preaching of the
acceptable yearof Jehovah. Let us inquire what the acceptable yearof the
Lord is, and how He preachedit.
I. THE ACCEPTABLE YEAR OF THE LORD. This expressioncorresponds
to that of Paul, "the acceptedtime," "the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians
6:2); and means that there is a time when Godaccepts or shows favourto the
sinner. It is what Ezekielcalls "the time of love"; what our Lord calls "the
time of visitation" (Luke 19:44); and what we usually call "the day of grace."
Every era has its character, and the characterof this is "grace." In it the long-
suffering of God gets full vent to itself, and His almighty love is pouring itself
down upon an unworthy world.
II. How CHRIST PREACHED THIS ACCEPTABLE YEAR. This preaching
of the acceptable yearwas to run through His whole life and ministry.
1. In His personHe preachedit; for His mere presence upon earth among
sinful men was an announcement of it. Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
2. He preachedit by what He did. He went about healing all manner of
sicknesses, andall manner of diseases.
3. He preachedit by what He did not do. He did no deeds of terror, and
wrought no miracles of wrath or woe.
4. He preachedit by what He said. His words were all of grace;and even the
sharp rebukes againstscribes and Pharisees were the warnings of grace, not
of wrath.
(H. Bonar, D. D.)
The work of Christ
J. Venn, M. A.

I. OUR FIRST INQUIRY SHALL BE RESPECTINGTHE CHARACTER
OR CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE PERSONSDESCRIBED IN MY TEXT.It
seems clearthat this whole passage is metaphorical!for, allowing that a literal
sense may be applied to parts of it with propriety, yet there are other parts
which will not bear that sense. Theseimages serve onlyto present, under
different aspects, the sad state of those whom Christ came to deliver, and the
blessedeffects ofthat deliverance.
1. Their actualcondition is representedas very deplorable; for what image
can express greatermisery than that of captives treated with the barbarous
rigour of those times; immured in dungeons; loadedwith fetters; bruised with
stripes; perhaps like Zedekiah, the unfortunate king of Judah, deprived of
sight as well as liberty. Yet this is a very just image of every man's condition
who is under the powerof sin.
2. Yet it is possible that there may be this state of sin, comprehending all these
awful circumstances ofmisery and danger, without any concernabout it, or
even any distinct perceptionof it. This, however, is by no means the case with
the persons here represented. They are not only captives, but they are broken-
hearted in their bondage. All such expressions denote the true Christian
temper, that which our Lord inculcated under the names of humility and
poverty of spirit; and which both Christ and His apostles meantby the more
significant word, "repentance."It includes a consciousnessofdemerit; a due
sense ofthe evil of sin. This frame of mind may comprehend different degrees,
or even kinds, of uneasiness, on accountof sin. The metaphors which are here
used illustrate these. It is one kind of distress to feel the pressure of poverty; it
is another to endure the yoke of bondage;and a third, to lose the organ of
sight.
II. BLESSED BE GOD, HOWEVER, THERE ARE SOME WHO KNOW
THEIR UNWORTHINESS, AND ARE HUMBLED ON ACCOUNT OF IT.
These are the persons intended in my text, and such will gladly hear the
gracious office which the Redeemersustains to save them. This office is here
delineated under severalviews. Is the state of sinners described as a state of
greatsuffering? Christ brings them deliverance. As a state of bondage? He
grants them liberty. Under the image of a brokenheart? He communicates

peace and consolation. Orunder that of poverty? He tells them of recovered
birthrights, and of a glorious inheritance above. Let us briefly considerthese
severaloffices.
1. Christ takes awaythe sin of those who truly repent and apply to Him by
faith.
2. They are freed also from the powerof sin.
3. It is the office of the Saviourto impart peace to the soul.
4. The title to a glorious inheritance is also conferredby Him upon those that
believe. As in the yearof jubilee every inheritance which had been sold
reverted to its original owners;as every debt was cancelledand every captive
setfree — in the same way does the gospelproclaim a jubilee to repenting
sinners. It institutes a new order of things for them; with new resources, and
hopes, and privileges, and prospects.
(J. Venn, M. A.)
The gospeljubilee
Bishop DanielWilson.
Such is the tendency of Christianity; such are the gifts of the Holy Ghost
poured out upon the Church; and such is the spiritual jubilee; such the
acceptable yearof the Lord which Christianity proclaims to the world and the
misery thereof.
I. CONSIDERTHE JUBILEE OF THE GOSPELAS REGARDS THE
FIRST PROMULGATION by Christ and His apostles.
II. THE PROGRESSIVE CONVERSIONOF MANKIND.
III. THE MISERY AND SORROW THIS DISPENSATION HAS BEEN
INSTRUMENTALFROM TIME TO TIME IN RELIEVING. The tendency
of Christianity and the gospelis to infuse, in proportion as it is understood,
brotherly love, and sympathy with every effort which is made for the relief of

individual suffering, as well as for the emancipation of the world. It is directly
opposedto oppressionand cruelty; it abstains from questions of earthly
politics and disputes about particular forms of government; it avoids all
factious and dangerous innovations, and goes to the support of existing order,
which, although it may in some casesbe defective, is infinitely better than the
wild disorder of uncontrolled passionand fierce self-love. It therefore enjoins
obedience to the magistrates, and calls upon its followers to "fearGod and
honour the king," giving thanks always for all things unto God the Father, in
the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And I apprehend the union of these two
points shows the tendency of Christianity to dispose all governors,
propagators oflaws, and all in authority, towards all measures ofrelief,
justice, equity, and the considerationofthe poor. It is the means of
communicating every blessing to society, and insensibly tends to break every
yoke, and set right every disorder.
(Bishop DanielWilson.)
Preaching the gospel
C. S. Robinson, D. D.
I. Let us notice that JESUS CHRIST BEGAN HIS WORK IN NAZARETH
WITH A QUOTATION FROM THE BIBLE. The source ofall Christian
poweris in "preaching the Word."
II. It is well to keepin mind that WE HAVE A MUCH LARGER BIBLE
THAN JESUS HAD. We have the New Testamentas well as the Old
Testament:what He spoke as well as what He expounded. It is not what we
say about the truth that helps and saves souls, but the truth.
III. When people come to us for help, the thing to do is simply to FIND
SOMETHING IN THE WORD FOR THEM.
IV. CURIOUS AND DIFFICULT QUESTIONS THAT CHRISTIANS ASK
HAVE THE SIMPLEST SORT OF ANSWERSIN THE WORD. AS to
grounding our hope firmly, Matthew 7:24 is better than anything we can say

ourselves. To encouragea man who fears ridicule, Mark 10:48 is excellentand
effective. Exodus 2:1-10 is a far better illustration of God's care for children
than that stock storyof the "little child in the corn-field." Once a member of
our Church came to me to ask whatshe ought to try to look at when she shut
her eyes in prayer. And all I could think of was to read her two or three verses
about Bartimaeus. A smile ran over her whole face as she rose suddenly, and
said, "Goodmorning." Then I askedwhether her question had got the
answer. "Oh, yes"!she replied, gratefully; "I ought to see whatthe blind man
did before his eyes were opened;he saw he was blind, and he seemedto see
Jesus there waiting to be prayed to."
V. WE MUST BE EXCEEDINGLYFAMILIAR WITH GOD'S WORD in
order to use it skilfully. The times arrive often very suddenly in which we are
calledto make answeror to give advice; and to work powerfully one must
work ingeniously. The gifted authoress of "EnglishHands and Hearts" once
saw a man close by the brink of a river, and believed he was going to commit
suicide. It seemedperfectly clearto her that if she should appear to suspecthis
purpose, he would avoid her, and wait till she passedout of sight. So she
quietly kept on her walk, but, as it approachedthe spot where he was
watching, she saidaloud, as if just to herself, Psalm46:4. It was all she could
do. Two years afterwards a speakerin Exeter Hall relatedthe incident in his
own sad life, and told how the text savedhim and converted him, and now he
added the wish that he might some time know the Christian woman who had
done him the favour. So they met and claspedhands, and thanked God
together. But how did she happen to know the right verse, then? Such a thing
did not happen: that lady knew her Bible thoroughly.
VI. We should be PATIENT ANY HELPFUL IS INSTRUCTING OTHERS
how and where to find the proper passagesforChristian effort.
VII. We can find here the EXPLANATION WE SEEK FOR SOME
FAILURES that appear so mysterious, AND FOR SOME SUCCESSESthat
are so admirable. Those Christians have done most service who have in every
instance trusted the Word for the powerof the truth in it. Dr. James W.
Alexander put in one of his letters, near the end of his career, the statement
that, if he were to live his public life over again, he would dwell more upon the

familiar parts and passagesofthe Bible, like the story of the ark, the draught
of fishes, or the parable of the prodigal son. That is, he would preachmore of
the Word of God in its pure, clearutterances of truth for souls. When the
saintly Dr. Cutler of Brooklyn died, the Sunday Schoolremembered that he
used to come in every now and then during the years of his history and repeat
just a single verse from the superintendent's desk; and the next Lord's Day
after the funeral they marched up in front of it in a long line, and eachscholar
quoted any of the texts that he could recollect. The grownpeople positively sat
there and wept, as they saw how much there was of the Bible in the hearts of
their children which this one pastorhad planted. Yet he was a very timid and
old-fashioned man; he said he had no gift at talking to children; he could only
repeatGod's Word. Is there anybody now who is ready to saythat was not
enough for some good?
(C. S. Robinson, D. D.)
Christ the fulfilment of prophecy
Sunday SchoolTimes.
On an artist's table some colours are lying. You glance at them, and that is all,
for to you they have no meaning. A month after you come in, and you are
attractedby a beautiful picture. The picture has been painted with the colours
you saw before, but how different is it now when they are harmoniously
blended. So Jesus Christ gathers into harmony in Himself the before ill-
understood prophecies and types of the Old Testament;only then we see what
they fully mean. It is like the children's picture-block puzzles. Take the pieces
from the box, and you have a number of blocks of all sizes, colours, and
shapes. Build them back, carefully fitting them into eachother, and when each
is in its proper place, you find you have a complete picture. So the types and
prophecies are only understood when they are fitted into Christ. Jesus, then,
takes some pictures from the Book ofIsaiah, and declares that these show
forth His mission. The first picture is that of a messengerbringing goodnews
to the poor — news of a kingdom prepared for them; the next shows a
messageofconsolationbrought to those in sorrow;the third is the picture of

one promising liberty to some men shut up in a narrow cell;in the fourth a
blind man is receiving his sight at the healing touch of a prophet; in the fifth
the bonds are being struck from the feet of men whose limbs have been
bruised by the irons; and the sixth shows the open gate of heaven.
(Sunday SchoolTimes.)
A full text
T. T. Munger.
When we have once measuredthese words, we shall be reminded of the tent of
the Arab chief: when folded it could be carried in his hand, but when spreadit
was wide enough to shelterhis whole tribe. A study of the incident under
which they were spokenin the synagogue ofNazarethis peculiarly rewarding,
because it looks off in so many directions; into remote Jewishhistory, into
present customs, to the nature of the gospel, to its manifold methods of
working, to the heart of Gad, to the inspiration of Christ; and, finally, it
disclosesthe weaknessand evil of human nature when its prejudices and
traditional thoughts are assaulted. It is as rich in material and associationthat
a book could legitimately be made from it. It would be a book historical,
ecclesiastical, political, theological,ethical, psychological, andthe treatment
would not be forced.
(T. T. Munger.)
Deliverance both physical and moral
T. T. Munger.
The peculiar feature of this quotation from Isaiah, which Christ makes His
own, is its doubleness. "The poor" — but men are poor in condition and in
spirit. "The captives" — but men may be in bondage under masters or
circumstances, andalso under their own sin. "The blind" — but men may be
blind of eye and also in spiritual vision. "The bruised" — but men are bruised

in the struggles ofthis rough world, and also by the havoc of their ownevil
passions. Whichdid Christ mean? Both, but chiefly the moral, for He always
struck through the external forms of evil to the moral root, from which it
springs, and of whose condition it is the generalexponent. And He always
passedon to the spiritual end to which external betterment points. He was no
reformer playing about the outward forms of evil — hunger, poverty, disease,
oppression— giving ease andrelief for the moment. He does indeed deal with
these, but He puts under His work a moral foundation, and crowns it with a
spiritual consummation. Dealing with these, He was all the while inserting the
spiritual principle which He calls "faith." Unless He cando this He is nearly
indifferent whether He works or not. If you cannot heal a man's spirit, it is a
small thing to healhis body. It you cannotmake a man rich in his heart and
thought, it is a slight matter to relieve his poverty. At the same time, Christ
will not separate the two, for they are the two sides of one evil thing. Poverty
and disease andmisery mostly spring out of moral evil. They are not the
limitations of the finite nature, but are the fangs of the serpent of sin And so
Christ sets Himself as the Delivererfrom each, the origin and the result, the
sin at the root, and the misery which is its fruitage.
(T. T. Munger.)
Christ the true Liberator and Enlightener of the world
Freeman.
Bartholdi's gigantic statue of "Liberty Enlightening the World" occupies a
fine position on Bedloes Island, which commands the approachto New York
Harbour. It holds up a torch, which is to be lit at night by an immense electric
light. The statue was castin portions in Paris. The separate pieceswere very
different in appearance, and, takenapart, of uncouth shape. It was only when
all were brought together, eachin its right place, that the complete design was
apparent. Then the omissionof any one would have left the work imperfect. In
this it was an emblem of Holy Scripture. We do not always see the objectof
different portions; nevertheless eachhas its place, and the whole is a
magnificent statue of Jesus Christ, who is the true "Liberty enlightening the

world," casting illuminating rays across the dark rocky oceanoftime, and
guiding anxious souls to the desiredhaven.
(Freeman.)
Christ alone canheal the brokenhearted
Dr. Talmage.
— I could build a Corlears engine, I could paint a Raphael's "Madonna,"I
could play a Beethoven's "Heroic Symphony" as easily as this world can
comfort a broken heart. And yet you have been comforted. How was it done?
Did Christ come to you and say: "Getyour mind off this; go and breathe the
fresh air; plunge deeper into business"? No. There was a minute when He
came to you, perhaps in the watches ofthe night — perhaps in your place of
business, perhaps along the street — and He breathed something into your
soul that gave peace, rest, infinite quiet, so that you could take out the
photograph of the departed one and look into the eyes and face of the dear one
and say: "It is all right; she is better off; I would not callher back. Lord, I
thank Thee that Thou hastcomforted my poor heart. I thought I should go
crazy for a while, but the rough sea has become the smooth harbour. Oh, how
hard it was for me to give her up, and I shall never be the "man that I was
before; but the Lord gave and the Lord takethaway, blessedbe the name of
the Lord." There are Christian parents here to-night who are willing to testify
to the powerof this gospelto comfort. Your sonhad just graduated and was
going into business, and the Lord took him. Or your daughter had just left the
young ladies' seminary, and you thought she was going to be a useful woman
and of long life; but the Lord took her, and you were tempted to say: "All this
culture for nothing." Or the little child came home from schoolwith the hot
fever that stopped not for the agonizedprayer, or for the skilful physician,
and the little child was taken. Or the babe was lifted out of your arms by some
quick epidemic, and you stoodwondering why God evergave you that child at
all, if so soonHe was to take it away. And yet you are not repining, you are
not fretful, you are not fighting againstGod. What has enabled you to stand
all the trial? "Oh," you say, "I took the medicine that God gave my sick soul;

in my distress I threw myself at the feet of a sympathising Saviour, and when I
was too weak to pray, or to look up, He breathed into me a peace that I think
must be the foretaste ofthat heaven where there is neither tear, nor a
farewell, nor a grave." Come, all ye who have been out to the grave to weep
there — come, all ye comforted souls, getup off your knees. Is there power in
this gospelto soothe the heart? Is there power in this religion to quiet the
worstparoxysm of grief? Tell me. There comes up an answerto comforted
widowhood, and orphanage, and childlessness, saying:"Ay, ay, we are
witnesses!"
(Dr. Talmage.)
Christ the Healer of the broken-hearted
C. Bradley, M. A.
I. THE CONDITION OF THE PERSONSSPOKEN OF IN THE TEXT is one
of extreme distress and misery. They are broken-hearted. All their happiness
is gone. All their hopes are blasted. Nothing is left to them but wretchedness
and despair.
1. It implies that they have a sorrowful consciousness ofthe existence of this
evil within them.
2. They are also dissatisfiedwith their condition, and earnestlydesire
deliverance from it. Like men oppressedwith sickness,they are not in a state
in which they canbe at ease.
3. They are sensible likewise of the deadly nature of the disease under which
they are suffering. They know that it is a mortal disease;not merely painful
and loathsome, but dangerous and fatal.
4. To this sorrowfulconsciousnessoftheir sinfulness, this dissatisfactionwith
their condition, and this dread of futurity, is added a despair of healing their
spiritual diseasesby any means of their own.

II. But why does the Physicianof souls thus deal with us? Why cannot He
apply His healing balm at once to our wounds? WHY MUST WE BE
BROUGHT INTO SO DISCONSOLATE ASTATE, BEFORE WE ARE
MADE ACQUAINTED WITH PARDON AND PEACE?
1. In answerto this inquiry we may observe, that God thus afflicts His
penitent children, in order that sin may be embittered to them; that they may
have a heartfelt knowledge ofthe misery and shame which it is able to
produce, and thus learn to regardit with hatred and fear.
2. The sinner is made broken-hearted, that he may be willing to be healedby
Christ in His way and on His terms.
3. A further reasonwhy the returning sinner is thus torn and smitten, may be,
that the deliverance vouchsafedto him may be more highly valued.
4. It may also be the will of God to give the penitent a deep sense ofhis
wretchedness, inorder that the greatPhysician of his soul may be more
warmly loved.
III. Let us proceedto considerTHE ENCOURAGEMENT WHICH THE
DECLARATION BEFORE US IS CALCULATED TO AFFORD TO EVERY
BROKEN-HEARTED MOURNER.
1. It plainly implies that it is the will of God that the brokenheartedshould be
healed. He has sent a Messengerfrom heaven to bring peace to them.
2. The declarationin the text teaches us also, that God has given to Christ
authority and power to heal the broken-hearted.
3. The declarationbefore us assures us, too, that Christ is willing to healall
the broken-heartedwho apply for His aid; that He is ready to exercise the
authority and power which He has received. Here, then, is a rich source of
encouragementto every mourner. The God againstwhom he has sinned, has
sent a Messengerfrom heavento healhim; and He whom He has sent, rejoices
to bind up the broken-hearted. He has infinite compassionto pity, as well as
infinite powerto relieve. A review of our subject points out to us, first, the
persons to whom the ministers of the gospelare to administer comfort.

2. The text affords us, secondly, a testby which we may try our spiritual
comfort.
3. We may infer also from the text, that true contrition of heart is one of the
greatestblessingswhich Godcan bestow on man.
4. The text reminds us, lastly, of the sin and folly of despair.
(C. Bradley, M. A.)
COMMENTARIES
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(18) The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.—The passagethat follows reproduces,
with a few unimportant variations, the LXX. versionof Isaiah61:1-2. The
words “to heal the broken-hearted” are not in the best MSS. “To setat liberty
them that are bruised” is not found in the presenttext of Isaiah. It is a
legitimate inference that the passagewhichJesus thus read was one in which
He wished men to see the leading idea of His ministry. Glad tidings for the
poor, remissionof sins, comfort for the mourners, these were what He
proclaimed now. These were proclaimed againin the beatitudes of the Sermon
on the Mount. We cannot fail to connectthe opening words with the descentof
the Spirit at His baptism. That was the “unction from the Holy One” (1John
2:20) which made Him the Christ, the true anointed of the Lord.
Recovering ofsight to the blind.—The English versionof Isaiahrightly
follows the Hebrew in giving “the opening of the prison to them that are
bound.” The blindness is that of those who have been imprisoned in the
darkness.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

4:14-30 Christ taught in their synagogues, their places ofpublic worship,
where they met to read, expound, and apply the word, to pray and praise. All
the gifts and graces ofthe Spirit were upon him and on him, without measure.
By Christ, sinners may be loosedfrom the bonds of guilt, and by his Spirit and
grace from the bondage of corruption. He came by the word of his gospel, to
bring light to those that sat in the dark, and by the power of his grace, to give
sight to those that were blind. And he preached the acceptable yearof the
Lord. Let sinners attend to the Saviour's invitation when liberty is thus
proclaimed. Christ's name was Wonderful; in nothing was he more so than in
the word of his grace, and the powerthat went along with it. We may well
wonder that he should speak suchwords of grace to such graceless wretches
as mankind. Some prejudice often furnishes an objectionagainstthe
humbling doctrine of the cross;and while it is the word of God that stirs up
men's enmity, they will blame the conduct or manner of the speaker. The
doctrine of God's sovereignty, his right to do his will, provokes proud men.
They will not seek his favour in his own way; and are angry when others have
the favours they neglect. Still is Jesus rejectedby multitudes who hear the
same messagefrom his words. While they crucify him afreshby their sins,
may we honour him as the Son of God, the Saviour of men, and seek to show
we do so by our obedience.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me - Or, I speak by divine appointment. I am
divinely inspired to speak. There canbe no doubt that the passagein Isaiah
had a principal reference to the Messiah. Our Saviour directly applies it to
himself, and it is not easilyapplicable to any other prophet. Its first
application might have been to the restorationof the Jews from Babylon; but
the language ofprophecy is often applicable to two similar events, and the
secondaryevent is often the most important. In this case the prophet uses
most striking poetic images to depict the return from Babylon, but the same
images also describe the appropriate work of the Son of God.
Hath anointed me - Anciently kings and prophets and the high priest were set
apart to their work by anointing with oil, 1 Kings 19:15-16;Exodus 29:7; 1
Samuel 9:16, etc. This oil or ointment was made of various substances, and it

was forbidden to imitate it, Exodus 30:34-38. Hence, those who were setapart
to the work of God as king, prophet, or priest, were calledthe Lord's
anointed, 1 Samuel 16:6; Psalm84:9; Isaiah 45:1. Hence, the Son of God is
calledthe "Messiah," a Hebrew word signifying the "Anointed," or the
"Christ," a Greek word signifying the same thing. And by his being
"anointed" is not meant that he was literally anointed, for he was never set
apart in that manner, but that "God had set him apart" for this work;that
"he" had constituted or appointed him to be the prophet, priest, and king of
his people. See the notes at Matthew 1:1.
To preach the gospelto the poor - The English word "gospel"is derived from
two words - "God" or "good," and"spell," an old Saxonword meaning
"history, relation, narration, word, or speech," andthe word therefore means
"a goodcommunication" or "message."This corresponds exactlywith the
meaning of the Greek word - "a goodor joyful message -glad tidings." By the
"poor" are meant all those who are destitute of the comforts of this life, and
who therefore may be more readily disposedto seek treasuresin heaven; all
those who are sensible of their sins, or are poor in spirit Matthew 5:3; and all
the "miserable" and the afflicted, Isaiah58:7. Our Saviour gave it as one
proof that he was the Messiah, orwas from God, that he preached to "the
poor," Matthew 11:5. The Phariseesand Sadducees despisedthe poor; ancient
philosophers neglectedthem; but the gospelseeksto bless them - to give
comfort where it is felt to be needed, and where it will be receivedwith
gratitude. Riches fill the mind with pride, with self-complacency, and with a
feeling that the gospelis not needed. The poor "feel" their need of some
sources ofcomfort that the world cannotgive, and accordinglyour Saviour
met with his greatestsuccessthe gospelamong the poor; and there also,
"since," the gospelhas shed its richestblessings and its purest joys. It is also
one proof that the gospelis true. If it had been of "men," it would have sought
the rich and mighty; but it pours contempt on all human greatness,and seeks,
like God, to do goodto those whom the world overlooks ordespises. Seethe
notes at 1 Corinthians 1:26.
To heal the brokenhearted - To console those who are deeply afflicted, or
whose hearts are "broken" by external calamities or by a sense oftheir
sinfulness.

Deliverance to the captives - This is a figure originally applicable to those who
were in captivity in Babylon. They were miserable. To grant deliverance to
"them" and restore them to their country - to grant deliverance to those who
are in prison and restore them to their families - to give liberty to the slave
and restore him to freedom, was to confer the highest benefit and impart the
richest favor. In this manner the gospelimparts favor. It does not, indeed,
"literally" open the doors of prisons, but it releasesthe mind captive under
sin; it gives comfort to the prisoner, and it will finally open all prison doors
and break off all the chains of slavery, and, by preventing "crime," prevent
also the sufferings that are the consequenceofcrime.
Sight to the blind - This was often literally fulfilled, Matthew 11:5; John 9:11;
Matthew 9:30, etc.
To set at liberty them that are bruised - The word "bruised," here, evidently
has the same "general" significationas "brokenhearted"orthe contrite. It
means those who are "presseddown" by great calamity, or whose hearts are
"pressed" or"bruised" by the consciousnessofsin. To setthem "atliberty" is
the same as to free them from this pressure, or to give them consolation.
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
18, 19. To have fixed on any passageannouncing His sufferings (as Isa 53:1-
12), would have been unsuitable at that early stage ofHis ministry. But He
selects a passage announcing the sublime objectof His whole mission, its
divine character, and His specialendowments for it; expressedin the first
person, and so singularly adapted to the first opening of the mouth in His
prophetic capacity, that it seems as if made expresslyfor this occasion. It is
from the well-knownsectionof Isaiah's prophecies whose burden is that
mysterious "Servantof the Lord," despisedof man, abhorred of the nation,
but before whom kings on seeing Him are to arise, and princes to worship; in
visage more marred than any man and His form than the sons of men, yet
sprinkling many nations; laboring seemingly in vain, and spending His
strength for naught and in vain, yet Jehovah's Servant to raise up the tribes of
Jacoband be His Salvation to the ends of the earth (Isa 49:1-26, &c.). The
quotation is chiefly from the Septuagint version, used in the synagogues.

Matthew Poole's Commentary
See Poole on"Luke 4:17"
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,.... By whom is meant, the third person in
the Trinity; so called, to distinguish him from all other spirits; and who was
given to Christ as man, without measure, whereby he was qualified for his
greatwork: and intends the Spirit of Jehovah, with all his gifts and graces,
who was, and abode on Christ, as a Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, of
counseland of might, of knowledge, andof the fear of the Lord; he was upon
him, and in him, the first moment of his conception, which was by his power;
and he visibly descendedon him at his baptism; and the phrase denotes the
permanency and continuance of him with him:
because he hath anointed me; or "that he might anoint me": the Ethiopic
version renders it, "by whom he hath anointed me"; for it was with the Holy
Ghosthe was anointed, as to be king and priest, so likewise to be a prophet:
hence he has the name Messiah, whichsignifies anointed: and this unction he
had, in order
to preach the Gospelto the poor: in Isaiah it is, "to the meek";which design
the same persons, and mean such as are poor in spirit, and are sensible of
their spiritual poverty; have low and humble thoughts of themselves, and of
their own righteousness;and seek to Christ for durable riches and true
righteousness, andfrankly acknowledge thatall they have and are, is owing to
the grace ofGod: and generallyspeaking, these are the poor of this world, and
poor in their intellectuals, who have but a small degree of natural wisdom and
knowledge:to these the Gospel, or gladtidings of the love, grace, and mercy of
God in Christ, of peace, pardon, righteousness, life and salvationby Christ,
were preachedby him; and that in so cleara manner, and with such power
and authority, as never was before, or since;and for this purpose was he
anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows:
he hath sent me to heal the broken hearted; whose hearts are broken, and
made contrite by the word of God, under the influence of the Spirit of God,

and with a sense ofsin; and are wounded with it, and are humbled for it; and
are in greatpain and distress, and even inconsolable, and ready to faint and
die; for a wounded spirit who canbear? now Christ was sent to heal such
persons by his own stripes, by binding up their wounds, by the application of
his blood to them, which is a sovereignbalm for every wound; by the
discoveries ofpardoning grace to their souls, and by opening and applying the
comfortable promises of the Gospel, by his Spirit, to them:
to preach deliverance to the captives;who are captives to sin, Satan, and the
law; from which, there is only deliverance by him; who saves his people from
their sins, redeems them from the law, and leads captivity captive; and which
liberty and deliverance are preachedand published in the Gospel, and by
Christ the author of them:
and recovering of sight to the blind; which in the prophet is, "and the opening
of the prison to them that are bound"; and which the Septuagint render, as
here in Luke, and the Chaldee paraphrase in part agreeswith it, interpreting
it thus, "to the prisoners", "be ye revealedto the light" now because persons
in prison are in darkness, andsee no light, therefore they are representedas
blind; and both are the case ofsinners, they are in the prison of sin and of the
law, and are blind, ignorant, and insensible of their state;until Christ both
opens the prison, and sets them free, and opens their eyes, and gives them
spiritual sight; when he says to the prisoners go forth, to them that are in
darkness show yourselves, Isaiah49:9
To set at liberty them that are bruised: these words are not in Isaiah 61:1 but
in the Septuagint versionof Isaiah58:6 from whence they seemto be taken, or
else from Isaiah42:7 it being allowable for a reader in the prophets, to skip
from place to place, which our Lord here did, in order to explain this passage
more fully.
Geneva Study Bible
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preachthe
gospelto 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,

EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Meyer's NT Commentary
Luke 4:18-19. Isaiah61:1-2, following the LXX. freely. The historicalmeaning
is: that He, the prophet, is inspired and ordained by God to announce to the
deeply unfortunate people in their banishment their liberation from captivity,
and the blessedfuture of the restoredand glorified theocracythat shall follow
thereupon. The Messianic fulfilment of this announcement, i.e. the realization
of their theocratic idea, came to pass in Christ and His ministry.[85]
οὗ εἵνεκεν] in the original text ‫ַעַי‬‫ן‬: because, andto this corresponds οὗ
εἵνεκεν: propterea quod, because, as ΟὝΝΕΚΕΝis very frequently thus used
by the classicalwriters. The expressionof the LXX., which Luke preserves, is
therefore not erroneous (de Wette and others), nor do the words ΟὟ
ΕἽΝΕΚΕΝ introduce the protasis of a sentence whose apodosisis left out
(Hofmann, Weissag.u. Erf. II. p. 96). The form εἵνεκεν (2 Corinthians 7:12) is,
moreover, classical;it occurs in Pindar, Isthm. viii. 69, frequently in
Herodotus (see Schweighaüser, Lex. sub. verb.), Dem. 45. 11. See generally,
Krüger, II. § 68. 19. 1 f.
ἔχρισε] a concrete description, borrowed from the anointing of the prophets (1
Kings 19:16) and priests (Exodus 28:41; Exodus 30:30), of the consecration,
which in this instance is to be conceivedof as taking place by means of the
spiritual investiture.[86]
ΠΤΩΧΟῖς] the poor ‫ןע‬ ‫וָנ‬ִ‫י‬‫ע‬. See on Matthew 5:3. They—in the original Hebrew
the unhappy exiles—are more preciselydesignatedby αἰχμαλώτ., as wellas by
the epithets, which are to be takenin their historical sense typically, τυφλοῖς
and τεθραυσμένους (crushedto pieces), whereby the misery of the ΠΤΩΧΟΊ
is representedas a blinding and a bruising. According to the typical reference
to the Messiah, these predicates referto the misery of the spiritual bondage,

the cessationofwhich the Messiahwas to announce and (ἀποστεῖλαι)to
accomplish. Moreover, the LXX. varies considerably from the original
Hebrew (doubtless the result of a various reading which mixed with this
passagethe parallel in Isaiah42:7), and Luke againdoes not agree with the
LXX., especiallyin ἀποστεῖλαι τεθραυσμ. ἐν ἀφέσει, which words are from
Isaiah58:6, whence Luke (not Jesus, who indeed read from the roll of the
book)or his informant relating from memory having taken them erroneously,
but by an associationof ideas easilyexplained mixed them up in this place.
ἘΝΙΑΥΤῸΝ ΚΥΡΊΟΥΔΕΚΤΌΝ]an acceptable yearof the Lord, i.e. a
welcome, blessedyearbelonging to Jehovah, whereby is to be understood in
the typical reference of the passagethe Messianic periodof blessing, while in
the historicalsense the blessedfuture of the theocracyafterthe exile is
denoted by the words ‫וש‬ַָ‫ש‬‫ן־‬ַ‫צ‬‫י‬ ‫ל‬ ‫ו‬‫ַהְי‬ִ ‫־‬‫,ה‬ i.e. a year of satisfactionforJehovah,
which will be for Jehovahthe time to show His satisfactionto His people
(comp. Luke 2:14). The passagebefore us is strangelyabused by the
Valentinians, Clemens, Hom. xvii. 19, Clemens Alexandrinus, Origen, and
many more, to limit the ministry of Jesus to the space of one year,[87]which
even the connection, ofthe original text, in which a day of vengeance against
the enemies of God’s people follows, oughtto have prevented. Even Wieseler,
p. 272, makes anextraordinary chronologicaluse of ἐνιαυτός and of σήμερον,
Luke 4:21, in support of his assumption of a parallel with John 6:1 ff. in
regard to time, according to which the sojourn of Jesus in Nazarethis said to
have fallen on the Sabbath after Purim 782. The year is an allusion to the year
of jubilee (Leviticus 25:9), as an inferior prefigurative type of the Messianic
redemption. The three infinitives are parallel and dependent on ἀπέσταλκέ με,
whose purpose they specify.
ἐν ἀφέσει] a well-knownconstructio pregnans:so that they are now in the
condition of deliverance (Polybius, i. 79. 12, xxii. 9. 17), comp. Luke 2:39.

[85] Comp. Schleiermacher, L. J. p. 270 f.
[86] Observe the difference of tense, ἔχρισε … ἀπέσταλκε: He anointed me, He
hath sent me (and I am here!); also the lively asyndeton in the two verbs
(ἀπέστ. without καί), as well as also in the three infinitives.
[87] Keim also, D. geschichtl. Chr. p. 140 ff., has very recently arrived at this
conclusionin view of Origen’s statement, de princip. iv. 5 : “a year and a few
months,” and that too on the ground of the calculationof the Baptist’s death,
according to the accountof Josephus, Antt. xviii. 5, concerning the war of
Antipas againstAretas. The testing of this combination does not belong to this
place. But the Gospelof John stands decidedly opposedto the one-year
duration of Christ’s official teaching. See, besides, the discussions onthe
subject in Weizsäcker, p. 306 ff.
Expositor's Greek Testament
Luke 4:18-19 contain the text, Isaiah61:1-2, free reproduction of the Sept[45],
which freely reproduces the Hebrew, which probably was first read, then
turned into Aramaean, then preachedon by Jesus, that day. It may have been
read from an Aramaean version. Mostnotable in the quotation is the point at
which it stops. In Isaiahafter the “acceptable year” comes the “day of
vengeance”. The clause referring to the latter is omitted.—ἀποστεῖλαι
τεθραυσμένους ἐν ἀφέσει (Luke 4:19) is imported (by Lk. probably) from
Isaiah58:6, the aim being to make the text in all respects a programme for the
ministry of Jesus. Along with that, in the mind of the evangelist, goesthe
translation of all the categoriesnamed—poor, broken-hearted, captives, blind,
bruised—from the political to the spiritual sphere. Legitimately, for that was
involved in the declarationthat the prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus.
[45] Septuagint.
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges

18. he hath anointed me] Rather, He anointed (aorist); the following verb is in
the perfect. The word Mashachin the Hebrew would recall to the hearers the
notion of the Messiah—“ilm’a messianisé”(Salvador). “GodanointedJesus
of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power,” Acts 10:38. In illustration
of the verse generally, as indicating the work primarily of Isaiah, but in its
fullest sense, ofChrist, see Matthew 11:5; Matthew 5:3, &c.
the poor] i. e. the poor in spirit (Matthew 11:28; Matthew 5:3), as the Hebrew
implies.
to heal the broken-hearted]Omitted in ‫,א‬ B, D, L.
recovering of sight to the blind] Here the LXX. differs from the Hebrew,
which has “opening of prison to the bound.” Perhaps this is a reminiscence of
Isaiah42:7.
to set at liberty them that are bruised] This also is not in Isaiah61:1, but is a
free reminiscence ofthe LXX. in Isaiah58:6. Either the text of the Hebrew
was then slightly variant, or the recordintroduces into the text a reminiscence
of the discourse.
Bengel's Gnomen
Luke 4:18-19. Πνεῦμα Κυρίου ἐπʼ ἐμὲ· οὗ εἵνεκεν ἔχρισέ με· εὐαγγελίσασθα.
πτωχοῖς, ἀπέσταλκέ με, ἰάσασθαι τοὺς συντετριμμένους τὴν καρδίαν·—
ἀνάβλεψιν, ἀποστεῖλαι τεθραυσμένους ἐνἀφέσει· κηρύξαι ἐνιαυτὸνΚυρίου
δεκτὸνκαὶ ἡμέραν ἀνταποδόσεως)Isaiah61:1-2, LXX: πνεῦμα—ἀνάβλεψιν·
καλέσαι, κ.τ.λ. Severalparticulars here are worthy of being noticed. I. The
Hebrew accents give us a most effective stopping. II. οὗ εἵνεκεν signifies the
same as ‫ֹי‬ַ‫,ן‬ for this reasonbecause, onaccountof this inasmuch as. So
Numbers 14:43, Οὗ εἵνεκα ἀπεστράφητε, becauseye are turned awayfrom.

Ammonius says οὕνεκα signifies the same as ὅτι. The sense in this passage is,
The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me. Even then
already Jesus implied distinctly that He was the Christ. It is from His
anointing, that the abiding of the Spirit of the Lord on the Christ is deduced.
As the[continuous] state of personalunion [the union of His humanity and
Divinity], so that of His anointing flows from the act. III. From the anointing
flows the especial, nay, the preaching peculiarly characteristic ofthis Prophet,
viz., that of the Gospel;from the oil flows the joy [i.e. from the anointing oil
comes the joy, answering to the “goodtidings,” Isaiah61:1, and “the oil of
joy,” Luke 4:3]: from the ‘sending’ [l. c., Luke 4:3] comes the “healing [Luke
4:18 : in Isaiah“to bind up”] of the broken-hearted.” IV. This very clause,
curare contribulatos corde, “to healthe broken-hearted,” as the translator of
Irenæu[46] has it, I am induced to retain chiefly on the authority of
Irenæu[47], although others have omitted it.[48] V. Καὶ τυφλοῖς ἀναβλεψιν, is
not takenfrom Isaiah42:7, but from Isaiah61:1. So the words are found in
the LXX. translation for the Hebrew ָ‫עןיָסאצ‬ ‫.חָקחקפ‬ Moreover‫חקפ‬ in the
books of the Old Testament, denotes not every kind of opening whatever, but
that of the ears once;besides, very frequently, the opening of the eyes. Forthis
reasonthe seventy translators have referred it in this passageto the blind.
However, Isaiahspake of such an opening of the eyes, as is vouchsafed, not to
the blind, but to those set free from the darkness of a prison (see Isaiah 61:1),
as the writer of the Chaldee paraphrase rightly saw. VI. ἈΠΟΣΤΕῖΛΑΙ
ΤΕΘΡΑΥΣΜΈΝΟΥς ἘΝ ἈΦΈΣΕΙ, is takenfrom the preceding part, Isaiah
58:6, ἈΠΌΣΤΕΛΛΕΤΕΘΡΑΥΣΜΈΝΟΥς ἘΝ ἈΦΈΣΕΙ; whence the
Israelitic ἌΦΕΣΙς is made by accommodationto answerto the ἌΦΕΣΙς,
effectedthrough the Messiah. The minister, of his own accord, handed to our
Lord, in the synagogue,the book of Isaiah: it was therefore a portion from
Isaiahwhich was the one usually read on that Sabbath. Isaiah61:1-2, was not
the Haphtara (or publicly read portion) at all: but there was a Haphtara,
consisting of Isaiah57:13 to Isaiah58:14, and that too on the day of expiation,
which in the Ord. Temp., page 254;Ed. ii., page 220, 221, andHarm. Ev.,
page 186, etc., we have shown, correspondedon that year (which was the
twenty-eighth of the Dion. era.—Not. Crit.) with the Sabbath mentioned in
Luke. From which it is evident, that an ordinary and an extraordinary lesson
were joined togetherby the Lord in His reading, and by the Evangelistin

writing the accountof it. VII. As to the words ΚΑῚ ἩΜΈΡΑΝ
ἈΝΤΑΠΟΔΌΣΕΩς. See App. Crit., Ed. ii. on this passage.[49]In this clause,
THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD upon ME, contains a remarkable testimony to
the Holy Trinity [the Spirit, the Father, and Jesus]. Jesuswas full of the
Spirit, Luke 4:1; Luke 4:14.—οὗ εἵνεκεν) The [50] in ἝΝΕΚΑ passes into ΕἸ,
not only poetically, but also Ionically and Attically.—ΠΤΩΧΟῖς, to the poor)
In Israel, and subsequently among the Gentiles. Regardis had to them also in
ch. Luke 6:20.—ἄφεσιν, remission[but Engl. Vers., deliverance])The word is
here employed with greatpropriety.[51]
[46] renæus (of Lyons, in Gaul: born about 130 A.D., and died about the end
of the secondcentury). The Editio Renati Massueti, Parisinæ, a. 1710.
[47] renæus (of Lyons, in Gaul: born about 130 A.D., and died about the end
of the secondcentury). The Editio Renati Massueti, Parisinæ, a. 1710.
[48] A, Iren. 260, Hil. 577, retain the clause. BDLabc, Orig. 2,636;4,13, Hilar.
92, omit it. Some MSS. of Vulg. omit, others retain it.—ED. and TRANSL.
[49] Vulg. etc., add “et diem retributionis.” b has “etdiem redditionis;” a, “et
diem redemptions.” But ABD Hil. 92, and Rec. Text rejectthe addition, which
manifestly is interpolated from Isaiah, and is appropriate, not to the Gospel
messageofpeace delivered at Christ’s first Advent, but to His secondAdvent
to judgment.—ED. and TRANSL.
[50] Laudianus: Bodl. libr., Oxford: seventhor eighth cent.: publ. 1715:Acts
def.

[51] Literally, referring to the setting free a captive; spiritually, to the
remissionof sins and the deliverance of the captive sinner.—ED. and
TRANSL.
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 18. - The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. St. Luke here quotes, with a few
important variations, from the LXX. of Isaiah 61:1, 2. The clause, "to setat
liberty them that are bruised," does not occurthe present text of Isaiah. The
bright, comforting words of the greatprophet the Lord chose as giving a
generalsummary of what he designedto carry out in his ministry. It could be
no undesigned coincidence that the opening words of the passagecontaina
singularly clearmention of the three Persons ofthe blessedTrinity - the
Spirit, the Father, and the Anointed (Messiah). Becausehe hath anointed me
to preach the gospelto the poor, etc. The common interpretation referred this
passageto the state of the people on the return from the Captivity. Nothing,
however, that the people had yet experiencedin any way satisfiedthe brilliant
picture painted in the great prophecy. A remnant certainly had returned
severalcenturies back from their distant exile, but the large majority of the
chosenpeople were scatteredabroad; their own land was crushed under what
seemeda hopeless servitude;poverty, ignorance, universaldiscontent, reigned
alike in Jerusalem, garrisonedwith Roman legionaries, andin the most
distant of the poor upland villages of Galilee. Only could deliverance come
and a goldenage of prosperity return with the promised Messiah. This was
the interpretation which the choicestspirits in Israelapplied to the great
Isaiahprophecy read that sabbath day in the little synagogue ofNazareth.
This was the meaning which Jesus atonce gave to it, only he startled his
hearers by telling them that in him they saw the promised long-looked-for
Deliverer. We only possess,it is evident, the very barest abstractof the words
of the TeacherJesusonthis occasion. Theymust have been singularly
eloquent, winning, and powerful to have extorted the wonder and admiration
alluded to in the twenty-secondverse.
Vincent's Word Studies
Anointed

See on Christ, Matthew 1:1.
To preach goodtidings
See on Gospel, Superscriptionof Matthew.
To the poor (πτωχοῖς)
See on Matthew 5:3.
To heal the broken-hearted
The best texts omit. So Rev.
To preach (κηρύξαι)
Betteras Rev., proclaim, as a herald. See on 2 Peter2:5.
To the captives (αἰχμαλώτοις)
From αἰχμή, a spear-point, and ἁλίσκομαι, to be takenor conquered. Hence,
properly, of prisoners of war. Compare Isaiah 42:7 : "To bring out captives
from the prison, and those who sit in darkness from the house of restraint."
The allusion is to Israel, both as captive exiles and as prisoners of Satanin
spiritual bondage. Wyc. has caytifs, which formerly signified captives.
To set at liberty (ἀποστεῖλαι)
Lit., to send awayin discharge. Insertedfrom the Sept. of Isaiah 58:6. See on
Luke 3:3, and James 5:15.
PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
BRUCE HURT MD

Luke 4:18 "THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE
ANOINTED ME TO PREACHTHE GOSPELTO THE POOR. HE HAS
SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND
RECOVERYOF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO
ARE OPPRESSED,
Spirit (KJV): Ps 45:7 Isa 11:2-5 42:1-4 50:4 59:21
anointed (KJV): Ps 2:2,6 *marg: Da 9:24 Joh 1:41 Ac 4:27 10:38
to preach (KJV): Lu 6:20 7:22 Isa 29:19 Zep 3:12 Zec 11:11 Mt 5:3 11:5 Jas
2:5
to heal (KJV): 2Ch 34:27 Ps 34:18 51:17 147:3 Isa 57:15 66:2 Eze 9:4
to preach deliverance (KJV): Ps 102:20 107:10-16146:7 Isa 42:7 45:13
49:9,24,2552:2,3 Zec 9:11,12 Col1:13
and (KJV): Ps 146:8 Isa 29:18,19 32:3 35:5 42:16-18 60:1,2 Mal4:2 Mt 4:16
9:27-30 11:5 Joh9:39-41 12:46 Ac 26:18-noteEph5:8-14 1Th 5:5,6 1Pe 2:9 1Jn
2:8-10
bruised (KJV): Ge 3:15 Isa 42:3 Mt 12:20
Luke 4:16-21 Jesus'Return to Nazareth: Ministry in the Synagogue - John
MacArthur
Luke 4:16-21 Jesus'Return to Nazareth: Preaching in the Synagogue - John
MacArthur
Luke 4:16-21 Jesus'Return to Nazareth: Rejectionby the People - John
MacArthur
Luke 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries
Lxx pneuma kuriou ep eme ou einekenechrisenme euaggelisasthaiptochois
apestalkenme keruxai aichmalotois aphesinkai tuphlois anablepsin,
aposteilaitethrausmenous en aphesei
Comment: The words in greenare from the Septuagint (Lxx) of Isaiah61:2
(Jesus is quoting the Greek text of Isaiah 61:1, not the Hebrew text). The

words in red are from the Septuagint(Lxx) of Isaiah58:6. So clearly Jesus
skipped some sections and selectedthe passages He desired to read.
Interesting!
NET "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to
proclaim goodnews to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the
captives and the regaining of sight to the blind, to setfree those who are
oppressed,
ESV "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to
proclaim goodnews to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the
captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to setat liberty those who are
oppressed,
NLT "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring
GoodNews to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be
released, that the blind will see, that the oppressedwill be set free,
CSB The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach
goodnews to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom to the captives
and recoveryof sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed,
GWN "The Spirit of the Lord is with me. He has anointed me to tell the Good
News to the poor. He has sent me to announce forgiveness to the prisoners of
sin and the restoring of sight to the blind, to forgive those who have been
shatteredby sin,
NAB "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring
glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and
recoveryof sight to the blind, to let the oppressedgo free,
NIV "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach
goodnews to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recoveryof sight for the blind, to release the oppressed,
NJB The spirit of the Lord is on me, for he has anointed me to bring the good
news to the afflicted. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives, sight to
the blind, to let the oppressedgo free,

KJV The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to
preach the gospelto 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,
YLT 'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, BecauseHe did anoint me; To
proclaim goodnews to the poor, Sent me to healthe broken of heart, To
proclaim to captives deliverance, And to blind receiving of sight, To send
awaythe bruised with deliverance,
JESUS GOD'S SPIRIT ANOINTED
APOSTLE TO MEN
One technicalpoint - The words in Luke 4:18-19 are ALL CAPS because that
is the way the NAS identifies direct OT quotations. Unfortunately the popular
ESV and NIV do not identify OT quotes.
In Luke 4:18-19 Jesus reads from Isaiah61:1, 2 and from Isaiah58:6 ("And
to let the oppressedgo free". As discussedmore below Jesus apparently
omitted the phrase "He has sentme to bind up the brokenhearted" in Isaiah
61:1 which is included only in the King James Version (and Young's Literal
Version) which are basedon the Greek Textus Receptus.
The text that Jesus chose to read (Isa 61:1-2a and Isa 58:6) would have been
well knownto the Jews as a prophetic passagereferring to the Messiah.
The Spirit of the Lord - The Holy Spirit is repeatedly mentioned by Luke in
this Gospel -- first in the supernatural ministries of men - Lk. 1:15; Lk. 1:35;
Lk. 1:41; Lk. 1:67; Lk. 2:25; Lk. 2:26; Lk. 2:27. Beginning in chapter3 we
see the Spirit repeated associatedwith Jesus - Lk. 3:16; Lk. 3:22; Lk. 4:1; Lk.
4:14; Lk. 4:18. As we have discussedabove while Jesus clearlyperformed
some miracles we will not be able to perform, the important point is that He
trusted His daily life (and His ministry) to the ministry of the Holy Spirit, and
in so doing He provided a perpetual perfect pattern to pursue. Are you filled
with His Spirit (Eph 5:18-note)? Are you walking by His Spirit (Gal 5:16-
note)? If not you are walking naturally in the powerof your fallen flesh and

you will accomplishabsolutely nothing of eternal value for the Kingdom of
God and the glory of your King! (cp Jn 15:5)
Lord (master, owner)(2962)(kurios fromkuros = might or power, relatedto
kuroo = to give authority) primarily means the possessor, owner, master, the
supreme one, one who is sovereign(used this wayof Romanemperors - Acts
25:26)and possessesabsolute authority, absolute ownershipand uncontested
power. Kurios is used of the one to whom a person or thing belonged, over
which he has the powerof deciding, the one who is the master or disposerof a
thing (Mk 7:28)
Is upon Me - The Spirit did not come upon Him. He alreadywas "upon" Him,
as symbolized by His coming upon Him in His baptism (Lk 3:16). Jesus
ALWAYS had the Spirit indwelling Him and ALWAYS (even from
childhood) depended wholly on the Holy Spirit for His empowerment to fight
the goodfight of faith.
Because- term of explanation
He anointed me to preach the Gospel - Jesus'purpose was to proclaim the
truth of the eternal life giving GoodNews to souls dead in their trespasses and
sins.
Anointed (5548)(chrio see study of derivative word Christos = Christ) means
literally to daub, smear, anoint with oil or ointment, to rub oneselfwith oil.
The figurative use means to consecrate orsetapart for sacredwork. It means
to assigna personto a task, and in the presentcontext conveys the implication
of supernatural sanctions. Here chrio is used figuratively of God the Spirit's
activity in appointing and empowering Jesus for His ministry (cp Heb 1:9-
note). The reference to anointing by the Spirit looks back to what took place
at the baptism of Jesus (Lk 3:22). Clearly Jesus is declaring that He fulfills the
prophecy of Isaiah61:1-2a .
Luke also mentions Jesus'anointing in Acts:
Acts 4:27 “Fortruly in this city there were gatheredtogetheragainstYour
holy servant Jesus, WhomYou anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate,
along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,

Acts 10:38 “You know of Jesus ofNazareth, how God anointed Him with the
Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing goodand healing
all who were oppressedby the devil, for God was with Him.
Preachthe Gospel(2097)(euaggelizo/euangelizo from eu = good, well+ aggéllo
= proclaim, tell; English = evangelize)literally means to announce goodnews.
Euaggelizo was oftenused in the Septuagintfor preaching a glad or joyful
message(cf. 1Sam. 31:9; 2 Sa 1:20; 4:10). Euaggelizo/euangelizo in its original
sense couldbe used to refer to a declarationof any kind of goodnews, but in
the NT it (with 2 exceptions)refers especiallyto the glad tidings of the coming
kingdom of God and of salvation obtained through Jesus Christ's death,
burial and resurrection. Mostof NT uses of euaggelizo are translated
"preach" or "preachthe Gospel," whicheverfits more smoothly into the
context. There are two passages thatillustrate the original meaning of simply
to "bring glad tidings" or "bring goodnews" ofany nature. The first is in
Luke…
Lk 1:19 (note) And the angelansweredand saidto him (Zacharias), "Iam
Gabriel, who stands in the presence ofGod; and I have been sent to speak to
you, and to bring you this goodnews. (that he would have a son, John the
Baptist).
The other is 1 Thessalonians…
1 Th 3:6 (note) But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has
brought us goodnews (euaggelizo)ofyour faith and love, and that you always
think kindly of us, longing to see us just as we also long to see you
Aside from these two passages euaggelizo usually has the technicalmeaning of
publishing the goodnews of the Gospelof Jesus Christ. In the NAS, the verb is
translated -
bring glad tidings(1), bring goodnews(2 - one referring to birth of John the
Baptist and the other to the birth of Jesus, so that the latter would in a sense
refer to "preaching the goodnews"), brought goodnews (1Th 3:6), goodnews
preached(2), gospelpreached(4), preach(4), preachgoodnews(1), preachthe

gospel(12), preached(m) (9), preached the gospel(4), preaching(8),preaching a
gospel(1), preaching goodnews(1), preaching the gospel(4).
Luke uses euaggelizo/euangelizo 10 times in the Gospeland 15 times in the
book of Acts -
Lk. 1:19; Lk. 2:10; Lk. 3:18; Lk. 4:18; Lk. 4:43; Lk. 7:22; Lk. 8:1; Lk. 9:6;
Lk. 16:16; Lk. 20:1;
Acts 5:42; Acts 8:4; Acts 8:12; Acts 8:25; Acts 8:35; Acts 8:40; Acts 10:36;
Acts 11:20;Acts 13:32; Acts 14:7; Acts 14:15;Acts 14:21; Acts 15:35;Acts
16:10;Acts 17:18;
Preachthe Gospelto the poor - This recalls Jesus'words in Matthew 5:3
Blessed(makarios)are the poor (ptochos)in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom
of heaven.
A T Robertsonon to the poor - "Jesus singlesthis out also as one of the items
to tell John the Baptist in prison (Luke 7:22).
And He answeredand saidto them, “Go and report to John what you have
seenand heard: the BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT (Quoting Isa 35:5), the lame
walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the
POOR HAVE THE GOSPELPREACHED TO THEM. (Quoting Isa 61:1)
Comment: John’s disciples were to report that Jesus was doing preciselywhat
Scripture foretold of the Messiah(Lk 7:21)—eventhough the scheme of
prophetic fulfillment was not unfolding quite the way John the Baptist had
envisioned it.
Poor(4434)(ptochosfrom ptosso = crouch, cringe, cowerdown or hide oneself
for fear, a picture of one crouching and cowering like a beggarwith a tin cup
to receive the pennies dropped in!) is an adjective which describes one who
crouches and cowers andis used as a noun to mean beggar. These poorwere
unable to meet their basic needs and so were forced to depend on others or on
society. ClassicalGreekusedthe ptochos to refer to a person reduced to total
destitution, who crouched in a cornerbegging. As he held out one hand for
alms he often hid his face with the other hand, because he was ashamedof

being recognized. Ptochos describesnot simply honest poverty, and the
struggle of the laboring man to make ends meet but also describes abject
poverty, which has literally nothing and which is in imminent danger of real
starvation. Ptochos focusesona state of dependence, so that in Mt 5:3 "the
poor in spirit" are those who have learned to be completely dependent on God
for everything and these are the ones who possessthe kingdom of heaven.
In sum, the word "poor" cancoverpoverty of every kind, but in this passage
Jesus lays the emphasis on a soul's sense ofmoral and spiritual poverty, which
often is the case ofthose who are literally poor. A soul who is worldly rich is
less likely to be aware ofhis or her spiritual poverty (see Laodicea below),
whereas the financially poor are often open to receiving Jesus'teaching as
goodnews because they realize their poor spiritual condition and thus their
desperate spiritual need.
Darrell Bock onptochos - Here is the emphasized audience for Jesus'
preaching, the poor. This term has rich OT roots, referring to the persecuted
and pious poor as Luke 6:23 also shows (Ex. 22:25-27;Ps 14:6; 22:24;69:29;
Isa. 3:14-15). The term has both religious and sociologicalmeaning as piety
and faith are placed togetherwith socialstanding. It is those who have been
marginalized by the world for their faith that are most open to the Gospel. In
the contextof Judaism, this is a call to free the spiritually exiled and
persecuted. Their suffering opens them up to the hope. Luke has 10 of 34 NT
uses.
The KJV has one additional phrase not found in most modern Bible versions -
"He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted." While it may not be in accepted
as authenticate by most modern experts, one cannot deny the beauty of this
phrase which is found in the original passage inIsaiah 61:1 from which Jesus
quoted
The NET Note comments on this extra phrase in the KJV - The majority of
MSS, especiallythe later Byzantines, include the phrase "to heal the
brokenhearted" at this point (A Q Y 0102 ¦(1 )Û). The phrase is lacking in
severalweighty MSS (a B D L W X ¦(13 )33 579 700 892* pc lat sy(s )co),
including representatives from both the Alexandrian and Westerntext types.

From the standpoint of external evidence, the omissionof the phrase is more
likely original. When internal evidence is considered, the shorter reading
becomes almostcertain. Scribes would be much more prone to add the phrase
here to align the text with Isaiah61:1 ("He has sentme to bind up the
brokenhearted")the source of the quotation, than to remove it from the
original.
William MacDonaldcomments on what Jesus readin Isaiah - Notice the
revolutionary implications of the Messiah’smission. He came to deal with the
enormous problems that have afflicted mankind throughout history:
Poverty. To preach the gospelto the poor.
Sorrow. To heal the brokenhearted. (If one accepts the KJV rendering)
Bondage. To proclaim liberty to the captives.
Suffering. And recoveryof sight to the blind.
Oppression. To set at liberty those who are oppressed.
Jesus is God's "Apostle" (sentOne) to men, the One "Whom You have sent
(apostello)." (Jn17:3). "Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly
calling, consider(aorist imperative - Do this now! Do it effectively! Only
possible as we are daily filled with His Spirit Who points us to Him - cp "He
will bear witness of Me" = Jn 15:26, 16:14) Jesus, the Apostle (apostolos)and
High Priestof our confession."(Heb 3:1-note)
Sent (649)(apostello from apo = from, awayfrom + stello = to withdraw from,
avoid) is to send forth from one place to another. But the meaning of apostello
is more than just to send because it means "to send off on a commission to do
something as one’s personalrepresentative, with credentials furnished"
(Wuest) Three things are true of the person sentfrom God. (1) He belongs to
God, who has sent him out. (2) He is commissionedto be sent out. (3) He
possesses allthe authority and power of God, who has sent him out. (Practical
Word Studies). Apostello is in the perfect tense which means Jesus was sentat
a point in time with the Father's commissionand that commissionremains on
Him. In Jn 4:34 Jesus saidto the disciples, “My food is to do the will of Him

who sent Me and to accomplishHis work." The night before He was crucified
He prayed to His Father "I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished
the work which You have given Me to do." (Jn 17:4). The FatherSENT the
Son for a specific WORK which He ACCOMPLISHED. As believers, God
owns us (1 Cor6:19-20-note)and has a call on our life. What WORK is He
sending you to ACCOMPLISHfor His Kingdom? Don't miss your divine
opportunity of a lifetime!
Luke frequently uses the verb apostello in his Gospeland in Acts -
Lk. 1:19; Lk. 1:26; Lk. 4:18; Lk. 4:43; Lk. 7:3; Lk. 7:20; Lk. 7:27; Lk. 9:2;
Lk. 9:48; Lk. 9:52; Lk. 10:1; Lk. 10:3; Lk. 10:16; Lk. 11:49;Lk. 13:34;Lk.
14:17;Lk. 14:32;Lk. 19:14; Lk. 19:29;Lk. 19:32;Lk. 20:10; Lk. 20:20;Lk.
22:8; Lk. 22:35; Lk. 24:49;
Acts 3:19; Acts 3:26; Acts 5:21; Acts 7:14; Acts 7:34; Acts 7:35; Acts 8:14;
Acts 9:17; Acts 9:38; Acts 10:8; Acts 10:17; Acts 10:20; Acts 10:36;Acts
11:11;Acts 11:13; Acts 11:30;Acts 13:15; Acts 15:27;Acts 15:33;Acts 16:35;
Acts 16:36;Acts 19:22; Acts 26:17;Acts 28:28
Jesus was sentto proclaim or be a herald even as Noahin the Genesis was a
herald of the need for men to receive God's righteousness by faith lest they be
destroyedin the coming globalflood...
and (God - context 2 Pe 2:4) did not spare the ancient world, but preserved
(phulasso = guarded, protected, watchedover) Noah, a preacher(noun form
kerux) of righteousness,with sevenothers, when He brought a flood upon the
world of the ungodly;(2 Peter2:5-note)
Proclaim(see Lk 4:19 note on this verb) (2784)(kerusso fromkerux/keryx = a
herald - one who acts as the medium of the authority of one who proclamation
he makes)means to proclaim publicly or to herald "releaseto the captives."
NET Note - The release in view here is comprehensive, both at a physical level
and a spiritual one, as the entire ministry of Jesus makes clear(Luke 1:77–79;
7:47; 24:47; Acts 2:38; 5:31; 10:43).

Release(859)(aphesis from aphiemi = action which causes separationand is
in turn derived from apo= from + hiemi = put in motion, send) literally means
to send awayor to put apart, a letting go, a leaving behind, a removal.
Aphesis refers to a remission as when one remits (pardons, cancels)a debt, or
releasesthen from an obligation. To release from captivity. Remission(see
definition of English word) of sins means once and for all taking them away,
removing the guilt, punishment and powerof sin. And so to release one’s sins,
is not just release from the ("legal" orforensic)charge and the just penalty of
sin but also release from the power and dominion of sin (and in Heaven the
release from the presence of sin and the pleasure of sin).
Is is notable that aphesis is one of the aspects ofredemption as describedby
Paul....
In Him we have redemption (apolutrosis)through His blood, the forgiveness
(aphesis)of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace (Ephesians
1:7-note)
in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness (aphesis)of sins. (Colossians
1:14-note)
Redemption was used in secularGreek as a technicalterm for money paid to
buy back and setfree prisoners of war or to emancipate slaves (liberate them
from subjection or domination) from their masters. Believers have been
ransomed, bought back, like the redemption of a bondservant by a kinsman-
redeemer(Lev 25:49). Before redemption we were held captive by the devil (cf
"dominion [exousia]of Satan" in Acts 26:18-note)to do his will and were
enslavedto our old sin nature (see Sin = Principle) inherited from Adam (Ro
5:12-note). A Roman or Grecianslave could be freed with the payment of
money, but no amount of money can setan enslavedsinner free. Only the
blood of Jesus Christcan redeem us. Christ paid the ransom price (see
lutron/lytron used only twice in NT = Mt 20:28, Mk 10:45)with His blood
(1Pe 1:18-19-note, 1Pe 1:20-Note;1Cor6:20-note; Rev 5:9-note), freeing us
from the curse of the law (Gal 3:13-note; Gal 4:5) and releasing us from
bondage of sin into the freedom of grace (cp Ro 6:14-Note).

Vincent remarks that aphesis "occurs in Luke more frequently than in all the
other New Testamentwriters combined. Used in medical language ofthe
relaxation of disease."
In sum Jesus uses aphesis here to describe the actof liberating souls from that
that confines them, freeing them from obligation(debt) they could never pay.
And what is it that proclaims release?It is the proclamation of the Gospelthat
sets the captives free! God make us Holy Spirit empoweredwitnesses (Acts
1:8-note) to proclaim Your soul saving Gospelwith our lives and our lips, for
Your glory. Amen
The OT gives us a beautiful picture of the meaning of aphesis in the
celebrationof the Year of Jubilee. In factthere are 11 uses of aphesis in the
Septuagint translation of Leviticus 25 (Lev 25:10-13, 28, 30-31, 33, 40, 41, 50,
52, 54) where aphesis is frequently substituted for the Hebrew word Jubilee,
so that instead of the phrase Year of Jubilee the Lxx translatedinto English
reads "Year of the Release"in Lev 25:13 (or "Jubilee of Releasein Lev
25:11). One aspectof the Year of Jubilee involved the setting free of indebted
servants or slaves (cf Lev 25:10). It is interesting that the OT release from
debts was associatedwith a time of celebration. How much more should we as
NT saints daily celebrate and revel in the truth that we have been released
from our sin debt! I fear I do not ponder this profound truth often enough
and begin to take it for granted and become complacentand even indifferent
which makes me vulnerable to committing sin! We need to remember that the
Year of Jubilee was an OT picture which pointed to and was fulfilled in the
crucifixion of the MessiahWhose fully atoning, substitutionary death made
release from sin, Satanand death possible for all who receive this truth by
grace through faith. Here is an example from Leviticus 25...
Leviticus 25:10-note You shall thus consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim a
release (Hebrew = deror = a flowing, liberty; Lxx = aphesis)through the land
to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, and eachof you shall return
to his own property, and eachof you shall return to his family.
Leviticus 25:12-note 'For it is a jubilee (Hebrew - yobel = ram's horn; Lxx =
aphesis + onmasia = shouting, a day for blowing the trumpets - The beginning

of this year was marked by the blast of the Shofar [JewishEncyclopedia]or
ram's horn); it shall be holy to you. You shall eatits crops out of the field.
Bock - The later line from Isaiah 58:6 at the end of this verse declares that
Jesus will actually effectthe release he proclaims ("release," NIV; "setfree,"
NASB, NET;"to setat liberty," RSV). Both the proclamationof Jesus and his
work refer to release, using the same term aphesis.
Hughes on the captives - No prisoners were attachedto the congregationin
Nazareth, but the word broadly includes many forms of spiritual bondage—
bondage to money (Luke 19:1-10), bondage to Satan (Luke 8:26-39), bondage
to guilt (Luke 7:41-50), bondage to sensuality, and bondage to hatred.
(Preaching the Word)
He breaks the powerof cancelledsin,
He sets the prisoner free;
His blood can make the foulest clean;
His blood availed for me.
Charles Wesley(1739)
The captives (prisoners) (164)(aichmalotos fromaichme = a spear + halotós =
to be takenor conquered) was a military term which describes one who has
been takencaptive (at spear point) as a prisoner or be led awaycaptive. Jesus
is using it figuratively to describe a soul in moral and/or spiritual bondage (to
the world, the flesh and the devil and Sin). This is the only NT use but see
below for 25 uses in Septuagint.
Vincent says that aichmalotos is "from aichme, a spear-point, and aliskomai,
to be takenor conquered. Hence, properly, of prisoners of war. Compare Isa.
42:7: “To open blind eyes, To bring out (Lxx = exago = lead out) prisoners
from the dungeon And those who dwell in darkness from the prison.” The
allusion is to Israel, both as captive exiles and as prisoners of Satanin
spiritual bondage."
Aichmalotos - 25 times in the Septuagint -

Ex 22:10; Exod. 22:14;Num. 21:29;Est. 2:6; Job12:17; Job12:19; Job 41:32;
Isa. 5:13; Isa. 14:2; Isa. 23:1; Isa. 46:2; Isa. 52:2; Isa. 61:1; Ezek. 12:4; Ezek.
30:18;Amos 6:7; Amos 7:11; Amos 7:17; Nah. 3:10;
Isaiah5:13-note Therefore My people go into exile (Heb = galah= remove;
Lxx = aichmalotos)for their lack of knowledge;And their honorable men are
famished, And their multitude is parched with thirst.
Comment: Beloved, while the truth in Isaiah5:13 referred to a literal capture
by the enemy, note the clearapplication to us today. Why were they taken
captive? Lack of knowledge!O, how important it is for us to be saturated with
the Word of God! To memorize the Word of God! To meditate on the Word of
God! The Word of Godis the sword of the Spirit (Eph 6:17-note)with which
the Spirit enables us to fight victoriously and not be takencaptive for lack of
knowledge!How is your morning time in the Word of Life? No guilt and
shame meant! Only encouragement!Like the Nike commercialused to say
"JUST DO IT!" (enabled by the Spirit Who gives you the desire and the
power- Php 2:13NLT-note)
Isaiah46:2 They stoopedover, they have boweddown together;They could
not rescue the burden, But have themselves gone into captivity.
Paul reminds Timothy (and us) of the powerof the knowledge ofthe truth
(The Gospel)to set captives free explaining that as we minister with kindness
and gently correctthose in opposition, God may grant them repentance
leading to the knowledge ofthe truth (The Gospel - 2 Ti 2:25-note) and "they
may come to their senses and escapefrom the snare of the devil, having been
held captive (zogreo in perfecttense = in the state of captivity) by him to do
his will." (2 Ti 2:26-note)
AND RECOVERYOF SIGHT TO THE BLIND - Clearlythis refers not just
to recoveryof literal eyesight(as was the case in a number of Jesus'miracles)
but in the context of proclamation of the Gospelspeaksofrecoveryof
spiritual sight, opening the eyes of one's heart to see spiritual truth, because
the natural (unregenerate)soul simply cannotsee supernaturally, for as Paul
explains...

a natural man does not acceptthe things of the Spirit of God, for they are
foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because theyare
spiritually appraised(I.e., He needs to receive spiritual 20/20 vision!). (1 Cor
2:14-note)
NET Note on recovery of sight - Again, as with the previous phrase, regaining
of sight may well mean more than simply miraculously restoring physical
sight, which itself pictures a deeper reality (Luke 1:77–79;18:35–43).
Recoveryof sight (309)(anablepsisfrom aná = up or again, + blépo = see or
look)describes the ability to see again, to regain one's site. Used only here in
NT and in the Septuagint only in Isaiah 61:1. The relatedverb anablepo is
used primarily in a literal sense (Mt 11:5, 20:34, of ears opened= Mk 7:34,
Mk 10:51, 52, Lk 7:22, 18:41-43).
In Acts 26 Jesus explainedPaul's role
‘But getup and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to
appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have
seen, but also to the things in which I will appearto you; 17 rescuing you from
the Jewishpeople and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, 18 to
open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the
dominion of Satanto God, that they may receive forgiveness ofsins and an
inheritance among those who have been sanctifiedby faith in Me.’ (Acts
26:16-18-note)
Blind (5185)(tuphlos from tuphlóo = envelop with smoke, be unable to see
clearly) canrefer to literal blindness (Mt 9:27, 28;11:5; 12:22;Lk 7:21, 22; Jn
9:1, 2, 3.; Acts 13:11 Lv 19:14; Job 29:15)but more often is used to describe
spiritual blindness, picturing one's mind as blind to spiritual truth, even
incapable of comprehending (see Mt 15:14; 23:16, 17, 19, 24, 26;Ro 2:19; 2Pe
1:9; Rev 3:17; Isa 42:16,18,19;43:8) The Greek writers used tuphlos to
describe those who were "mentally blind".
Jesus usedtuphlos figuratively in his discussionwith those who had religion
but no relationship with God (the Scribes and Pharisees, but this applies to

many who are in churches today and profess "religion" but tragically and
deceptively do not possessa "relationship" with Jesus!)...
And Jesus said, “Forjudgment I came into this world, so that (Same purpose
as here in Lk 4:18) those who do not see may see (GoodNews), andthat those
who see may become blind.” (Bad News)Those ofthe Pharisees who were
with Him heard these things and saidto Him, “We are not blind too, are we?”
Jesus saidto them, “If you were blind (I.e., if they recognizedtheir state of
spiritual blindness, humbled themselves, and cried out to God to "heal" them)
you would have no sin; but since you say, ‘We see,’(I.e., In a state of total self-
deceptionand steadfastrejectionof the "sight giving Gospel")your sin
remains. (John 9:39-41)
Comment: Jesus calledthe hypocritical religious leaders of His day "blind
guides" because insteadof leading the people to the Light of the world (Jn
8:12) and eternal life (Jn 3:16, 36), the were leading the people who were in
temporal (spiritual) darkness to eternal darkness (Mt 8:12, 25:30). Jews in
general, and the scribes and Pharisees in particular, consideredthemselves to
be superior mentors of the community in spiritual and moral matters. They
saw themselves as religious guides to their unlearned Jewishbrethren and
especiallyto the spiritually blind Gentile pagans. But because oftheir
arrogantpride and blatant hypocrisy, Jesus chargedthem with “blindness” in
regard to "the Way, the Truth and the Life" (Jn 14:6)! Far from being
qualified to guide others, they were themselves in desperate needof their
spiritual blindness removed and their sight recoveredso that they could see
the one and only "WayLeader", Christ Jesus.
To the worldly rich but spiritually dead, lukewarmchurch at Laodicea Jesus
said
‘Because yousay, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of
nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretchedand miserable and poor
and blind and naked(NOTE:YOU HAVE TO "KNOW", TO RECOGNIZE
YOUR CONDITION,YOUR NEED!THE CHURCH MEMBERS AT
LAODICEA DID NOT KNOW THEIR NEED FOR THE GOSPEL - THEY
WERE SELF DECEIVED LIKE SO MANY IN THE CHURCH TODAY!), I

advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich,
and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of
your nakedness willnot be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that
you may see (SPIRITUAL SIGHT WHICH PAUL DESCRIBESIN 2 Cor
4:18-note - "we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which
are not seen;"). (Rev 3:17-18-note)
JESUS READS FROM
ISAIAH 58:6
TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED -More literally "To send
awaythe bruised with deliverance (or "setthe bruised free")." While Jesus
could be speaking ofliteral physical bruising by someone, the thrust of the
Gospelclearlyis to setmen and womenfree from "spiritual bruising" so to
speak.
So in Luke 4:18 Jesus reads the first portion from Isaiah 61:1 and this last
portion from the Septuagint (Lxx) of Isaiah58:6. There is one difference
betweenthe Lxx version and Luke 4:18 and that is the fact that in Isa 58:6 the
words "Let go" are a command in presentimperative, whereas in Luke 4:18
the words "setfree" (or "let go")is an aoristinfinitive (speaks ofpurpose).
That said, here is the Isaiah 58:6 passage withthe words Jesus read in bold
font...
"Is this not the fast which I choose,
To loosenthe bonds of wickedness,
To undo the bands of the yoke,
And to let the oppressed(thrauo) go free
(Lxx = apostelle tethrausmenous en aphsei)
And break every yoke?
NET Note - The essenceofJesus'Messianic work is expressedin the phrase to
setfree. This line from Isa 58 says that Jesus will do what the nation had
failed to do. It makes the proclamationmessianic, not merely prophetic,

because Jesusdoesn'tjust proclaim the message -he brings the deliverance.
The word translated setfree is the same Greek word(aphesis)translated
release earlierin the verse.
MacolmMuggeridge alluded to this Gospel's powerto setfree - All other
freedoms, once won, soonturn into new servitude. Christ is the only Liberator
whose liberation lasts forever.
Set free (649)(apostello)literallymeans to send off or send awayfrom. Vincent
adds to set at liberty (ἀποστεῖλαι)is l to send awayin discharge. Insertedfrom
the Sept. of Isa. 58:6. See on Luke 3:3, and Jas. 5:15.
Are oppressed(2352)(thrauo)means literally to shatteror to break in pieces
as pottery (used literally in Mk 14:3 but text is not acceptedas authentic by
most scholars). Josephus also usedit literally (e.g., Antiquities 8.14.5). This is
the only NT use of thrauo and is figuratively and passive voice, of persons
broken in spirit by oppressive circumstances, those who have been
downtrodden or overwhelmedwith trouble. They have been broken by
calamity, crushed by the circumstances oflife to the point that they see no way
of escape.
Gilbrant adds this note on thrauo that "figuratively it may be used of
“breaking” anoath or of “oppressing” or“bruising” someone or something
(cf. Bauer). The word is common in the papyri where it refers to the “crushing
power” of evil (cf. Moulton-Milligan)." (Complete Biblical Library Greek-
English Dictionary)
Thrauo used 24 times in the Septuagint most often speaking of literal
breaking or oppression -
Ex 15:6; Num. 16:46; Num. 24:17;Deut. 20:3; Deut. 28:33;1 Sam. 20:34;2
Sam. 12:15;2 Chr. 6:24; 2 Chr. 20:37; Isa. 2:10; Isa. 2:19; Isa. 2:21; Isa. 42:4;
Isa. 58:6; Jer. 51:30;Ezek. 21:7; Ezek. 21:15;Lk. 4:18
Exodus 15:6 “Your right hand, O LORD, is majestic in power, Your right
hand, O LORD, shatters the enemy.

Deuteronomy 20:3 “He shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel, you are
approaching the battle againstyour enemies today. Do not be fainthearted. Do
not be afraid, or panic (Heb = chaphaz = be in trepidation, hurry, alarm; Lxx
= thrauo), or tremble before them,
Numbers 24:17 “I see him (MESSIAH - A MESSIANIC PROPHECY), but
not now; I behold him, but not near; A star shall come forth from Jacob
(MESSIAH), A sceptershall rise from Israel(MESSIAH), And shall crush
through the foreheadof Moab, And tear down all the sons of Sheth.
Isaiah2:19-note Men will go into caves ofthe rocks And into holes of the
ground Before the terror of the LORD And the splendor of His majesty,
When He arises to make the earth tremble (OR "WHEN HE ARISES TO
CRUSH THE EARTH" - REFERRING TO THE SECOND COMINGOF
MESSIAH WHEN HE THE STONE WILL CRUSH ALL THE GODLESS
KINGDOMS OF THE WORLD AND THEIR GODLESS CITIZENS -Daniel
2:32-35-note, Da 2:42-45-note).
Vincent on them that are bruised. Lit., broken in pieces. Only here in New
Testament. Wycliffe, to deliver broken men into remission. The same Hebrew
word is used in Isaiah42:3: “a crushed reed shall he not break,” which the
Septuagint translates by thalo (to crush in Jdg 10:8, bruise, break down), a
word which does not occurin the New Testament. In the citation of this latter
passage(Mt. 12:20) the word for bruised is suntribo which the Septuagint uses
for break.
Pulpit Commentary on He has anointed Me to preach the Gospel - The
common interpretation referred this passageto the state of the people on the
return from the Captivity. Nothing, however, that the people had yet
experiencedin any way satisfiedthe brilliant picture painted in the great
prophecy. A remnant certainly had returned severalcenturies back from their
distant exile, but the large majority of the chosenpeople were scattered
abroad; their own land was crushed under what seemeda hopeless servitude;
poverty, ignorance, universaldiscontent, reigned alike in Jerusalem,
garrisonedwith Roman legionaries,and in the most distant of the poor upland
villages of Galilee. Only could deliverance come and a goldenage of

prosperity return with the promised Messiah. This was the interpretation
which the choicestspirits in Israelapplied to the greatIsaiahprophecy read
that sabbath day in the little synagogue ofNazareth. This was the meaning
which Jesus at once gave to it, only he startled his hearers by telling them that
in him they saw the promised long-looked-forDeliverer. We only possess, it is
evident, the very barestabstractof the words of the TeacherJesus onthis
occasion. Theymust have been singularly eloquent, winning, and powerful to
have extorted the wonderand admiration alluded to in the twenty-second
verse.
He Came for You
Read:Luke 4:14-21
The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good
news to the poor. Luke 4:18
In his novels The Trial and The Castle, FranzKafka (1883–1924)portrays life
as a dehumanizing existence that turns people into a sea ofempty faces
without identity or worth. Kafka said, “The conveyerbelt of life carries you
on, no one knows where. One is more of an object, a thing, than a living
creature.”
Early in His ministry, Jesus wentto a synagogue in Nazareth, stood up in
front of the crowd, and read from Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me
because he has anointed me to proclaim goodnews to the poor. He has sent
me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recoveryof sight for the blind,
to set the oppressedfree, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Luke
4:18-19).
The Lord's mercy extends to all people.
Then Christ satdown and declared, “Todaythis scripture is fulfilled in your
hearing” (Lk 4:21). Centuries earlier, the prophet Isaiahhad proclaimed
these words (Isa. 61:1-2). Now Jesus announcedthat He was the fulfillment of
that promise.

Notice who Jesus came to rescue—the poor, brokenhearted, captive, blind,
and oppressed.
He came for people dehumanized by sin and suffering, by brokenness and
sorrow.
He came for us!
For those who sin and those who suffer.
For those who suffer because ofsin.
For those who sin to alleviate suffering.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Robert Gelinas, The Mercy Prayer
No matter how impersonal the world may seem, Jesus loves eachofus as if we
were His only child.
INSIGHT: Luke 4 provides a classic portrait of how a prophet is without
honor in his own country (see Matt. 13:53–57;John 4:44). In the synagogue
Jesus made His formal announcement of His role as the promised Messiah,
quoting Isaiah’s greatmessianic prophecy (Luke 4:16–21;Isa. 61:1–2). The
people immediately respondedwith amazement and “spoke wellof Him” (v.
22). But when Jesus respondedby challenging the hardness of their hearts,
they tried to kill Him (vv. 23–30). In the midst of His challenge to them Jesus
pointed to the reality of being rejectedby those of His own hometown (v. 24).
By Bill Crowder
WeighedDown At Christmas
Read:Luke 4:14-21

He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, . . . to set at liberty those who are
oppressed. —Luke 4:18
During a Decembervisit to New York City’s MetropolitanMuseum of Art, I
paused to admire the magnificent Christmas tree. It was coveredwith angels
and surrounded at its base by an elaborate 18th-century nativity scene. Nearly
200 figures, including shepherds, the Magi, and a crowdof townspeople,
lookedin anticipation toward the manger or gazed up in awe at the angels.
But one figure appeareddifferent from the rest—a barefootman, who carried
a heavy load on his back and lookedat the ground. It struck me that this man,
like so many people today, was so weigheddown that he couldn’t see the
Messiah.
Christmas canbe a difficult time for those who carry the burden of hard
work, stressfulfamily situations, and personalloss. But we should remember
that Christ came into our world to lift up all those who are bowed down. Jesus
used the words of Isaiah to announce His God-given mission on earth: “To
preach the gospelto the poor; . . . to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim
liberty to the captives and recoveryof sight to the blind, to set at liberty those
who are oppressed” (Luke 4:18).
Jesus came to lift our burdens so we canraise our eyes to welcome Him at
Christmas.
Help us, Lord, to give our burdens
To Your tender, loving care;
Grant us faith to trust You fully,
Knowing that eachone You bear. —D. De Haan
To find true joy at Christmas, look to Jesus.
By David McCasland
The Lighthouse

Read:Isaiah 61:1–6
[The Lord bestows]on them a crownof beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy
instead of mourning. Isaiah 61:3
By its very existence, a ministry centerin Rwanda calledthe “Lighthouse”
symbolizes redemption. It sits on land where during the genocide in 1994 the
country’s president owneda grand home. This new structure, however, has
been erectedby Christians as a beaconof light and hope. Housedthere is a
Bible institute to raise up a new generation of Christian leaders, along with a
hotel, restaurant, and other services forthe community. Out of the ashes has
come new life. Those who built the Lighthouse look to Jesus as their source of
hope and redemption.
When Jesus went to the synagogue in Nazareth on the Sabbath, He read from
the book of Isaiahand announced that He was the Anointed One to proclaim
the Lord’s favor (see Luke 4:14–21). He was the One who came to bind up the
brokenheartedand offer redemption and forgiveness.In Jesus we see beauty
coming from the ashes (Isa. 61:3).
He was the One who came to bind up the brokenheartedand offer redemption
and forgiveness.
We find the atrocities of the Rwandan genocide, whenintertribal fighting cost
more than a half-million lives, mind-boggling and harrowing, and we hardly
know what to sayabout them. And yet we know that the Lord can redeemthe
atrocities—eitherhere on earth or in heaven. He who bestows the oil of joy
instead of mourning gives us hope even in the midst of the darkestof
situations.
Lord Jesus Christ, our hearts hurt when we hear about the pain and suffering
that some endure. Have mercy, we pray.
Jesus came to bring us hope in the darkestof circumstances.
INSIGHT: Jesus announcedHis missionby reading from this messianic
prophecy in Isaiah61, a text that clearlyanticipated His ministry to the
marginalized and hurting (Luke 4:18–19). He offers goodnews, healing,

freedom, release,and joy to supplant the heartaches that inevitably come our
way. Jesus wentto the cross to deal with the root cause of our brokenness—
sin—so that one day we could experience an eternity where “there will be no
more death or mourning or crying or pain” (Rev. 21:4). Jesus-followerscan
likewise be involved in important ministries of help and encouragementfor
the hurting. In what ways has Jesus respondedto your own hurts and needs?
In what ways canyou respond to the needs of those around you who are
hurting?
By Amy BoucherPye
From Mourning to Dancing
Read:Isaiah 61:1–4 |
He has sent me . . . to bestow on [those who grieve] a crownof beauty instead
of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning. Isaiah61:1, 3
“We’re cutting your job.” A decade ago those words sent me reeling when the
company I workedfor eliminated my position. At the time, I felt shattered,
partly because my identity was so intertwined with my role as editor. Recently
I felt a similar sadness whenI heard that my freelance job was ending. But
this time I didn’t feel rockedat my foundation, because overthe years I have
seenGod’s faithfulness and how He can turn my mourning to joy.
Though we live in a fallen world where we experience pain and
disappointment, the Lord canmove us from despair to rejoicing, as we see in
Isaiah’s prophecy about the coming of Jesus (Isa. 61:1–3). The Lord gives us
hope when we feelhopeless;He helps us to forgive when we think we can’t;
He teaches us that our identity is in Him and not in what we do. He gives us
courage to face an unknown future. When we wearthe rags of “ashes,”He
gently gives us a coatof praise.
God can bring times of growth out of our times of heartache.
When we face loss, we shouldn’t run from the sadness, but neither do we want
to become bitter or hardened. When we think about God’s faithfulness over

the years, we know that He’s willing and able to turn our grief to dancing
once again—to give us sufficient grace in this life and full joy in heaven.
Father God, You turned Jesus’s painon the cross into our best gift ever.
Deepenmy faith that I may welcome Your life-changing love into my life.
God can bring times of growth out of our times of heartache.
By Amy BoucherPye
God Is Here Read: Luke 4:16-21
[The Lord] heals the brokenheartedand binds up their wounds. —Psalm
147:3
Leslie and her two daughters were about to be evicted from their home.
Although Leslie believed that God could help, so far He hadn’t given a clue as
to how. She wondered, Where is God? As she drove to the courthouse, she
prayed for God’s intervention. Then she heard a song on the radio
proclaiming, “Godis here! Let the brokenheartedrejoice.”Could this be the
assurance from God that she was longing to hear?
Inside the courtroom, Leslie stoodbefore the judge, heard his decision, and
signed the legaldocuments, but still God had not given her an answer.
As Leslie was walking to her car, a truck pulled up beside her. “Ma’am,” said
the driver, “I heard your testimony inside the courtroom, and I believe God
wants me to help you.” And he did. Gary helped Leslie get in contactwith a
woman from a localchurch who was able to work with the parties involved to
reverse the process so that she and her girls could stay in their home.
When people ask, “Where is God?” the answeris, “Right here.” One way God
is at work is through Christians like Gary who are continuing the work Jesus
started—healing the brokenheartedand binding up their wounds (Ps. 147:3).
God is here; He stands beside you.
God is here; He wants to guide you.

God is here and He will help you,
So do not fear—Your God is near. —D. De Haan
When we love God, we will serve people.
By Julie AckermanLink
Luke 4:19 TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD."
Lu 19:42 Lev 25:8-13,50-54 Nu36:4 Isa 61:2 63:4 2Co 6:1
Luke 4:16-21 Jesus'Return to Nazareth: Ministry in the Synagogue - John
MacArthur
Luke 4:16-21 Jesus'Return to Nazareth: Preaching in the Synagogue - John
MacArthur
Luke 4:16-21 Jesus'Return to Nazareth: Rejectionby the People - John
MacArthur
Luke 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries
THE FAVORABLE YEAR
TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD - This
quotation is from the first half of Isaiah 61:2
To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD
And the day of vengeance ofour God;
To comfort all who mourn,
Why did Jesus stopmid-sentence? BecauseHis first coming was to fulfill the
first half of the Messianic prophecy, "ForGod did not send the Son into the
world to judge the world, but that the world should be savedthrough Him."
(Jn 3:17). The last half of Isaiah61:2 is yet to be fulfilled when the Messiah
returns at His SecondComing as conquering King of kings and Lord of lords
(Rev 19:16-note)"to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and
His kingdom" (2 Ti 4:1), "having been offered once to bear the sins of many,
shall appear a secondtime for salvationwithout reference to sin, to those who

eagerlyawaitHim." (Heb 9:28) The writer of Hebrews speaks ofthis day of
vengeance ofour Godwarning that
"if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge ofthe truth, there
no longer remains a sacrifice forsins, but a certainterrifying expectationof
judgment, and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE
ADVERSARIES...forour God is a consuming fire." (Hebrews 10:26-27-note,
Hebrews 12:29-note, cp John 5:22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
Indeed, for those who refuse the goodnews of the favorable year, there awaits
only bad news that will last for all eternity!
Proclaim(2784)(kerusso orkerysso from kerux/keryx = a herald - one who
acts as the medium of the authority of one who proclamationhe makes;
kerugma = the thing preached or the message)means to proclaim (publicly)
or to herald or act as a public crier - the town official who would make a
proclamation in a public gathering. To preach, proclaim, publish, always with
the suggestionofformality, gravity and an authority which must be listenedto
and obeyed. The idea is to preach or proclaim with the goalto persuade, urge
or warn to comply. Kerusso was used of the officialwhose duty it was to
proclaim loudly and extensivelythe coming of an earthly king, even as our
gospelis to clearlyannounce the coming of the King of kings and Lord of
lords (Rev 19:16-note)!The Imperial Herald would enter a town in behalf of
the Emperor, and make a public proclamation of the message whichhis
Sovereignorderedhim to give, doing so with such formality, gravity, and
authority as to emphasize that the messagemust be heeded! Think about this
secularuse and compare it with what Jesus is proclaiming! Even as the
Roman emperor's hearal gave the people exactly what the Emperor instructed
him proclaim, nothing more, nothing less, so to did Jesus speak testifying
"When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do
nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught
Me." (Jn 8:28, cf John 5:19, 30, 9:33) Neither the Roman herald nor the royal
Jesus add to the messageortake awayfrom it. Should this not be the example
and pattern every preacherand teacherof the holy gospelof God seeksand
strives to emulate, yea, even doing so with fear and trembling! ("not as
pleasing men but God, who examines our hearts" see 1Th2:4-note)

Luke uses kerusso times in the Gospel(Lk. 3:3; Lk. 4:18; Lk. 4:19; Lk. 4:44;
Lk. 8:1; Lk. 8:39; Lk. 9:2; Lk. 12:3; Lk. 24:47)and 8 times in the Book of
Acts (Acts 8:5; Acts 9:20; Acts 10:37;Acts 10:42; Acts 15:21;Acts 19:13;Acts
20:25;Acts 28:31) Much of Jesus'role involves proclaiming release and
offering sight to the blind which are pictures of what salvation brings.
This description of Jesus as the Herald of the Gospelreminds me of what J
Hudson Taylor once wrote -- "Godsaid to me, "I am going to evangelize
China, and if you will walk with me, I will do it through you."
More backgroundon Kerux - The original meaning of the root word kerux
was a "herald at the royal court." Homer used kerusso andkerux in this
connection. They not only announced the coming of the prince, but they also
carried his commands to the uttermost corners of his realm. As the
government of Greece became more republican, these heralds came to serve
the state rather than the court. Certain qualities were required of heralds.
They must have powerful voices, so voice auditions were often held. Also they
had to be capable of calming down an unruly mob, in order to faithfully
communicate the command. An honestdisposition was also required, as a
protection againstthe exaggerationof a royal decree. Furthermore, they could
make no additions or subtractions from the receivedmessage.Laterthese
heralds were also used to declare the message ofa Greek deity or a religious
oracle.
Darrell Bock writes on favorable year of the LORD - This expressionis an
idiom for the year of Jubilee ("year of the Lord's favor," NET; NW;
"acceptableyearof the Lord," RSV). This year was describedin the Law as a
time every 50 years when all debt was forgiven (Lev. 25:10). This became a
figure of spiritual, divine forgiveness in Isaiah49:8 and Isaiah 58:5-8. Jesus
uses it in this last sense to picture His work as a labor designedto bring divine
forgiveness.
Marvin Vincent has a similar note on favorable year of the LORD - To
preach (Rev., proclaim) the acceptable yearof the Lord. As on the first day of
the yearof Jubilee, when the priests went through the land proclaiming, with
sound of trumpet, the blessings ofthe opening year (Lev. 25:8–17). Note Lev

25:10-note, where liberty is to be proclaimed to all in that year. Wycliffe, the
year of the Lord pleasant. A literal interpretation of the word year gave rise
among some of the Christian fathers to the theory that our Lord’s ministry
lastedbut a single year!
In Leviticus 25-note Mosesgives IsraelGod's instructions for celebrationof
the Year of Jubilee -
‘You are also to count off seven Sabbaths of years for yourself, seventimes
sevenyears, so that you have the time of the sevenSabbaths of years, namely,
forty-nine years. 9 You shall then sound a ram’s horn abroad on the tenth day
of the seventh month; on the day of atonement you shall sound a horn all
through your land. 10 You shall thus consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim
a release (Hebrew = deror = a flowing, free run, liberty; Lxx = aphesis =
release ofcaptives as here in Lk 4:18, cancellationof a debt; forgiveness of
sins - Mt 26:28) through the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for
you, and eachof you shall return to his own property, and eachof you shall
return to his family. 11 ‘You shall have the fiftieth year as a jubilee; you shall
not sow, nor reap its aftergrowth, nor gather in from its untrimmed vines. 12
‘For it is a jubilee; it shall be holy to you. You shall eatits crops out of the
field. 13 ‘On this year of jubilee eachof you shall return to his own property.
14 ‘If you make a sale, moreover, to your friend or buy from your friend’s
hand, you shall not wrong one another. 15 ‘Corresponding to the number of
years after the jubilee, you shall buy from your friend; he is to sell to you
according to the number of years of crops. 16 ‘In proportion to the extent of
the years you shall increase its price, and in proportion to the fewness ofthe
years you shall diminish its price, for it is a number of crops he is selling to
you. 17 ‘So you shall not wrong one another, but you shall fear your God; for
I am the LORD your God. (Leviticus 25:8-17 )
Jubilee
MichaelCard
The Lord provided for a time for the slaves to be setfree
For the debts to all be canceledso His chosenones could see

His deep desire was for forgiveness, He longed to see their liberty
And His yearning was embodied in the Year of Jubilee
Chorus:
Jubilee, Jubilee
Jesus is our Jubilee
Debts forgiven
Slaves setfree
Jesus is our Jubilee
At the Lord's appointed time His deep desire became a man
The heart of all true jubilation and with joy we understand
In his voice we hear a trumpet sound that tells us we are free
He is the incarnation Of the year of Jubilee
(Chorus)
To be so completely guilty, given over to despair
To look into your judges face, and see a
CHRIS BENFIELD
The Lord of Liberty

Luke 4: 16-22
Today is a specialday for eachof us. We are celebrating Independence Day
here in America. It is a holiday where we recognize and celebrate the freedom
and liberty that we enjoy in this greatnation.
As we reflect on the freedoms we enjoy, I am also aware that there are
those living in America who remain in bondage. Physicallyand emotionally
they may be free, but spiritually they remain captive to sin.
Our text reveals that Jesus has returned unto His childhood of Nazareth
just after being tempted of Satan and immediately enters the synagogue to
teachthe Word of God. He reads from Is.61:1-2 which speaks ofthe Messiah
and His work of redemption. Jesus revealedto the Jews thatHe was the
Messiahand that this prophecy had been fulfilled.
Only you know where you stand in your relationship with Christ. You have
either been set free in Him or you remain in bondage to sin and death. If you
have never trusted Christ in salvationthere is yet hope for you. I want to look
at this passage and discoverthe wonderful truths concerning the Lord Jesus
Christ. I want to preach on: The Lord of Liberty.
I. The Manifestationof Christ (18a) – The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he hath anointed me to preach the gospelto the poor; he hath sent me
to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and
recovering of sight to the blind, to setat liberty them that are bruised. This is
very early in Jesus’ministry. He was knownof many in Nazareth, but not as
the Messiah. Jesus came to revealGod to mankind. He came as God robed in
flesh as a man and here Jesus declares thatHe is the Christ. We need to
considera couple of things about His manifestation. Notice:
A. His Fellowship– Jesus proclaims, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.”
Jesus publicly identifies Himself with God the Fatherand God the Spirit. He

speaks ofthe Trinity, the Godhead. Jesus had not come to do the works of
God alone. He enjoyed the presence and powerof the Spirit upon Him.
 Jesus laid aside the glory that He knew in heaven to take on the form of a
man. He never laid aside or lostHis deity, but it was veiled in a body of flesh.
Jesus is, was, and always will be God, but He did not live life here upon the
earth as God, but as a Spirit-filled man. He lived the life we never could, in
that it was sinless and perfect, and yet Christ chose to limit His power as He
dwelt here in human form.
B. His Favor – The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed
me to preachthe gospelto the poor. Jesus enjoyeda specialanointing from
God. He was consecratedas the Messiahand empoweredto fulfill the plan of
God. Jesus neverwalkedalone. He never promoted His ownagenda or sought
to fulfill His own desires. He statedmany times that He came to fulfill the will
of the Father. Even facing death in Gethsemane, Jesus wasresignedto the will
of God. He did this through the anointing.
 We in no way could possess the same anointing that Jesus enjoyedbecause
He was sent to perform a work that man could not do. However, as believers
and followers ofChrist, we need the anointing of the Spirit upon our lives as
well. We need to be filled with the Spirit and in close fellowshipwith the Lord.
This is a specialbenefit of belonging to the Lord.
I. The Manifestationof Christ (18a)
II. The Missionof Christ (18b) – The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because
he hath anointed me to preach the gospelto the poor; he hath sent me to heal
the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of

sight to the blind, to setat liberty them that are bruised. In the later part of
this verse we find the mission of Christ. He speaks offive objectives
concerning His ministry.
A. To Preachthe Gospelto the Poor – The word preach means “to herald.”
The word gospelliterally means “goodnews.” So Jesuscame to spread the
goodnews of the glorious gospelto the poor. That is an interesting aspect.
Jesus came to those who were needy, physically, financially, emotionally, and
spiritually.
 I rejoice for the day that I heard the goodnews. Spiritually I was bankrupt
and destitute. I had nothing to offer, but He came to me! I stood in need and
Jesus met that need.
B. To Heal the Brokenhearted – Brokenheartedliterally has the idea of
“breaking in pieces;to crush; and to trample under foot.” Jesus came to bring
healing to those who were brokenhearted;to comfort those who suffered
extreme grief and sorrow. This must’ve been especiallycomforting to the Jews
because oftheir suffering under the heavy hand of Rome while the
Babylonian captivity was still being remembered.
 Consider all that are brokenheartedamong us today. Many feelas if their
lives have been shatteredin pieces. Theyfeelas if they have been crushed and
trodden upon by the cares ofthis life.
 Many today are crushed by their sin. Their lives are trodden under foot of
Satanand they are without hope. Jesus came to provide hope to the
brokenhearted.
C. To PreachDeliverance to the Captives – This has the idea of those who are
held by the point of a spear. Their lives are dominated and controlledby the

enemy. There is no peace, no joy, and no comfort. Their lives are lived captive
to sin and the evil desires of Satan.
 Eachof us can relate to this horrendous captivity. We were all born in sin
and held captive by its ruthless grip. Some have been setfree while others
remain in their bondage.  I remember a time in my life when I stood captive
to sin and the influence of Satan. I longedfor the day that I would be setfree.
Thank God that the Holy Ghostcame by and spoke to me, setting me free
from bondage!Lu.4:18 – The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath
anointed me to preach the gospelto the poor; he hath sent me to healthe
brokenhearted, to preachdeliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight
to the blind, to setat liberty them that are bruised.
D. To Recoverthe Sight of the Blind – For hundreds of years the Jews had
sought the Messiah. Theyhad searchedand longedfor the day that He would
come. Now Jesus was here;He was the Christ, the One they longed to see.
Sadly, many of them were blinded by the rituals and demands of the law.
Jesus was rejectedbecausemostcouldn’t see Him as the Son of God. He came
to open the blinded eyes. Jesus came to revealGod to man and Himself as the
only begottenof the Father.
 Countless souls remain blinded spiritually. Their eyes have never been
opened to the light of Jesus Christ. The adversaryworks continually to keep
them blinded to the Lord. 2 Cor.4:4 – In whom the god of this world hath
blinded the minds of them which believe not, lestthe light of the glorious
gospelof Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
 I too was blinded in sin. I saw no need for the Lord or His salvation. I hadn’t
realized that I stoodcondemned and in need of a Savior. I praise the Lord for
the glorious day that the search-lightof heaven was directedtoward my soul
and my eyes were opened to the truth! I once was blind, but praise His
wonderful name, now I see!

E. To Set at Liberty them that are Bruised – This speaks ofthose who are
broken, shattered, and smitten through. Jesus came as one who had
unmatched compassion. He was moved by the condition and the needs of
humanity. He came to comfort and heal those who are broken.
 The effects and consequencesofsin bear devastating results. Many lives are
broken and shattereddue to the choices they have made. Many feel as if there
is no hope of finding forgiveness.Manyfeel as if their lives will never be made
whole, with the pieces being put back togetheragain. Jesus is the source of our
wholeness. He alone has the power and ability to liberate those who are
desperate and broken. He can setyou free from the guilt and shame of your
sin.
I. The Manifestationof Christ (18a)
II. The Missionof Christ (18b)
III. The MessageofChrist (19) – The message andpurpose of Jesus’ ministry
was clearand precise:To preach the acceptable yearof the Lord. The Jews
had long awaitedthe coming Messiahand He was now in their midst. The day
of the law would soonpass as Jesus offeredHimself a sacrifice for the sins of
humanity, ushering in the day of grace and bringing opportunity for mankind
to receive salvation.
 It has been some 2,000 years and the message remains the same. Now is the
time, today is the day for salvation. 2 Cor.6:2 – (For he saith, I have heard
thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succouredthee:
behold, now is the acceptedtime; behold, now is the day of salvation.)The
Lord provided the means of salvationfor all who will come to Him.

 Jesus quoted Is.61:1-2, but He didn’t quote the entire portion of V.2. To
proclaim the acceptable yearof the Lord, and the day of vengeance ofour
God; to comfort all that mourn. This is yet to be fulfilled after the age of
grace. Mercyand grace are offered now, but one day God’s mercy will be
withdrawn and judgment will come. If you aren’t saved, I urge you to come
while there is still opportunity.
IV. The Majestyof Christ (20-22)– The Jews may not have receivedChrist,
but there was clearlysomething specialabout this Man.
A. His Astonishment (20b, 22a) – And the eyes of all them that were in the
synagogue were fastenedonhim. And all bare him witness, and wonderedat
the gracious words which proceededout of his mouth. The people’s eyes were
fixed on the Lord, literally in a gaze, and they marveled at the words He
spoke. Theyhad never heard such teaching before. This Man spoke with
wisdom and grace that was unmatched by all of the scholars and priests of
that day.
 The same is true in our day. The message andwords of Christ create
astonishment among men. The gospelbrings life and liberty to all who receive
it. I remember how I felt when I graspedthe love that Christ had for me and
the glorious gift of salvation. This world has much to offer, but nothing
compares to that which Jesus gives.
B. His Apprehension (22b) – And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son? The
words and witness of Jesus arrestedtheir thoughts and gripped their hearts.
No doubt many realized that this was the Christ, the promised One of God.
Others, however, sought to explain Him away. They refusedto acceptthe fact
that Jesus was the Christ. They reasonedwithin themselves that He

was just the son of a carpenter; He was just one whom they had known and
watchedgrow up among them. Whatever the case, Jesuspresenteda message
that gripped them and they were forcedto make a decision.
 The same is true in our day as well. The message ofthe gospelcontinues to
grip the hearts of men. Some submit to the call and surrender their hearts to
Christ, while others seek a way to deny or refuse the offer. Either way, when
Jesus is presented, mankind has to make a choice. The Holy Spirit works
within the soul of humanity, revealing the truth of Christ.
Where do you stand today? You have heard the gospelmessage. Jesus died
for eachof us. He has provided the way of salvation. Have you accepted
Christ as your Savior? If not, are you willing to surrender to His callor are
you determined to rejectthe Lord and His offer.
This isn’t something that you canbe neutral or indifferent about. There must
be a decisionmade concerning Christ. You might saythat I don’t want to
make that choice right now, but in reality you have chosento rejectHim
because you chose notto receive Him. This is the greatestdecisionyouwill
ever make. You canhave complete liberty in Christ if you will only come to
Him.
ALAN CARR
V.18b-19 THE MAJESTYOF HIS MISSION

A. Jesus came to this world with a job to do. A job that He still performs!
B. He came to:
1. PreachThe GospelTo The Poor - To herald the goodnews to those who
were destitute of wealth, position, influence and honor. Those who, literally,
cowerbefore a greatGod. Jesus came to the needy, financially and spiritually!
(Matt. 11:28;Isa. 55:1; Rev. 22:17.)(Ill. Where did He find you?)
2. To Heal The Brokenhearted - To cure those who have suffered extreme
sorrow!Speaks to those who's spirit has been crushed. Literally, "to be under
the footof a conqueror". (Ill. Jesus knows!- Job 23:10; Jesus cares!- 1Pet.
5:7; Jesus is There! - Heb. 13:5; Jesus is Working! - Rom. 8:28) Don't give up,
the Lord is on your side! (Ill. Ever been there?)
3. To PreachDeliverance To The Captives - Literally: "Those heldat spear
point") To declare that there is freedom to everyone held captive by Satan's
spear!Ill. Sinners are held captive, they are in bondage to Satan. Jesus canset
them free! Note:Some saints are held captive - Ill. Samson- Blinds, Binds,
Grinds! (Ill. Pro. 13:15)Jesus cansetthe sinning saint free! To be free, a
person must submit under God's mighty hand! (1John 1:9) (Ill. Where did He
find you?)
4. Recovering OfSight To The Blind - To give sight to those blinded by smoke.
Literally, the mentally and spiritually blind. Ill. Satan's powerto deceive - 2
Cor. 4:4; 2 Co. 3:14; 2Co. 11:14;1 Tim. 4:1. Jesus canopen the eyes blinded
by Satan! (Ill. Blinded to hell, consequences,dangers, etc!)(Ill. Where did He
find you? Ill. Ever been there?)
5. To Set At Liberty Them That Are Bruised - To release from bondage those
that have been crushed, or oppressed. Satanis having a greattime at the
expense of God's children! He has no right to trash your life! He has no right
to infiltrate your mind, he has no right to devastate your life. You have the
authority over him, Eph. 4:27; James 4:7; Rev. 12:11) (Here is the secret - 2
Cor. 10:5) You do not have to be continually beaten up! Jesus has promised
you the victory, 1 Cor. 15:57. But, it is up to us to walk in it! (Ill. Don't you
need to be setfree?)

6. To PreachThe Acceptable Year Of The Lord - To proclaim that the doors
of salvationhave been opened, the doors of healing and ministry have been
opened. To remind us that there is coming a blessedtime when God's people
will be with Him in Heaven, Rev.21:4. To remind us that there will come a day
when righteousness and blessing will reign on the earth! (Now is the right time
to have God move in your life! Regardless ofyour need!)
(Note:His would be a ministry of compassionfor all those who were injured
by sin, the devil and the battles of life. He promised to deal tenderly with all
who needed His touch, Isa. 42:3, "A bruised reed shall he not break, and the
smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.")
ADAM CLARKE
Verse 18
The Spirit of the Lord - This is found in Isaiah61:1; but our Lord
immediately adds to it Isaiah42:7. The proclaiming of liberty to the captives,
and the acceptable year(or year of acceptance)ofthe Lord, is a manifest
allusion to the proclaiming of the year of jubilee by sound of trumpet: see
Leviticus 25:8; (note), etc., and the notes there. This was a year of general
release ofdebts and obligations;of bond-men and women;of lands and
possessions, whichhad been sold from the families and tribes to which they
belonged. Our Savior, by applying this text to himself, a text so manifestly
relating to the institution above mentioned, plainly declares the typical design
of that institution. - Lowth.
He hath anointed me - I have been designedand setapart for this very
purpose; my sole business among men is to proclaim glad tidings to the poor,
etc. All the functions of this new prophet are exercisedon the hearts of men;
and the grace by which he works in the heart is a grace of healing,
deliverance, and illumination; which, by an admirable virtue, causes them to

pass from sicknessto health, from slavery to liberty, from darkness to light,
and from the lowestdegrees ofmisery to supreme eternal happiness. See
Quesnel. To those who feel their spiritual poverty, whose hearts are broken
through a sense oftheir sins, who see themselves tied and bound with the
chains of many evil habits, who sit in the darkness ofguilt and misery, without
a friendly hand to lead them in the way in which they should go - to these, the
Gospelof the grace of Christ is a pleasing sound, because a presentand full
salvationis proclaimed by it; and the present is shown to be the acceptable
year of the Lord; the year, the time, in which he saves to the uttermost all who
come unto him in the name of his Son Jesus. Reader!what dost thou feel? Sin-
wretchedness-miseryof every description? Then come to Jesus - He will save
Thee - he came into the world for this very purpose. Castthy soulupon him,
and thou shalt not perish, but have everlasting life.
DR. THOMAS CONSTABLE
Verse 18-19
The passageJesusreadwas Isaiah61:1-2 a (cf. Isaiah58:6). This passage
prophesied the mission of Messiah. Itis appropriate that Jesus should have
read it at the beginning of His ministry and that Luke should have recordedit
here. As the Servantof the Lord, which the context of the Isaiahpassage
contributes, Messiahwouldpossessthe Spirit. He would also be the bearer of
goodnews ( Luke 1:19; cf. Deuteronomy 18:18;Isaiah 40:9; Isaiah41:27;
Isaiah52:7). Luke highlighted Jesus" prophetic ministry of proclamation(
Luke 4:24; Luke 7:16; Luke 7:39; Luke 9:8; Luke 9:19; Luke 13:33; Luke
24:19). MoreoverMessiahwouldbring release to the oppressed(cf. Luke
7:22).

The reference to the favorable year of the Lord is an allusion to the year of
jubilee when all the enslavedin Israelreceived their freedom ( Leviticus 25).
It points to the messianic kingdom but is more generaland includes God"s
favor on individual Gentiles as wellas on Israelnationally.
Jesus stoppedreading before He read the words "and the day of vengeance of
our God" in Isaiah 61:2 b. This is a reference to the Tribulation, among other
judgments. The omissionhighlights the gracious nature of Messiah"sministry
then comparedwith its judgmental characterin the future. [Note: See Gary
Yates, "The Use of Isaiah 61:1 (and58:6) in Luke 4:18-19 ," Exegesisand
Exposition2:1 (Summer1987):13-27.]One writer listed many passages in
addition to Isaiah 61:1-2 that contain prophecies with a nearerfulfillment of
some statements and a farther fulfillment of others. [Note: J. RandallPrice,
"Prophetic Postponementin Daniel9 and Other Texts," in Issues in
Dispensationalism, pp159,160.]
Jesus:Born to Serve
Ron R. Ritchie
This has been a wonderful holiday seasonformany within this family as well
as those living in the surrounding communities. As a spiritual family we have
receivedmany blessings. We have been feed spiritually and physically by
many teachers and helpers in a variety of classesfrom the children's
programs to the adult seminars. We have been blessedby the many men,
women and children among us who have encouragedour hearts with their
children's programs, the musical concerts , the seniorcitizen outreach, and
our Christmas Eve service to mention but a few of the blessings. But none of
these blessing could have been ours without the many godly servants who
minister to us behind the scenes.The half cannotbe told until Eternity but I

was so encouragedfor example when a few weeks ago I walkedout into this
cold room in the middle of the week and found Charlie and Carole George
stocking the cards and pencils in the back of the pews and they are but one
couple among a team of folks who come every week to do the same thing.
During the week you will find Voy-tek, Toan Le and Eric among the many
seeking to keepour faculties in proper working order. Then we are all blessed
because ofthe servant hearts of Tracy Bunce, Barbara Stepherson, and
Jennifer Flippen, in the main office;Kathy Sill and CarolFrancis watching
over our finances;and Gloria McGriff and Phyllis Fletcherserving us in
DiscoveryPublishing and Books. We don't have time to mention the names of
all the faithful servants on the Worship Team, as well as the Ushers and
Deacons, but only to say how blessedwe all are by all of them because oftheir
willingness to follow in the steps of their Lord Jesus who said " For eventhe
Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve ..." Mark 10:45
Transition: It is to this wonderful Servant of Jehovahthat we want to look at
today in order to be reminded not only of His servant heart and ministry but
as an example for all of us who love Him to follow in His footsteps. Isaiah
prophesied some 700 years before the birth of The Servant of Jehovahabout
His Personand ministry.
1. The Servant of God to Come:Isaiah 61:1-2
"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, Becausethe Lord has anointed meTo
bring goodnews to the afflicted; He has sentme to bind up the
brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives, And freedom to prisoners; To
proclaim the favorable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance ofour
God;
Context: Isaiah, the servant of God was calledas a prophet of God to Israel
and Judah over a period of 60 years. (740-681 BC)In the Isaiah scroll
Chapters 1-39 the prophet calledthe nation to repentance and to renew their
relationship with their one and only living and loving God. By 721 BC Israel
was takeninto the Assyrian Captivity leaving the two tribes of Judah to stand
alone againstall their enemies. Isaiahliving and ministering in Jerusalem
then wrote Chapters 40-66 filling the hearts of God's people with a message of

forgiveness, comfortand hope which would all be accomplishedby the coming
of the suffering and then sovereignMessiah. Isaiahdescribedthe future glory
of Jerusalemin Chapter 60 and then in Chapter 61 he described the Person
and Ministry of the coming Messiahas well as the blessings He will bring
upon the faithful remnant.
Transition: With Assyria in the north looking for an opportunity to overrun
the Holy City and the rumors that the Babylonian Empire was growing
strongereachday, Isaiah's message wasofgreat comfortto the spiritual
remnant.
1. The Personof the Messiah
Page:2
"The Spirit of the Lord God (Adonia Jehovah) is upon me, Becausethe Lord
has anointed me- (I am Jehovah' s Anointed.)
The pre-incarnated Christ spoke through His prophet Isaiah and described
Himself to the nation. As we look back now we can see that the prophecies
coverour Lord's ministry in His first coming and many will be totally fulfilled
in His Secondcoming. The Messiahto come was God's anointed, the one who
would bruise the head of Satan(Gen.3:16)the one who was to be born of a
virgin and was to be calledImmanuel (Isa. 7:14) , the SovereignLord, the
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Father of Eternity, and Prince of Peace,
(Isa. 9:6), the one who would rule on David's Throne forever (11 Sam. 7) This
wonderful Messiahwouldcome in the power of the Holy Spirit to minister
among His people and the Gentiles . He would be the mediator of the New
Covenant, the light to the Gentiles, the gift of salvationto the whole world but
only after he suffers the shame and pain of the cross, death, burial and then
the glorious resurrectionfrom the dead.
2. The Ministry of the Messiah
As the people listenedto the words of Isaiahtheir hearts would have been
filled with the hope that Messiahwas coming soonto deal with their
immediate circumstances in the same way many of us are looking forwardto
our Lord's secondcoming to deal with our immediate circumstances.

a. To bring goodnews to the afflicted; those who are penitent poor, those who
were lowly, poor in spirit, spiritually bankrupt. Those who declare themselves
spiritually bankrupt and then place their faith in Messiahwill receive the
goodnews that they would have accessto the King and all His spiritual
resources to face their current realities. (Isa.66:2)
b. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, In the immediate contextthis
hope could apply emotionally to those Jews who had immediate family
members taken into the Assyrian Captivity, as wellas all those in Judah who
have suffered personaltragic that breaks ones heart. In time it would be
applied to those taken out of Judea into the Babylonian captivity. On a
spiritual level it would these words could bring comfort to all those who have
sinned againstMessiahand upon confessionwere forgiven. EarlierKing
David cried out to God over the sin of adultery "Create in me a pure heart, O
God, and renew a steadfastspirit within me. (Ps. 51)
c. To proclaim liberty to captives, Again the Jews in Judea upon hearing these
words would still have their relatives and friends in the Northern Tribes in
mind who had been takeninto captivity by Assyria some 20 years earlier. (721
BC) At the same time Messiahwouldbe addressing all the Assyrian captives
as well as those in Judea who had been takenspiritually captive by the Satanic
alluring god and goddess of the surrounding nations.
d. And freedom to prisoners: The Servant of the Lord had already said in
Isaiah42:7 "I will keepyou and I will make you to be a covenantfor the
people and a light for the Gentiles to open eyes that are blind, to free captives
from prison and to release fromthe dungeon those who sit in darkness. But
first they must be set free themselves from all the spiritual blindness that
holds them captive.
e. To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord, the year of Jubilee (Lev. 25:8-
16) the year of liberty which came every 50 years. The benefits of the year of
Jubilee were (1) rest for the soil, and rest from harvest . (2) The return to the
original ownerof all property that had to be sold because ofdebts or poverty.
(3) All men and their families who were hired out to anotherfamily because of
poverty or debt were to be setfree. Thus the year of Jubilee became one of

freedom and grace for all suffering, bringing not only redemption to the
captive and deliverance from want to the poor, but also release to the whole
congregationof the Lord from the sore labor of the earth...." for in this year
every kind of oppressionwas to cease andevery member of the covenant
people find his Redeemerin the Lord, who brought him back to his possession
and family. (Unger's Dictionary, p. 352)This was the seasonoffavor from the
Lord, the day of salvation, and the time of God's grace
f. And the day of vengeance ofour God; Now is the day of Salvation but a day
is coming when Messiahwill setup His righteous rule in Jerusalemand in
that day He will made all wrongs right and deal with all the injustice and
unrighteousness of men. And He will deal with all His enemies. In this
immediate case the Jews
Page:3
would have been thinking of Assyria But the day of vengeance is the day of
God's wrath againstrebellious mankind as wellas Satanas recorded in
Revelation19-20
Illustration: In thinking about how our Lord Jesus modeled"bringing good
news to the afflicted" I couldn't help but think about one of His faithful
servants in this generationnamed Happy Beatty. Few of us know of the
wonderful ministry this godly womenand her team have been doing among
the seniorcitizens of this community for the lasttwo decades. Theyare
committed To bring good news to the afflicted. Eachquarter Happy and her
team put on an evangelistic outreachluncheonfor those seniors who are
spending their last years on this earth in the VA hospitals or resthomes. They
go out into the community and pick up some 100-150 seniorand bring them
here to the fellowshiphall, place them around tables eachwith a host and
hostess, have some greatsinging, wonderful food and a gospelmessage
informing them of God's love for them in Jesus Christ. This team of godly
men and womenare filled with the Holy Spirit and the Love of Christ and
with servants hearts seek to fulfill their calling to those who are afflicted.
Transition 700 years after the prophecy of Isaiah60: 1-2 we open up the
gospelof Luke 4:16-22 and read about the...

11. The Servant of God who has Come: Luke 4: 16-22
And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His
custom, He entered the synagogue onthe Sabbath, and stood up to read. And
the Book ofthe prophet Isaiahwas handed to Him. And the book of the
prophet Isaiahwas handed to Him and he opened the book and found the
place where it was written,
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, BecauseHe anointed Me to preach the
gospelto the poor,
He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives,
And recoveryof sight to the blind, To set free those who are downtrodden,
To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord."
"And He beganto say to them "Todaythis Scripture has been fulfilled ..."
1. And He came to Nazareth, where He was brought up, and as was His
custom He entered the synagogue onthe Sabbath.... Leaving Cana then he
was lead to his home town Nazareth, in his secondyear of ministry. At this
time He was becoming very popular, "news about Him spread" because ofthe
(1) Ministry of Healing in Cana, (2) and The MessageofHope. : The Kingdom
is at Hand . At that time He "...was"Praisedby all" that is before the
Pharisees startedmoving in. Then on the Sabbath as was His customHe
entered the synagogue.
2. And the book (scroll) of the prophet Isaiahwas handed to Him. The Temple
in Jerusalemwas designedfor Worship and Sacrifice. But the localsynagogue
was like our localchurch designedto meet the spiritual needs of the people
within a localcommunity on a weeklybases . Possible orderof a localservice:
(1) Thanksgiving to God, the reading of the Shema, Hear O Israel, the Lord
God is one. (2) Prayerand the response of"Amen by the Congregation(3)
Reading from the Law (Pentateuch)Hebrew then translatedinto Aramaic. (4)
Reading from the Prophets (Hebrew and Aramaic) At this point the Head of
the Synagogue wouldinvited one of the elders or a guestto read from one of

the prophets, and knowing Jesus was in the audience He invited Him to read
from the ScrollIsaiahJesus took the Scroll and kept unrolling it until He
came to Isaiah 61:1-2 and read: The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me because
He anointed Me to preach the gospelto the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim
release to the captives and recoveryof sight to the blind,to setfree those who
are downtrodden, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord..."
a.The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me...Itis the Holy Spirit who will provide the
powernecessaryforthe Spiritual King of Israelto invade the Kingdom of
darkness and rescue the victims of the devil who are slaves
Page:4
of sin. The Saints in the Old Testamentwere given the gift of the person and
powerof the Holy Spirit to accomplishcertaintask on behalf of God. John the
Baptist and Jesus were filled with the Holy Spirit to minister on behalf of
Jehovah. At the end of His ministry Jesus told His disciples in the upper room
" And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may
be with your forever; that is the Spirit of Truth...He abides with you, and will
be in you. (John 14: 16-17)
b. BecauseHe anointed Me to preach the gospelto the poor. He was the
"Anointed Servant of the Lord" His was a preacher of goodnews to the poor,
those who were physically, emotionally, and spiritually bankrupt. Blessedare
those who are spiritually bankrupt for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
(Matt. 5:3) As they casttheir lives on Messiahthey were given accessto the
King and all His resources.He also preached to the financially rich warning
them that their riches would destroy them "But woe to you who are rich, for
you are receiving your comfort in full. Woe to you who are well-fed now, for
you shall be hungry. (Luke 6: 24-25)('He has sent me " to heal the
brokenhearted..." is not quoted by Jesus according in Luke, and it maybe
because Jesussaw the poor and brokenheartedas one.)
c. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives : The Messiahhad the
powerto setfree the war captives taken by Satanin the battle for the hearts
and souls of men and women in every generationsince the fall of man in
Adam. Jesus had the powerto release the prisoners of Satan, and setthem

free from their sin , shame and guilt. Our Lord's ministry of proclaiming
release to the captives would later be seenwhen He met 'Legion' a demon
possessedman who walkedaround nude, lived in the tombs, and was so strong
no man nor chain could hold him. Jesus castthe demons into a herd of pigs
who in turn were driven into the lake and drowned. Meanwhile the town folks
came out to see what was happening with Legion and discoveredthe man
"sitting down at the feet of Jesus , clothed and in his right mind, and they
became frightened. And those who had seenit reported to them how the man
who was demon-possessedhad been made well . (Luke 8: 26-39)
d.. recovery of sight to the blind... Who would ever forget the story of Jesus
and the blind man as recordedby John . The disciples had pointed out the
blind man to Jesus and wanted to know if he was blind because ofhis own sin
or the sin of the parent. Jesus saidneither but he was blind since his birth
"...in order that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work
the works ofHim who sent Me...While I am in the world , I am the light of the
world." Jesus then healedthe blind man who later became a believer, but the
Pharisees accusedJesus ofbeing a sinner because He healedon the Sabbath.
Jesus latersaid "ForJudgment I came into this world, that those who do not
see may see, and that those who see may become blind." (John 9) Jesus
certainly healed the physically blind (John 9) as a symbol of what He wanted
to do for the spiritually blind. (See Acts 26: 18)
e. To set free those who are downtrodden: (This phrase is not in Isa.60:2, nor
in the LXX : Greek versionof Hebrew Text , but may be a commentary on
"recoverysight to the blind") Out Lord was referring to the deliverance of all
those who had been crushed or oppressedand left without the ability to help
themselves any longer. The Romans as well as the leaders of the Jewish
religious community could crush people with their political and religious laws
and customs. Jesus promisedthat He would come and become the one who
would left up all those who could no longerlift themselves up especiallyin the
realm of Satanic influence. "Come to Me all who are wearyand heavy laden,
and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am
gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls. For My
yoke is easyand My load is light.:" ( Matt. 11:28-30)

f. To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord: For 700 years the faithful
remnant was looking forward to Messiah's coming and to hear Him
"proclaim the favorable yearof the Lord" At that moment in the synagogue
Jesus was saying to the Jews in the words of Isaiah, "all that the year of
Jubilee stands for, the symbol of the beginning of the Messianic Age, the
freedom from the fearof sin, death, Satan, has at this moment arrived in your
presence. Godis granting Salvationto all his people as well as the Gentile
Nations. It was the beginning of the "day of salvation" to all those who placed
their faith in Jesus as their long-promised Messiah. The Apostle Paul would
later describe this 'favorable year of the Lord' as "He delivered us from the
domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in
whom we have redemption, the forgiveness ofsins." (Col. 1:13-14)All the
spiritual and physical blessings above are still being offered to humanity. It is
still the "favorable year of the Lord".
Page:5
3. This reading would normally be followedby 5. a word of exhortation and
then 6. a Benedictionpronounced by a priest in which all would say "Amen"
ending the service. But this day would be a little different.
a . Day of Salvation is Present:The Lord stopped in the middle of the
sentence:verse 61:2 reads "To proclaim the favorable year of the
Lord...(Stopped) He never read the last phrase "And the Day of vengeance of
our God". Why? Becausethis was the Day of Salvation, the opportunity for
spiritual healing was available for all in that synagogue thatday as well as for
all within the nation of Israel who would place their faith in Him as their long
awaitedMessiahThe day of vengeance wouldcome one day upon all who
would reject Jesus as Messiah.
b. Messiahis PresentToday!And He rolled up the scrolland gave it back to
the attendant, and sat down and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed
upon Him and He began to say to them. "Todaythis scripture has been
fulfilled in your hearing." Within these gracious words, Jesus wasinforming
His hometownfamily and friends that He was the long awaitedMessiahof
Israel. That He was at that moment the total fulfillment of the Isaiah passage

first proclaimed some 700 years earlier. Here standing before them was the
long hoped for Immanuel : The God Anointed, Spirit Filled Messiah. All they
had to do was fall on their knees and worship Him and then ask Him how they
could serve Him. It was the Day of Salvationnot the "Dayof Vengeance".
c. Messiahwas Rejected:That crowdin the Nazarethsynagogue rejectedHim
and then tried to kill Him. He avoided that threat to his life but in time the
Father placedHim on the Cross for the sin of humanity and then raised Him
from the dead. He now stands as the model servantfor the spiritual remnant
in every generationuntil He come againin power and glory as the Lord of the
Universe. Paul spoke ofHim as our model when he wrote to the Philippians
"Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who,
although He existedin the form of God, did not regard equality with God a
thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself taking a form of a bondservant..."
(2:5-7) Jesus saidto His disciples and to all who are willing to be His disciples:
Then He said to His disciples "If any one serves Me, let him follow Me; and
where I am, there shall My servant also be; if any one serves Me, the Father
will honor him. (John 12:26.)
Illustration: What a joy to be allow to be among the many servants of Jesus
Christ here who are ministering in His Name among the handicap children at
GreenPastures, and the homeless atCity Team. What a delight to hear of so
many of you working with the Gideons and the Crises PregnancyCenter, as
well as the EastPalo Alto ministry to mention but only a few of the wonderful
open door of love has placedamong us to walk through and serve Him until
He comes again.
Conclusion:An old English Carolhas the following words
How shall I fitly meet Thee, and give Thee welcome due? The nations long to
greetThee, and I would greatThee too. O Fount of light, shine brightly upon
my darken'd heart, That I may serve Thee rightly, and know Thee as Thous
art.
My prayers for you as well as myself in this new year is that when He comes
againHe will find all of us serving Him in a variety of ministries motivated by

a heart of love towards Him who came to this earth to serve us and pay a
ransom for all of us. (Mark 10:45)
Catalog No. 4388Jesus:Bornto Serve Series:The Messianic Prophecies of
Jesus RonR. Ritchie Sixth MessageIsa 61:1-2 Luke 4: 16-21
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4:14-21 Christ anointed to preachthe good news to the poor
Previous Next
Luke 4:14-21 “Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news
about him spread through the whole countryside. He taught in their
synagogues, andeveryone praisedhim. He went to Nazareth, where he had
been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was
his custom. And he stoodup to read. The scrollof the prophet Isaiah was
handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: ‘The Spirit
of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach goodnews to the
poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recoveryof

sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s
favour.’ Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat
down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastenedonhim, and he
beganby saying to them, ‘Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’”
Encouragedby the assurance ofhis Father’s love for him, and strengthened
by his victory overSatan the Lord Jesus walkedfrom the desert to his home
area of Galilee, but no loner to be making doors and fence posts and tables in
a carpenter’s shop. Neveragaindid Jesus make evena shelf. Now he was
equipped for the three years of his public ministry by the power of the Spirit.
In other words, there was a dimension of spiritual enabling about him that
even Christ had not known before his baptism. The descentof the Spirit in the
form of a dove was no mere symbol. Our Lord had always been filled with the
Spirit from the womb of Mary but because ofthis new, energizing endowment
our Lord had become gifted and prepared for his public ministry. So in the
next chapters of this gospel, until the end of chapter nine, Jesus’ministry of
word and actionis comprehensivelydescribedto us. Neverhad the world seen
anything remotely like those next two years when the Lord Christ took the
initiative traveling slowly from one community in Galilee to another. His
ministry transformed that whole area, banishing disease fromthe place, and
bringing the messageofthe Kingdom of God – the reign of grace overthe lives
of men and women – to Galilee. One consequence wasthat news about him
spread through the whole countryside, the women at the wells, the elders at
the town gates and even the children as they played talkedto one another
about this striking new preacher, and initially he found favour in everyone’s
eyes. They all spoke wellof him. Jesus appearedto be riding the crestof the
wave of popularity.
JESUS THE MESSIAH BEGAN HIS PREACHING.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the subject of all that Luke writes here from the
fourteenth verse onwards;he returned . . . he taught . . . he went to Nazareth .
. . he went to the synagogue . . . he stoodup to read . . . he found the place . . .
he rolled up the scroll. . . he began by saying . . . and so on; it is all about

decisions and actions which he took by himself. Someone claimedthat Jesus
did not come to preachbut to do something that we might have something to
preach, but this chapter shows us how mistakenthat view is. Here is the
incarnate God and he involves himself for a couple of years in the life of the
ordinary people of Galilee, the farmers, the housewives, the fishermen and
their children by talking to them, by exhortation and counseland rebuke and
calling them to repent and believe.
We are being shown what God is like, that he is not one who made the earth
and then left it to run by itself. He doesn’t observe this planet from afar. He is
one who constantlyintrudes; he is always involved in the world of his own
making. Sometimes this involvement is one of judgment. We find that in the
flood, and againat Sodom and Gomorrah, but on most occasions his
involvement is redemptive. Here is the Sonof God moving around Galilee of
the Gentiles, meeting ignorance and opposition and need and never giving up.
For sevenhundred years it had been the most compromisedpart of the
nation. Other gods and philosophies had had enormous influence there from
way back at the time of the Assyrian ascendancy, but that was the place Jesus
chose to begin his preaching. It was the vortex of ignorance in the nation, but
there the people that dwelt in darkness saw a greatlight.
I am saying that this is the period above all others in the history of God’s
dealings with this world when the Lord displayed himself most radically as an
involved God, when he took a decisive and firm grip of human history, when
he radically alteredits course. This planet was never to be the same after our
Lord erupted into the three-dimensional reality of human lives, and the Lord
did so by preaching the word of God to men. Thoughhis personality was
wonderfully attractive, and his deeds quite breath-taking, most of all men
were struck by his words. Neverman spake like this man. This is the time at
which the Old Testamentprophecies and types found their fulfillment, that
greatperiod which it had been looking forward to with such expectancyand
longing. That glorious time had come.
So Luke tells us of one particular Sabbath day in Nazareth and describes what
happened in the localsynagogue, the one Jesus had been attending for almost
thirty years. He and his family had sat in the family bench week after week;

they were one of the most godly families in the community. There they
listened to the Phariseesorrabbis reading and speaking to the people. The
building was as familiar to him as the carpenter’s shop and he was just as
familiar to the whole congregation. Justhis being there affectedwhat the
preachers saidand didn’t say – like some of you in particular affectme. Jesus
was principally knownto them as the localcarpenter, the son, they supposed,
of Josephwho had startedthe business – “Joseph& Son: Joiners.” The
congregationknew the names of the whole family. A collectionof cottagesand
crofts did not have many carpenters. Some, no doubt, would remember Jesus
coming to their homes to hang a new door or to deliver a table they had
bought from him and his Dad.
Now a remarkable change had taken place, but knowing Jesus as they did
they couldn’t have been all that surprised. He had gone to the Jordan river,
listened to John and some of the more ignorant thought he had ‘got religious.’
There he had been baptized, and then he didn’t return home. He was missing
for about six weeks, andthen the stories beganto trickle into Nazareththat he
was actually preaching in different places in Galilee;more that that, he was
healing the sick, and people everywhere were impressed by him. He had a
goodreputation, and his own fellow townsmen and women wanted to see the
new Jesus and hear him. Maybe he would even do a miracle for them. So
when he enteredthe synagogue with his family heads turned to look at him, to
see if now he dressedany differently, or lookedmore ‘religious.’Would he be
looking like one of the hyper-religious Pharisees?And would he preachto
them?
There came the time in the service when favoured known men were permitted
to speak and Jesus stoodup and walkedto the front. It was the moment they
had hoped for; the atmosphere was electric. He askedfor the scrollof the
prophecy of Isaiahfrom its keeperand then he began to roll it from one staff
to the other until he found the passage he wanted to read to them. It was the
opening verses of the sixty-first chapter. I suppose it was in Greek not
Hebrew; I am not sure of that. Certainly no one had actually spokenthe
Hebrew language for 300 years, they all talkedin Aramaic to one another, but
Jesus was literate and able to speak a few languages. Maybe they were
familiar with the Hebrew of the Scriptures. These are the words he read aloud

to the silent congregation;‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has
anointed me to preach goodnews to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim
freedom for the prisoners and recoveryof sight for the blind, to release the
oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’(vv. 18&19).
They were all waiting for what would happen next. He sat down in the front
because preaching was done from a sitting position. He lookedat them, and
their eyes were all glued to him and when he beganhe said simply, “Today
this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (v.21). They were on the spot to
witness the fulfillment of this prophecy. You will remember that this was the
claim Peterwas to make on the Dayof Pentecostthree years later when
thousands stoodlistening to him preach, hearing his explanation for the
pouring out of the Spirit on the church; “This is that which was spokenby the
prophet Joel.” ‘This is that;’ you are presentwhen prophecy is being fulfilled.
So in NazarethJesus announcedthat what they had been hearing concerning
his actions and words in the villages of Galilee was the literal fulfillment of the
prophecy of Isaiahas he spoke ofthe Spirit of God coming down in poweron
a specialpreacherin the lastdays. “You are living in a time,” Jesus told them,
“when the Bible’s predictions are being fulfilled of what is going to happen in
the days when the Messiahcomes.”So Jesus was no longerbeing a teacher;he
was issuing a proclamation. He was announcing that he was a prophet and the
mouthpiece of God, in fact he was hinting at messianic identity.
JESUS TAUGHT THE PEOPLE OF NAZARETH ABOUT ISAIAH’S
PROPHECYABOUT THE JUBILEE YEAR.
Isaiahwas speaking about the Year of Jubilee. Let me explain what that
means; in the law of Moses whichhad been given seven hundred years before
Isaiah’s time a 50 year calendarwas set up under the old covenantwhich was
to be kept by the people of God. There was first of all the seventh day of each
week which was the Sabbath day. Every seventh year was a sabbaticalyear
when the land was to lie fallow. Then every sevensabbaticalyears, in other
words every fifty years, was the Year of Jubilee.
Let me read to you from Leviticus 25, and verses 8 through 12 “Count off
sevensabbaths of years – seventimes seven years – so that the seven sabbaths

of years amount to a period of forty-nine years. Then have the trumpet
sounded everywhere on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of
Atonement sound the trumpet throughout your land. Consecrate the fiftieth
year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be
a jubilee for you; eachone of you is to return to his family property and each
to his own clan. The fiftieth yearshall be a jubilee for you; do not sow and do
not reap what grows ofitself or harvestthe untended vines. For it is a jubilee
and is to be holy for you; eatonly what is takendirectly from the fields.”
At the minute that year began, as the Day of Atonement dawned, there
weren’t our now familiar fireworks with which our New Years are welcomed,
but trumpets which sounded a fanfare in every community. When the poor
man sitting on the floor in the debtors’ prison craning his ears listening for
that sound heard the notes what delight it brought him because he knew that
the jailer would be round in a minute with his keys. He had to open the
prison’s doors and let his prisoners free. The man’s sentence was ended. His
wife and family would be outside waiting for him and togetherthey would
walk back to his own land, the farm he had forfeited because ofhis debt. That
was the first mark of Jubilee – freedom! Also the land was left fallow that
greatyear and the oxen did no ploughing. I remember from my teenage years
living in a mining valley of South Wales when the pit ponies were brought up
to the surface once a yearfor the weekswhenthe miners had their annual
holidays, and how those little horses frolickedin the fields when they were
released. There was one occasionwhenI saw them; people came and watched
them tenderly knowing that soonthey would be takenin the cage downunder
ground for fifty more weeks ofdarkness and dust. So in Israel during the
Year of Jubilee the oxen didn’t plough and the donkeys didn’t carry vast
burdens around the farms. In factno one was to labour but rather to feaston
the food Godhad abundantly given them the previous years in preparation
for this year’s rest. It was a time of deliverance and restoration. Israel’s cycle
of oppression– the poverty trap – was broken. “All debts were cancelled;the
poor regainedtheir inheritance; their families were reunited. This law
governeddebt management in Israel, because the coming of the Year of
Jubilee marked the new order that was to begin” (Edmund P. Clowney,
Preaching Christ in All of Scripture, Crossway, 2003,p.127). So it was also a

year with a foretaste ofheaven about it, a prophetic year, of three Rs, a day of
Releaseforthe slaves and the bond servants, a day of Reversionfor the land
going back to its original owners, and a day of Renewalofthe fields as they
were to lie fallow for twelve months. All this was a greatsymbol to the
children of Israel, speaking of a blessedtime yet to come. God is going to do
wonderful things in the future; he can make a new heavens and a new earth
and then the curse will be removed.
What stark, plain lessons were the people being taught by the installation of
the Jubilee year at this time of their infancy as God’s children? They were
being taught this lesson, thatthe earth and this land was the Lord’s, and all its
fulness – the soil and the animals – was the Lord’s. It all belonged to God. The
people were stewards ofwhat he’d given to them for their brief lifetimes. “If
you trust me,” God was saying, “and keepmy laws then you’ll be blessed, and
this will be a land flowing with milk and honey. If you live by my word and
keepthe Sabbath as a day of rest eachweek, andevery seven years keepa
sabbaticalyear letting the land be fallow, and every fifty years sound the
trumpets and for the next 365 days keepa Year of Jubilee then you will be
amazed at my provision for you. You will not go hungry; you will have food
enough and to spare. Prove my faithfulness. I will provide for you all richly.
Trust me. The whole land will know an awakening;the soil, the trees, the
animals and yourselves will know a new dimension of blessedness.”Thatis
what God was saying.
More than that, from the Year of Jubilee the people also learned about God,
what sort of Lord he is, a God who cares for the poor, and for the prisoner in
the dark cold jail, for the slave and for the oppressed. People matterto God,
not just prophets and priests and kings, but little people, the widow, the
orphan, the oppressed, the streetperson who has nowhere to staybut a
cardboard box, and God cares forthem and he would make provision for
them, if only they would avail themselves of it.
Even more than that, the Year of Jubilee shows that God makes promises he
keeps, not only that future days of liberation are coming but that he will
accomplishthis liberation. Here is this immense structure put into place by
God stretching over fifty years – the socio-spiritualengineering of liberty for

the people he loved – for the slaves to be free, and the man ejectedfrom his
land to receive it back again, because liberty is what God loves. He sees the
man and woman under the yoke, the voice of the oppressoryelling at them,
and it grieves him. He hears the sound of the whip and the rod of the
taskmasterstriking the backs of the slave and it grieves him. Godwill deliver
them. He will do it himself; he will put on his helmet of salvationand his
breastplate of justice and he will certainly come to the prisons of Israelevery
fifty years and fling open the doors and let the people out.
So Jesus, on that never to be forgotten Sabbath in his home assemblyin the
synagogue ofNazareth, read from the prophecy of Isaiah – a passagewritten
when the people of Godwere about to go off to captivity in Babylon. There
Isaiahwas promising that the Lord of Jubilee would deliver them from their
distant exile and restore them to their land again. He promised not only
restorationbut spiritual renewal. Theywould enjoy a new relationship with
God. They would love him more than ever before. They would rejoice in him
and trust him with all their hearts. They would give up all their idols that had
led them astrayand serve him alone. This blessing would be accomplishedin
the fulfillment of Jubilee.
JESUS PREACHED TO THEM THAT THIS YEAR OF JUBILEE HAD
ACTUALLY BEGUN – THERE AND THEN.
Jesus sermonwas the actual trumpet call. The notes of the sermon summoned
the congregationin Nazareth to wake up and see what had begun. That very
Sabbath day that scripture, sevenhundred years old, speaking about the
coming of the yearof Jubilee, was being fulfilled – as they were hearing of the
mighty works Jesus hadbeen doing throughout Galilee and listening to Jesus
preaching to them. You know the broad Bible picture, that there had been, for
a two thousand year dispensationfrom Abraham to Christ, one little nation
on this planet the size of Wales, setaside by God. That nation, Israel, had been
commanded to keepthis Jubilee pattern, the three Rs, a year of Releasefor
the slaves and the bond servants, a year of Reversionfor the land to go back
to its originalowners, and a year of Renewalofthe land as it lay fallow for
twelve months. That law had been given, but it was weak as every law is
through the sinfulness of the human heart. Did Israel everkeepthe Jubilee

Year? I doubt it. In those rare times of spiritual obedience there might have
been some half-hearted gestures towards this cycle of years, but they failed
because whereasGod’s law could command the law could not motivate or
energize.
Now the greatMotivatorhas come!In the incarnation of the Lord Jesus the
Jubilee-enforcerhas come. Listen to what Jesus read, the words of Isaiah,
what will characterize the final perfectJubilee age. The coming Messiahwill
appear and he will say, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has
anointed me to preach goodnews to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim
freedom for the prisoners and recoveryof sight for the blind, to release the
oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” Was that happening?
Has the Spirit of the Lord come upon Jesus? Yes. Has he been anointed to
preach the goodnews to the poor? Yes. Are those bound by Satanand
sicknessbeing freed? Yes. Are the blind seeing? Yes. Are those oppressedby
sin and guilt released? Yes. Thenthis is indeed Jubilee, the year of the Lord’s
favour. Not the types that had been pointing forward to it, not any longer, that
is over, but this is the real McCoy!The people of Nazarus who filled the
synagogue that day wanted to see a miracle. Here was the greatestofall
miracles, JehovahJesus, Godincarnate standing among them. He is here in
their midst with the Spirit of God resting upon him, the one of whom Isaiah
spoke, Wonderful Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the
Prince of Peace.
In Christ Jubilee is alive and well and in their midst and beginning to affect
the whole world until this Sabbath day. In Christ, “Jubilee” is living today.
There is goodnews for the poor. A student had greatly miscalculatedhis
finances and oweda big sum of money. He had no wayof clearing this debt,
and he came to me and told me of the plight he was in. He would have to leave
college. Mywife and I prayed togetherand we gave him that money and kept
him in college here. This is the year of Jubilee. It is goodnews for the poor. I
was preaching in the open air by the Christmas tree in the middle of town just
before Christmas when an African student who was broken up by
homesicknessspottedme. He came across to me and told me he was aching to
go home to see his wife and children overChristmas. He had worshipped here
once (or maybe twice)and had eatenin the Manse once. I told him I couldn’t

afford to buy him an air tickethome but I could give him some money, and I
led him to the cashpoint in the bank and took out my debit card and got a sum
of money out and I gave it to him. He said to me, “You are my saviour.” “No I
am not,” I said but I know of one who is. I returned to the open air meeting
and preachedthat unto us is born this day in the city of David a Saviour who
is Christ the Lord. He is goodnews for the poor because we are living in the
day of the reigning Saviour the time of the Jubilee. What I tell you what I
have done is just of picture of what all you true Christians do to those in need.
I can read the parable of the ungrateful and unjust stewardand I tremble.
Here was a stewardwhose enormous debts were all cancelledby his kind
master, but the stewardsoonfound a man who owedhim a paltry sum and he
grabbed him by the throat, “Payme now what you owe me!” but he couldn’t
and so he was thrown into prison. What was the reactionof the Lord when he
heard? “Thenthe mastercalled the servant in. ‘You wickedservant,’ he said,
‘I canceledall that debt of yours because you beggedme to. Shouldn’t you
have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’”
I ask you, what sort of liberation is this which we Christians say we’re
enjoying, what sort of Jubilee is it? If the King liberates his subjects does he
allow them to enslave one another? If his Jubilee doesn’textend into their own
patterns of living, it’s goodfor nothing. Jubilee, by the nature of the case,
means that the citizens must live out of true thanksgiving and generositythat
transforms the way they deal with one another. Paul puts this very clearlyfor
us in Ephesians 4:32-5:2;this is Jubilee living: Be kind and compassionate to
one another, forgiving eachother, just as in Christ God forgave you. Be
imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just
as Christ loved us, and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and
sacrifice to God. That’s Jubilee. Christ’s self-offering for us was a sacrifice of
love to God. When we love one another and forgive one another, yes that is a
sacrifice. Butit is not a waste. It’s a sacrifice to God; it’s something he
receives as a sweet-smelling aroma, becauseit smells like his Son. It’s the
shape of new life, of a new heavens and a new earth where righteousness is in
everything said and done, a life that the world cannot deliver, a permanent
Jubilee life that can only spring out of the soilof the gospel.

But some don’t love the sacrifice of Christ. This servant in Jesus’parable was
not a lover of Jubilee. So what happened to him? What was the outcome? “In
angerhis masterturned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should
pay back all he owed.” Thatis what Jesus said, that mean, miserly, penny-
pinching men have no place in the Jubilee. Christ will not have them there. He
came to proclaim the release ofthe prisoner, but this servant has actually
imprisoned a man over a pittance, and so his latter end was worse than the
beginning. The gospelhas become for him a savour of death unto death,
rather than a life-giving aroma.
Remember the great warning of Jesus as he wraps up that parable? “This is
how my heavenly Fatherwill treat eachof you unless you forgive your brother
from your heart.” We know that sort of language very well; it’s found in the
Lord’s Prayer, isn’t it? “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our
debtors.” Then Jesus adds, after giving us that prayer, “Forif you forgive
men when they sin againstyou, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Fatherwill not forgive your
sins.” The free grace of Christ brings us into a new reality, a better country
where Jubilee is fulfilled. When we refuse to grant Jubilee to others, we show
that we’re not seeking this better kingdom. Jesus says thatif that is the case,
then the land of Jubilee, of forgiveness and liberation, will be barred to us too.
Men and women, Christ has proclaimed liberty to you. He has setyou free
and canceledyour immeasurable debt, so that you may walk as free children
of God. We have been transformed from captives into free people, let us live
in thankfulness, and transform our brothers and sisters through love and
forgiveness. This is the liberty of Jubilee.
But this Jubilee is also a time when the sick are healed and Jesus went
everywhere banishing disease. I went to see a man eachday in hospital and
prayed with him and spoke to him until the very end. When I’d finished
praying on one occasionjust before he died I heard a voice from the bed,
“Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus.” He wasn’t cured, but he was healedof
any bitterness that he had to die not as an old man, and his widow was healed
of that crippling spirit too, and every Sunday morning when she is in
Aberystwyth she worships with us, though missing him dreadfully. She hopes

they will one day be togetherin that fair and lovely place where all God’s
children gather. This is the year of Jubilee, with many healings and there is
this kind of restorationfor the sick, and the certainty of the resurrectionof
life immortal.
It is also deliverance for those oppressedby sin and guilt. The blood of Jesus
Christ God’s Son cleansesus from all sin. Forfreedom Christ has made you
free. An acquaintance of mine Tony, at fifteen years of age, wentto a funeral
of his friend called Clarence, a boy about his own age. It was his first
experience of a Christian funeral service. This is what he said; “The pastor
was incredible. From the pulpit he talkedabout the resurrectionin fresh and
living terms. He had the congregationmoved. Then he came down from the
pulpit; he went to the family sitting in the front and he comfortedthem from
the fourteenth chapter of John. Jesus said, ‘Let not your heart be troubled.
You believe in God, believe also in me.’ He told them that Clarence had gone
to the place Christ had prepared for him.
“The last thing he did was to address the boy lying in the open coffin before
the pulpit. ‘Clarence!Clarence!’ He said it with such authority. Tony saidhe
wouldn’t have been surprised had there been an answer. He said, ‘Clarence,
there were a lot of things we should have said to you that we never said. You
got awaytoo fast, Clarence. Yougot awaytoo fast.’He went down this litany
of the lovely things that Clarence had done for people. When he finished he
said, ‘That’s it, Clarence. There’s nothing more to say, and when there’s
nothing more to say, there’s only one thing to say . . . Goodnight . . . Good
night, Clarence.’He grabbed the lid of the coffin and he loudly closedthe lid.
‘Goodnight, Clarence.’Bang. Shock waveswentover the congregation. As he
lifted his head you could see there was this smile on his face. He said, ‘Good
night, Clarence . . . Goodnight, Clarence . . . because I know . . . I know that
God is going to give you a goodmorning.’ Then the congregationstoodup and
starting singing ‘On that greatmorning, we shall rise, we shall rise. On that
greatmorning, we shall rise.’ Many were in tears;many were holding on to
one another.” Young Tony knew the joy of the Lord, a joy that in the face of
death laughs and sings and weeps, forthere is no sting to death. Through
Christ the jubilee year is here; those oppressedby fear of death are released,
and it is the whole gospel.

When I preach the gospelI am consciousthat everyone in front of me is in a
cage. Everysingle one is a prisoner. Your cage has its own bars, respectability,
conformity, success,prosperity, job-security, popularity, and I want you to
come out of that cage and enjoy the Jubilee year of the liberty of Christ. I
want you to stand in your realself before God with the confession, “A
prisoner whose life is indefensible.” I believe that what I am asking is
hopeless. I don’t believe you have the courage to make such a change. I don’t
believe you have the ability, and that itself is one of the bars in your prison.
But I do pray that the possibility of enjoying life in the Jubilee year – as the
word of God has taught you today – will make you do what by nature you
cannot do and refuse to do. I want you to stand before God in your striped
tunic of a convict, your own number in large figures on the back announcing
to heaven and earth that you are a prisoner of sin, and I want you to whisper
to him, “Godbe merciful to me a prisoner, and setme free.” Because every
one of us is a prisoner, and whether we are inside for a short time or a long
sentence it doesn’t matter. There are simply prisoners and I make no
distinction. I say, “Have you heard the trumpet sounding freedom?” Don’t
you know that the cage is unlocked? Push it open and see. Come to God in
Jesus’name, to the God who welcomes us back, who receives sinners,
profligates, and criminals, and addicts and drunkards. He will take us back
for this is the Year of the Jubilee and it speaks offreedom for every
personality type, and every socialclass, andevery intellectual level, and every
species ofsin, and every degree of depravity. The doors are unlockedfor every
single one. Listen to Charles Wesley:
Long my imprisoned spirit lay
Fastbound in sin and nature’s night.
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray
I rose, the dungeon blazed with light.
My chains fell off my heart was free;
I rose, went forth, and followedThee (Charles Wesley, 1707 1788)

And I am saying to you – and I believe that the Lord of Jubilee is saying to
you – that you can walk free today. You canknow deliverance today. The
years of your oppressionby sin and death can end now. I can saythat, but you
must do something, you must push the door to see whetherit is unlocked. You
must come out of your cell, and Jesus promises he will in no way push you
back in. I cannot come out for you. The Holy Spirit cannot come out for you;
do not wait and wait for him to do something. The tingle factoris not the Holy
Spirit. You must come yourself; you must exercise your will and decide and
act now, and you will find that as you are doing that the Holy Spirit is
working to do his goodpleasure of making you a free man.
All of us, out of our cages;all out of the prison; all out of the cell of despair
and hopelessness;don’t let it become a status symbol or the ground of
security. Whateverthe cellcome out of it! The King has come!All change.
The Jubilee yearhas begun. All the prisons are empty; all the captives can go
free. May the Lord bless his liberating word.
10th February 2008 GEOFF THOMAS
END OF PRECEPT AUSTIN RESOURCES
Jesus the Advocate for the Poor
Home > Modern Descriptions ofJesus > Jesus the Advocate for the Poor
Jesus had a specialsense ofmission to poor and oppressedpeople. At the
outsetof his ministry, sometimes referred to as Jesus'missionstatement, Jesus
stoodup in the synagogue atNazareth and read from the prophet Isaiah:
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good
news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and

recoveryof sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year
of the Lord's favor." (Luke 4:18-19)
The biographies of Jesus depict him repeatedlyreaching out to those at the
bottom of the socialpyramid--poor people, women, Samaritans, lepers,
children, prostitutes and tax collectors.Jesuswas also eagerto acceptpeople
who were well-placed, but he made clearthat all, regardless ofsocialposition,
needed to repent. For this reason, he invited the rich young man to sellall of
his possessions andgive the proceeds to the poor. (Matthew 19:16-30, Luke
18:18-30, Mark 10:17-31)
Jesus commanded, "Love your neighbor." When askedto define "neighbor,"
Jesus expanded the traditional meaning of the word--defining our neighbor as
anyone who is in need, including socialoutcasts:"But when you give a
banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be
blessed." (Luke 14:13)
In his portrayal of the day of judgment, Jesus pictured people from all nations
gatheredbefore him, separatedinto "sheep" and "goats."(Matthew 25:31-46)
To the "sheep" he says, "Come you blessedof my Father, for I was hungry
and you fed me..." In their astonishment they ask, "Whendid we do that?"
And he answers, "Whenyou did it to the lowliestof my brothers (and
sisters)." Conversely, to the "goats"he says, "Out of my sight, you who are
condemned, for I was hungry and you did not feed me..."
Jesus himself caredfor those in need by feeding the hungry. Crowds of four
thousand (Mark 8:1-13) and five thousand (Mark 6:30-44)had assembledto
listen to Jesus. Theysoonbecame hungry. When his disciples suggestedthat
Jesus sendthe people awayto buy food, he responded by saying "I have
compassiononthese people..." and"you give them something to eat." He
proceededto perform miracles to feed these large crowds of hungry people.
Adapted from J. Bennett Guess, "BiblicalFoundations for Justice Advocacy,"
UCC Justice and Witness Ministries.

9 Quotes From Jesus On Why We Must Help The Poor
on April 25, 2013
World News
SEATTLE — No matter a person’s beliefs, there is always the potential to
find important lessons in the holy books ofthe world’s different religions. A
major message ofthe New Testamentand Jesus Christis that humanity
should do all that it can to help the poor. These lessons ring true especiallyfor
Americans, where many of those who advocate cuts to socialspending and
foreign aid also have a deep, intense connectionwith Jesus and Christianity.
The following nine quotes, all attributed to Jesus in the New Testament,
demonstrate just how important helping the poor is to basic Christian faith.
Luke 6:20-21
Then he lookedup at his disciples and said: ‘Blessedare you who are poor, for
yours is the kingdom of God. Blessedare you who are hungry now, for you
will be filled. Blessedare you who weepnow, for you will laugh.’
Luke 4:16-19
When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the
synagogue onthe sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the
scrollof the prophet Isaiahwas 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 bring goodnews to the poor. He has sentme to proclaim
release to the captives and recoveryof sight to the blind, to let the oppressed
go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’
Matthew 25:34-36
Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed
by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of
the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave
me something to drink, I was a strangerand you welcomedme, I was naked

and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison
and you visited me.’
Mark 10:21-22
Jesus, looking athim, loved him and said, ‘You lack one thing; go, sellwhat
you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in
heaven; then come, follow me.’ When he heard this, he was shockedand went
awaygrieving, for he had many possessions.
Mark 12:41-44
He sat down opposite the treasury, and watchedthe crowd putting money into
the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow came and
put in two small coppercoins, which are worth a penny. Then he called his
disciples and said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more
than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have
contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in
everything she had, all she had to live on.’
Luke 14:12-14
He said also to the one who had invited him, ‘When you give a luncheon or a
dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich
neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But
when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the
blind. And you will be blessed, becausethey cannotrepay you, for you will be
repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.’
Luke 16:19-25
There was a rich man who was dressedin purple and fine linen and who
feastedsumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named
Lazarus, coveredwith sores, who longedto satisfy his hunger with what fell
from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. The
poor man died and was carriedawayby the angels to be with Abraham. The
rich man also died and was buried.
Luke 11:39-42

Then the Lord said to him, ‘Now you Pharisees cleanthe outside of the cup
and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.You fools!Did
not the one who made the outside make the inside also? So give for alms those
things that are within; and see, everything will be clean for you. But woe to
you Pharisees!For you tithe mint and rue and herbs of all kinds, and neglect
justice and the love of God.’
Luke 12:16-21
Then he told them a parable: ‘The land of a rich man produced abundantly.
And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my
crops?’Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build
largerones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will sayto
my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat,
drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is
being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they
be?’ So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich
toward God.’
Outside the realm of metaphysics and belief, Jesus canbe consideredone of
the world’s most notable humanitarians. His teachings canbe universally
applied to many areas of life, including alleviating the suffering of millions in
poverty around the world.
— Jake Simon
SocialConcern– Caring for the Poorand Marginalized
Proverbs 31:8-9
8 Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all
who are destitute. 9 Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor
and needy.

Introduction
In the church today, it seems that God’s concernfor the poor and
marginalized1 is often overlooked. We give necessaryattention to spiritual
matters, but often completely neglectthe physical. A reading of the Law,
Proverbs, Prophets and New Testamentwill clearly show that God exhorts
His people to actively care for the poor while admonishing any mistreatment
of – or indifference toward– the needy.
SocialConcernin the Law
Throughout God’s law – which are his nature-revealing instructions for holy
living – we see the care, provision and redemption of the poor and
marginalized highlighted.
Exodus 22:21-23
Leviticus 23:22
Leviticus 25:39-43
Deuteronomy 15:7-11
We see Godcommand His people to treat the poor and marginalized fairly, to
make provisions for them, and allow them to be releasedeveryYear of
Jubilee. He also commands His people to give generously, not begrudgingly.
SocialConcernin Proverbs
Proverbs – God’s declarationfor wise and skillful living – repeatedlygives us
instruction on how to respond to the reality of God’s concernfor the poor and
needy.
Proverbs 14:21
Proverbs 14:31
Proverbs 28:27
Proverbs 31:8-9
Proverbs 19:17

Proverbs 22:9
Proverbs 21:13
Proverbs 22:22-23
Proverbs 29:7
Proverbs 17:5
Notice the practices that are condemned in Proverbs:oppressing the poor,
mocking the poor, gloating over disaster, shutting ours ears to the cry of the
poor, exploiting the poor, crushing the needy in court, closing our eyes to the
poor, and not being concernedabout justice for the poor. Ignoring the poor
shows just as much contempt for God as actively oppressing the poor.
Notice the practices that are blessedby the Lord: being kind to the needy,
lending to the poor, being generous, sharing foodwith the poor, giving to the
poor, caring about justice for the poor, speaking up for those who cannot
speak for themselves, judging fairly, and defending the rights of the poor and
needy. Being kind to the needy is even equated with honoring God, while
oppressing the poor shows hatred for our Maker.
SocialConcernin the Prophets
We see Godspeak through the prophets to rebuke Israelfor their
disobedience, including oppressionof the poor and marginalized and a lack of
concernfor justice.
Isaiah10:1-3
Malachi3:5
In Isaiah 58:6-7, the Lord deplores those who claim to be religious yet do not
“loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, setthe oppressed
free and break every yoke.” The kind of religion that Godhonors is “to share
your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wandererwith shelter”
and “whenyou see the naked, to clothe him.”
SocialConcernin the New Testament

The New TestamentechoesGod’s heart for the poor and marginalized that we
saw displayed throughout the Old Testament.
James 1:27
Galatians 2:10
Acts 6:1-6
The early church modeled socialconcern. In Acts 6, sevengodly men were
designatedby the leaders of the church to focus their attention on caring for
the widows. (In this passage, widows representmarginalized people; people
that have a difficult time or are unable to care for themselves.) In 1 Timothy
5, Paul gives specific instruction to the body of Christ on how to care for
widows. Also, James acknowledgesour tendency, even as believers, to favor
the rich and ignore the poor. He commands believers not to show favoritism
because Godhas not “chosenthose who are poor in the eyes of the world to be
rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him.” 2
Quoting Jesus and the Old Testament, James says that to keepthe royal law is
to “love your neighbor as yourself.”
Who is My Neighbor?
An expert of the law askedJesus this exactquestion in Luke 10:29. Jesus
answeredthe man with the story of the Good Samaritan. In this story, Jesus
teaches that His followers must be a neighbor. They must ask themselves,
“Who can I be a neighbor to,” rather than, “Who exactly do I have to love
and who canI not love?” Jesus wasteaching that a person should be a
neighbor to everyone in need. The ultimate neighbor was Jesus, whose
compassionexposedthe Jewishreligious leaders’lack ofconcern for those
who were perishing. Jesus wrappedup His teaching with the command that
His followers were to live like the true neighbor from the passage, showing
mercy to those in need.
Why We Lack Concernfor the Poorand Marginalized
Hopefully, the theologicalframework provided in the previous sectionhas
helped to build conviction in your heart concerning God’s desire for the

Church to care for the poor and marginalized. Given the Biblical support
surrounding this aspectof God’s kingdom, why do many Christians still fail to
demonstrate significant concern?
Ignorance. We do not learn what the Scriptures say about caring for “social”
issues in life.
PoorTheology. Platonic thought has crept into Christianity. Many of us were
taught that the soul is all that matters and we should be indifferent toward the
physical realm. While the believer is exhorted to live for eternalpurposes and
not just temporal ones, the body and its needs are never passedoff as second
rate or something to be ignored.
Sin. Our tendencies towards selfishness andlaziness tell us that it is just easier
to ignore socialissues. We tend to forget the poor, thinking that we cannotdo
anything about their poverty or we convince ourselves that they are not our
problem.
Overcompensating. We are afraid that if we give too much attention to the
socialneeds of the world we will be accusedofpreaching the “socialgospel.”
Just because some secularists andspiritually dead churches have abandoned
the precious truth of Christ does not mean that we alter God’s kingdom
agenda in retaliation. We need to stay the course in pursuing God’s kingdom
agenda in both spiritual matters and social/physicalmatters.
Ways We Justify Our Neglectofthe Poor
“I am Only Around Those Who Are Well Off.” Have you seriouslyconsidered
these questions: why do you live where you live? Have you surrendered this
decisionto the Lord? Are you showing favoritism by avoiding poor people or
low-income neighborhoods? Are you clinging to comfort or justifying your
inaction? Often, the reasonwe do not care for the poor is because we do not
know the poor. Are you putting yourself in a place where you can invest in
relationships and truly love your neighbor as yourself?
“The Bible is Only ConcernedWith the Spiritually Poor.” Onthe contrary,
the Bible encouragesspiritual poverty, because it leads us to understand our
spiritual need for Christ’s Lordship. Further, the Scriptures we have used in

this document support the theologicalframework ofcaring for the physically
poor.
“Do the PoorReally Experience Injustice and Exploitation?” Look around.
Where are landfills placed? How is zoning done? Do the poor who live near
you have opportunities for redemption or are they stuck in cycles of poverty?
What government policies are keeping the poor in poverty, rather than
helping them out of it? Are certain ethnic or other types of groups seemingly
stuck in the cycle of poverty? If efforts are being made towards serving the
poor near you, are they helping to alleviate poverty (empowering individuals)
or are they quick fixes to the problem of poverty (band aids that enforce the
cycle)?
“I Am Just Being Discerning With Those I Choose to Help.”
We do need to be discerning in whom we help and how we help (not creating
dependency, not being patronizing, etc.). In 1 Timothy 5:3-16, Paul instructs
the body of believers to help those widows “who are really in need.” He
instructs family members to care for their poor family members first,
allowing the church to care for those who have no one to help them. He
instructs the church to give to the widows who are oversixty who have
modeled goodcharacter(most likely because they are unable to earn money
for themselves). We know that some (not all) people that need help will not do
their part in working. Proverbs warns us that laziness, the love of pleasure,
and alcoholabuse will leadto poverty. It does not saythat people who
struggle in these areas are not to be cared for, but it is clearthat these things
will need to be changedin order to bring about true reform.
Conclusion
The Bible is clearthat the church is to advocate forthe poor and the
marginalized in the world, caring for their needs and pursuing justice on their
behalf. We are not to neglectspiritual needs for socialones, nor socialneeds
for those that are spiritual. The two areas ofneed are not in opposition. On
the contrary, Christ demonstrated care for the whole person, body and spirit.
As His followers, we must demonstrate the same, not allowing bad theology,

laziness and poor excuses to keepus from addressing the socialneeds of our
communities.
Application Questions
Do you have relationships with those who come from a backgroundof
poverty? If so, how are you involved with them?
Do you actively seek to understand the plight of the poor and marginalized?
Do you give generously? Are you mindful of whether or not your generosityis
helping or hurting?
After reading this document, how has your perspective changed?
Make a plan for how you can better understand the plight of the poor and
needy. Then, make a plan for how to better pursue justice for the poor and
marginalized.
Memory Verses:
James 1:27
Proverbs 31:8-9
Matthew 25:34-40
http://www.discipleshipdefined.com/resources/social-concern-–-caring-poor-
and-marginalized
Jesus and Poverty: Preaching Powerfor PoorPeople
By Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis
Filed under Featured|Rights and Religions

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Poverty, the Bible, and Jesus’PoorPeople’s Movement
In recent weeksand months, particularly following PresidentObama’s
presentationto the “PovertySummit” at GeorgetownUniversity and the
media coverage ofthat summit, the debate and discussionon the poor and
poverty and the role of the government, religious institutions and individuals
in addressing poverty has intensified. Pope Francis has played an important
role in lifting up the importance of Christians tackling poverty, recently
stating: “Povertyis preciselyat the heart of the Gospel. If we were to remove
poverty from the Gospel, people would understand nothing about Jesus’
message.”1
This article enters into that discussionby directly challenging statements
currently being made by EvangelicalRepublicans, and others across the
political spectrum, on the inevitability of poverty and the pathologyand moral
inferiority of the poor. It also challenges many “progressive”Christians who,
in my estimation, draw on the Bible to argue for economic rights and dignity
for poor people, but avoid some of the most popular and most challenging
passages;resorting to selectivelyquoting the Bible instead of holding it up as a
whole text that demands justice for all of God’s children. They often leave out
the agencyofthe poor in the Bible and today, thereby suggesting thatcharity
is the only solution to poverty. This creates a disconnectbetweenefforts of
well-meaning religious leaders and the popular theologythat is both
hegemonic and dominant among the majority of Christians. We need a
popular theologyof economic justice that embraces the whole Bible, one that

shows Jesus’ministry as a revolutionary movement againstthe evils of
Empire and poverty.
Jesus’TeachingsonPoverty and the Kingdom of God
Jesus’teachings and actions around poverty, wealth, and power, especiallyin
Matthew’s Gospel, lend support to a portrait of Jesus as a socialmovement
leaderwith a revolutionary economic program. Jesus’socialand economic
teachings as laid out in the Sermon on the Mount and his other lessons show
him to be a “New Moses”:a liberator to the Galileanvillages and Syrian
towns who brings new instruction and a new understanding of law and justice
to a people in need of dignity and freedom.2 Jesus’disciples are learners of
and leaders in his lessons.
Among these lessons, specialattentionmust be paid to the Sermon on the
Mount (Matt 5-7), where there is a truly revolutionary setof teachings about
poverty, debt, and other economic issues. The Sermonon the Mount includes
the Beatitudes (Matt 5:1-12), the Lord’s Prayer (Matt 6:9-15), the choice
betweenhonoring God and Mammon (Matt 6:24), and God’s provision for the
material needs of the people (Matt 6:25-34). The first main teaching in the
Sermon on the Mount is the Beatitudes. Similar to how the phrase “the poor
are with you always” has been used to justify poverty, the presence of“blessed
are the poor in spirit” in the first Beatitude in Matthew (as opposedto Luke’s
Sermon on the Plain, where he speaks simply of the “poor”)has often been
used to spiritualize the gospeland claim that Jesus is not concernedwith
material/economic issues.
As Biblical scholarWilliam Carter explains, this reference to poverty of
“spirit” is not a spiritualization of poverty, but a further description of
poverty and despair. The Greek word pneuma is often translatedas “spirit,”
but also means “breath.” These people, whom Jesus is referencing, are
metaphorically poor in breath, on the verge of death; they are being denied
life.3 Other scholars like Leland White agree that the conceptof “poorin
spirit” refers to those who are down and out, the most marginalized. He insists
that because the word “spirit” connotes breath and life, being poor in spirit
actually intensifies and emphasizes the material poverty of Matthew’s

community. White argues that the generalterm “poor” could have spokento
more than economic deprivation, but never excluded it. In other words,
“blessedare the poor” cannotmean “blessedis poverty”. Ratherit indicates
that the Kingdom of God would end their material deprivation and that
poverty existed (and still exists) as a result of the societyas a whole not being
responsive to the will of God.4
Later in Matthew’s Beatitudes (in Matt 5:6), Jesus blessesthose who hunger
and thirst for justice. This addition of justice/righteousnessto the condition of
hunger is similar to the inclusion of “in spirit” in the condition of poverty in
Matt 5:1:
“The traditional translation (“righteousness”)has led to a pious individualist
interpretation. The point rather is that with the coming of the kingdom of
God to the poor, justice will be realized or effectedfor them, with sufficient
food, clothing, shelter, and so on, for a basic livelihood. Jesus reaffirms the
same basic point later in the speechin the paragraphconcluding with ‘strive
for the kingdom of Godand its justice, and all these things will be given to you
as well’ (Matt. 6:25-33).”5
For Jesus’followers,these beatitudes would be heard as recognizing and
emphasizing their lived experience of injustice and impoverishment.
The Sermon on the Mount continues by addressing problems of inequality
and mistreatment of community members. It encourages the leadership of the
poor and oppressed, as we cansee in the imperative to the peasantdisciples to
let “their light shine” (Matt 5:9-16). Matthew 6:1-18 emphasizes resistanceto
hypocrisy with regard to three religious and socialpractices in particular:
almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. Jesus critiques the “hypocrites” for sounding
a trumpet in the synagogue andon the streets when they give to the needy
(6:1-4), for praying in public so everyone notices (6:5-15), and for looking
somber in order to getattention when they are fasting (6:16-18). In other
words, the hypocrites give alms, pray, and fast to be glorified by others rather
than to glorify God; such elevating of the self follows the hierarchal pattern of
the empire and not the mutual solidarity and goodnews for the poor required
in God’s Kingdom (as is told in Matt 4:23, 9:31, 11:2-6, 19:16-26, 25:31-46).

Although these three instructions (on giving to the poor, fasting as religious
observance, andpraying to God) are requirements for all Jesus-followers, the
instruction of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount is to recognize the potential
dangers of propping oneselfup (on the backs ofothers) and, by extension, of
propping up the hegemonic system that impoverishes and exploits the many.
Jesus’instruction and warnings on the perils of a self-serving approachto
these three practices are linked to his seven woes to the hypocrites in Matt 23.
Jesus critiques those who oppress others, use people for their personalfavor
and benefit, forgetthe things that matter like justice and mercy, and look
shiny on the outside but are shallow on the inside. He is concernedwith doing
justice, not with paying action-less lip service to it while blatantly committing
acts of injustice (as seenin Matt 21:28-32, 25:31-46). This emphasis on praxis
in Matthew, the combinations of words and actions, is a renewalof the
teachings of ancientIsraelites’Mosaic covenantand prophetic traditions.
The hypocrites give alms, pray, and fast to be glorified by others rather than
to glorify God; such elevating of the self follows the hierarchal pattern of the
empire and not the mutual solidarity and goodnews for the poor required by
God's Kingdom.
In addition to the Sermon on the Mount, there are a few parables (another
major form of Jesus’revolutionary teaching)unique to Matthew that also
reaffirm the focus on instruction and economics,including the Parables ofthe
Weeds (13:24-30, 13:36-43), the Hidden Treasure and Pearl(13:44-46), the
Net (13:47-50), the New and Old Treasures (13:51-52), the Laborers in the
Vineyard (20:1-16), the Two Sons (21:28-32), and the Ten Bridesmaids (25:1-
13). What is particularly important to highlight here is the Parable of the
Laborers in the Vineyard (Matt 20:1-16).
For many, this parable is confusing. Workers go out to work and make an
agreementwith the farmer to receive one denarius, the standard rate for day
laborers. When some workers starttheir work hours later, they are still paid
the daily rate. These “undeserving” workers earnmoney for work they do not
do. This represents an economic logic where God provides and people do not
have to worry about (or prove that they deserve)their daily needs. This could
be an echo of the manna story in the Exodus narrative (Exod 16:1-22)or the

teaching on the lilies of the field from the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 6:25-
34). Perhaps this parable shows the difference betweenthe Roman greed-
basedmoney economyand the need-basedeconomy of God that Jesus teaches
to his followers and is held up (maybe even practiced) by the Matthean
community.
Another important parable in Matthew is the Parable of the Talents/Pounds.
In this story slaves are chargedwith keeping sums of money secure for their
master. Two of the slaves invest the money, doubling and tripling it, and are
lauded and rewarded by their master. The master is very harsh on the last
slave, who does not invest his money, and damns him to hell or at leasta very
harsh and short life. In fact, this last slave calls the master out as a harsh man
who “reaps where he doesn’t sow” and takes whatis not his. We canapply the
work of Luise Schotroffand William Herzog to this parable and see it as an
example of a “parable as subversive speech,” usedto shed light on the reality
of life for the poor and dispossessedduring the Roman Empire.
Viewing this parable as a story that puts into full view the exploitation and
exclusionof the poor majority in the Roman Empire, it becomes a part of a
largerand broader critique of usury, investment, and money-making
emphasized by Jesus and present throughout the Bible. Indeed, activities that
violate Torahstipulations (Lev 25:35-38;Deut 15:7-11), such as banking,
trading, investing, and making outrageous profit (usury), pervade the
language ofthese parables, contributing to an understanding of the gospelas
an uncompromising critique of these economic practices. Throughout
Matthew, there are economic turns and twists—placeswhere Jesus teaches
and/or demonstrates that the economyof God’s kingdom is not what we are
used to, and not always what we would expect.
Jesus’RevolutionaryEconomic Program
In both Matt 9:9-13, where Matthew is called to follow Jesus, and Matt 10:3,
where he is listed as the eighth disciple, we learn that in addition to being a
learner/disciple, Matthew is a tax collector(telones). This detail should not be
overlooked, especiallyin a reading focusedon wealth, poverty, and economic

justice. Tax collectors were retainers forthe RomanEmpire and the local
provincial elites and many of them acquired wealth for themselves as well:
“Rome took about 12 percent as a land tax, a denarius head tax on each
member of the household, and a wave offering about 1/40th of the harvest, for
a grand total of 15 percent. Add to this the 20 percent of the harvest setaside
for sowing the next crop, and the peasanthouseholdis left with 65 percent of
their subsistence crop, 55 percent if they tithe to the Temple and 45 percent if
they pay a secondtithe.”6
The taxes were collectedthrough the Temple, so the high priest was also
involved in this system of taxation.7 The fact that the namesake forthe Gospel
of Matthew is someone who gives up collecting taxes for himself and the
empire to follow the teachings ofJesus should serve as further instruction on
covenanteconomyand economic practice for Matthew’s community; Jesus’
follower, Matthew, transforms debt and taxation for Caesarinto discipleship
and justice for God.
In his book, CovenantEconomics, RichardHorsleywrites:
“Matthew’s Gospel, moreover, expands Jesus’condemnationof the rulers of
Israelfor their economic manipulation and exploitation or the people, all
clearly on the basis of covenantalcommandments and principles (17:24-27;
21-22;23) . . . Matthew also indicates that the communities addressed
understand themselves as a continuation of the renewalof Israel inaugurated
by Jesus over againstthe rulers of Israel, the high priesthood in the Temple as
well as the Romans.”8
It is important, therefore, to explore a few specialteachings and actions in
Matthew, which illustrate the notion of Jesus the socialmovement leaderwith
a revolutionary economic program.
In Matt 17:24-27, Jesus andSimon Peterdiscuss the Temple tax. In this story,
Jesus reminds Simon Peterthat when collecting taxes, rulers usually tax
others, not their children, and asserts that the children of God should
therefore be free. He then instructs Simon Peterto catcha fish, take a coin out
of its mouth, and use that coin to pay for both Jesus and Simon Peter. Since

the taxes they pay end up coming from a fish in the sea, this instruction may
show how taxes are takenfrom the hard work of the inhabitants of the
empire, including especiallyfishermen in Galilee and the ports of Antioch.
Their joint payment of the Temple tax could also be seenas a public actof tax
evasionand nonviolent direct action. Since the temple tax was a head tax, each
person was required to pay individually. In front of others, Jesus is refusing to
pay the Temple tax—or saying that Simon Peter’s payment should count for
him, too—and asserting that the children should be free. He acts out a new
reality while critiquing the current reality and system, where only the poor
pay taxes and the elites—throughnepotism and their political and economic
power—paylittle compared to what they have and in some cases actually
make money from other people’s taxes.
Then, in Matt 22:15-22, the topic of taxes is raised again. The Pharisees try to
trap Jesus by asking if they should resistpaying the imperial tax, to which
Jesus makes a famous reply: “Renderto Caesarthe things that are Caesar’s,
and to God the things that are God’s.” Throughout its history of
interpretation, this passagehas been used to justify subservience to Caesar,
the empire, and therefore the state. Much like the role that “the poor will be
with you always” has played in justifying poverty, this pericope has been used
to argue that religion and politics be kept “separate”, andthat those with
political powershouldn’t be scrutinized and critiqued by the church. But
rather than the separationof church and state or the moral condoning of
dictatorship and state sponsoredrepressionofthe people (like in El Salvador
and other parts of Latin America where this passagehas beenused), this
passagemay be actually critiquing those in powerand claiming that God
condemns this sort of violence and repression.
In this story, Jesus knows the Pharisees have seta trap and asks them to take
out a denarius and look at it. He suggeststhat because the coin has Caesar’s
head on it, they should give to Caesarwhatbelongs to Caesar. He also says
that they should give to God what belongs to God, thereby reminding
everyone that God’s mark is on all creationand requires one’s whole heart,
mind, and soul. Rather than justify dispossessionand submission to authority,

this statementon Jesus’part serves as a subtle but sweeping critique of
Caesaras being less important and vast than the God of Israel.
Jesus’follower, Matthew, transforms debt and taxation for Caesarinto
discipleship and justice for God.
In this passage, Jesusmay be limiting Caesar’s powerandauthority to money
(by stating that since Caesar’s headin on the money, money is the realm of
the emperor). He may also be suggesting that all the things that humans need
to survive—air, water, food, shelter, etc.—are creationsand gifts from God,
and should therefore not be controlledby Caesaror any other human being
who can lord that control over others.9 Also, by asking the Phariseesto pull
out a coin, Jesus purposely calls attention to the access to resourcesthey have,
as apologists for the Roman Empire, contrasting it with the poverty of Jesus
and his followers.10
In addition to specialinstruction on taxes, there are new economic practices
present throughout Matthew that fit into the portrait of Matthew as a
reformed tax collectorand socialtransformer. The Sermon on the Mount
includes pronouncements on not storing up treasures onearth and also not
worrying about one’s basic needs because Godwill provide. In Matt 6:25-34,
Jesus suggests thathumans, including his disciples, should not worry about
food, shelter, or clothing, saying that worrying does not add time to one’s life.
Jesus reminds his followers that God protects and looks overeverything in
nature. These teachings perhaps even remind the Matthean audience of God’s
liberating action from slavery and the manna story in Exodus 16:1-36, where
God’s people are to take what they need (Exod 16:16, potentially parallel to
not storing up treasures in Matt 6:19) because any excess willruin and be
spoiled by maggots and worms (Exod 16:20, potentially parallel to treasures
rusting, rotting, or being stolen in Matt 6:20-21), and to trust in God who will
provide for your survival and thriving (not Pharaohor other emperors who
claim to be gods).
Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount also includes the Lord’s Prayer (Matt 6:9-
15) and emphasizes material needs like having daily bread and debt
forgiveness (the Greek term ofeilēmata, meaning “debts,” is used in Matthew

where hamartia, meaning “sins,” is used in Luke 11:4), the coming of a new
kingdom/empire, the making of earth to be like heaven (which only occurs in
Matthew, not in Luke), and rescuing the supplicants from the evil one (which
also only occurs in Matthew, not in Luke). Indeed, the prayer that Jesus
teaches allbelievers to practice focuses onforgiveness ofdebts, meeting
material needs, resistance to oppressors, andeconomic justice on earth. It is a
direct critique of earthly empire and rulers and how these powerful people
indebt and dispossessthe majority.
The Sermon on the Mount also states that you cannot serve both God and
Mammon (Matt 6:24). This passage is centralto Matthew’s Gospeland the
overall messageaboutmoney, wealth, and idolatry. The instruction is clear:
Jesus’followers must choose betweenGodand money and to choose moneyis
idolatry (cf. Exod 20:1-26). These passages fromMatthew show us that a key
focus of the Gospelis alternative economic practice and subversionof the
economyof empire. Jesus’followers are to forgive debts, be provided for even
when undeserving, possibly even evade and protest taxes, and not worry about
or give authority to a Lord who impoverishes, but worship the one Lord and
God who provides for all, including the poor. Jesus will lead the way.
Not Blame, Not Pity, but Power
I have tried to pull out some important passagesandpoints from the Gospel
of Matthew about the revolutionary program and teachings of Jesus. There is
much more to be said and studied. In order to argue againstthe assumption
that poverty is not a major issue in Jesus’day or acceptedas unfortunate but
still inevitable by Jesus, we must explore the breadth and depth of poverty in
the RomanEmpire and Jesus’challenge to it. We must also study poverty and
dispossessionunder twenty-first-century capitalism and its neoliberal policies.
My own study suggeststhat capitalism, along with the systemof philanthropy
and charity that upholds it, actually spreads and deepens poverty and
inequality. It also tells me that today we need a socialmovement of the poor,
one that challenges the polarization of wealth and poverty and posits that a
new world without poverty, inequality, and economic insecurity is possible.

Attention to historic and contemporary context, especiallythe demographics
and causes ofpoverty, demonstrate that rather than individual problems,
poverty and dispossessionare socialproblems affecting the whole societyboth
in Jesus’time and today. I have attempted to argue that Jesus was a leader of
a social, economic,political, and spiritual movement led by those at the
bottom of the RomanEmpire who united acrossnationality and religionto
promote dignity, prosperity, and justice for all people. Jesus’words and
actions, as documented in the story of the “Anointing at Bethany” and
throughout the GospelofMatthew and the New Testament, canbe seenas
instructions for the poor to unite and organize today to transform societyand
end poverty for all. Therefore the ideas that poverty in the Bible is a spiritual
condition and the that poverty will end only in heaven cannothold.
This article grows out of the intensity of poverty and dispossessionin
contemporary America and the urgency of poor people’s efforts to build a
movement to end poverty. Preacher, professor, and Poverty Initiative leader
Barbara Lundblad suggeststhat faith is keyto this endeavor: a belief that
ending poverty is possible, an understanding that this is what God requires,
and a convictionthat this is how Christians must actout their commitment to
Jesus.
“Do we need more statistics? More courage? More time to volunteer? Perhaps
most of all we need more faith. Jesus’parable [on the rich man and Lazarus]
ends with these ironic words: ‘Abraham said to the rich man, ‘If they do not
listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convincedeven if
someone rises from the dead.’’ Someone has risen from the dead. What more
do we need?”11
But insteadof developing the faith that ending poverty is possible, we ignore
the controversial, revolutionarynature of a poor, resurrectedJesus as Lord
and Savior, who challenges the wealthy, immortalized Caesar. We forgetthat
Jesus’Kingdom is about economic and socialrights in the here and now and
that the messiahJesus came to usher in this reign. The goodnews of the Bible
has been reduced to an individualized acceptanceofJesus Christ as a Lord
and Savior, severedfrom his mission to the world. And even that mission has
been hollowedout by selective and superficial quotation, reduced to a

patronizing and charity-centeredcare for the poor that leaves the structures
of oppressionand exploitation intact. We deny that the poor are God’s people
and are at the center of God’s concern, and ignore that Jesus was a leaderof a
revolutionary movement of the poor who, rather than mitigating the
unfortunate, inevitability of poverty, calledfor a movement to transform
heaven and earth.
The Leastof These III: Advocate ForThe Poor:Jesus
Jesus:Advocate of the Poorand Initiator of the Kingdom
This then leads to the postulate that Jesus’presence literallyreverses the
effects of the Fall. Through Jesus the current socialdisorderis turned on its
head and therefore morphs into socialorderin a manner similar to what
could’ve been expectedhad the fall of humanity never occurred. In the
eschatologicallong-view, this is also the way it will be in the end when the
Kingdom arrives in full or end times eschatologyis fully realized. So as Jesus
Christ does, so too should his believers do likewise. Notbecausethe believer
will be the one to commence orto usher in the Kingdom but rather through
the believer(s), changes initiated by Jesus Christ on the Cross canbegin to
take affectthrough the work of the Holy Spirit in the believer (Kuzmic 18).
This teaching of the equalizing of the socialorder is even found in Jesus’
verbal teachings which we will learn of later.

To understand the profound love of God and His willingness to reachthe lost
we must comprehend and appreciate is the ministry of Jesus early on and
where Jesus comes from in terms of the onset of His ministry. He came from
Galilee which is pretty much a backwateroflittle significance even in Israel
let alone the Roman Empire (Batey4). He is the son of a carpenter (Joseph)
who is of the lowersocialclass in terms of economic status. It is statedby
Jesus himself concerning his socialstatus and lack of earthly prosperity that…
Luke 9:58 ~ “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of
Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
Jesus’ministry is primarily to the downtrodden and the forgottenof society
(Batey 2). Jesus literally lives out the ministry that He teaches. As Paul later
says, He became the weak for the weak to save as many as possible.
1 Corinthians 9:22 ~ “To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have
become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save
some.”
We cansee from his ministry that he has a heart of God because He is God.
Even a precursory glance at the Gospels ora perusalof the New Testament
show Jesus and his ministry were largelydirected to the socialand economic
periphery: the sick, the crippled, the poor, the prostitutes and those that were
ostracizedin societylike tax collectors. He primarily (but not exclusively)
reachedthese people by becoming like these people. He was God but He
humbled Himself taking on the form (μορφὴν)of not only a man but He took
in (“ἐν”, Greek)the heart or likeness ofa servant(Philippians 2:7-8) (Nestle et
al 518-519)

Misplace Loyalties and Greed
Other things we should note in Jesus’ministry is a callfor deeds reflecting
genuine justice and mercy (heart change)such as the ones in Matthew 23:23:
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!For you tithe mint and dill
and cumin, and have neglectedthe weightiermatters of the law: justice and
mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the
others.”
We see something similar in Luke 11:42-43
“Woe to you Pharisees, because yougive God a tenth of your mint, rue and all
other kinds of gardenherbs, but you neglectjustice and the love of God. You
should have practicedthe latter without leaving the former undone. “Woe to
you Pharisees, becauseyoulove the most important seats in the synagogues
and respectfulgreetings in the marketplaces.”
It is in these types of passages thatwe see Jesus being exceptionally hard on
those that were religious but had a callousnessofheart towards the poor and
did things without love (Batey17). He literally condemned piety that was
without concern. A religiositywithout mercy or grace was antitheticalto what
Jesus was teaching and living out in His ministry. This attitude was clearly not
in the Spirit of Christ nor Kingdom mentality.
James 2:13 ~ “…becausejudgment without mercy will be shownto anyone
who has not been merciful. Mercytriumphs over judgment."

Jesus was making it clearthat to be in the Kingdom with Him was to not only
have faith in the sovereigntyof a compassionateGodbut to also be a
reflectionhis sovereigntyas compassionatevessels ofHis will within the very
unjust socialorderthey were to stand in contrastto. It is the axiomatic “faith
without works is dead” from James 2 (Batey 18). The idea of believers as a
vesselof God’s will is of course is mentioned by Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:7:
“But we have this treasure in jars of clayto show that this all-surpassing
poweris from God and not from us…”
On the other hand, cold-heartedprocuring of possessions andwealth while
others suffer and misery abounded was evil (not to mention a lack of spiritual
fruit) because is disregardedkind-heartedness and benevolence which
should’ve been and obvious by-product of a Christian. Jesus taught just the
opposite in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus specificallytold people to seek the
Kingdom of God first and everything else you needed would be given to you
for doing so (Matthew 6:33). So by callouslyaccumulating wealthnot only
would people be driven by evil in their greed, they would be unfaithful in their
practices too, by failing to trust God to do what He promised to a believer for
the obedience ofseeking the Kingdom (Batey 17). We need only look at Judas
Iscariotto see the antithesis of Kingdom or Christian values in terms of
misdirected intentions. He sold the Son of God into the hands of the
authorities for 30 pieces ofsilver.
https://souljournaler.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-least-of-these-iii-advocate-
for.html
Jesus teachescompassionfor the poor

Quarter: Jesus and the Just Reignof God
Unit 2: Jesus ushers in the Reignof God
Sunday schoollesson forthe week ofJanuary 26, 2014
By Helen & Rev. Sam Rogers
Scripture: Luke 16:10, 19-31
BackgroundScripture: Luke 16
The lessonthis week begins with the key verse, Jesus’ summary of a parable
about one of the leastadmirable of New Testamentcharacters – the shrewd
manager. Of course, he is not urging us to imitate his character, but
encouraging us to be wise (shrewd) in the use of worldly wealth. Here is the
core of this lesson:how are we to use the resourceswe have. Frankly, this
saying of Jesus is one we wish he hadn’t said!
In today’s lesson, this verse is the introduction to one of Jesus’most powerful
stories – the Rich Man and Lazarus. We have always been impressed with the
personalreferences by name and condition of Lazarus and the anonymity of
the rich man and his important family. Heaven’s standards are indeed
different from the world. The obituary of Lazarus takes us all the way
through heaven’s gates to the bosom of Abraham while the unknown rich
man languishes in hades. Our attention is immediately grabbed by Jesus’
show and tell.
The vivid contrastbetweenthe life of the rich man and the pitiful existence of
Lazarus brings into sharp focus Jesus’compassion as reflectedby Luke for
the “last, the least, and the lost.” With the dogs he scrambles for food from the
garbage can. Lestwe think the parable is only a story, have you seensimilar
pictures on TV and in other media? At the same time, the rich man is feasting
on the very best.
Many of us may remember during World War II our mothers and
grandmothers urging us to eatall our food while referring to the starving
Chinese. Today, many persons around the world are caught in famine while
faith-based and secularagenciesseek to relieve the suffering. Our mail boxes

are inundated with appeals for funds to feed the poor, the children,
Appalachia, American Indians, the Sudan, Biafra, and the list goes onand on.
Layers of guilt are accumulated while we are over-fed and unhealthy because
of obesity. Sam read a recentmedical report from one of his doctors
describing him as “a well-developed, well-nourished white male!” He thinks
the doctoris being discrete in referring to the facthe is overweight!
As is true for all, both men die. God’s justice is pictured vividly with the
separationbetweenthe two. The lifestyle separating them on earth is reversed
– and the separationis fixed for eternity. While on earth there was much the
rich man could have done to alleviate the suffering of Lazarus. That
opportunity is now lost forever. Who is pitiful now? The rich man’s plea for
relief is answeredin a resounding and eternal“NO!”
Even though his concernfor his family is admirable, that door is shut as well.
The criticalverse is vs. 29:“They have Moses andthe Prophets.” Basically,
Abraham is saying the Bible is adequate to know what is required to live
within God’s will. For Jews, Moses includedall the Books ofthe Law. The
Prophets were the Majorand the Minor prophets and also the historical
books. In other words, the major messageofthe scriptures, according to the
Hebrew Bible, is compassionforthe poor. Conveniently, we choose to focus
our attention in scripture elsewhere.
In fact, today some are preaching a gospelof prosperity earnedand deserved
as a sign of righteousness. Sucha reading of scripture enables us to miss
Lazarus at the gate. Did the rich man not “see” him? Did he eliminate him as
a person because ofhis status in life? Compassioninvolves two elements:
attitude and action. Our attitude towardpersons can be conditioned by a
variety of different elements:money, race, geography, occupation, to name a
few.
If we are not aware ofindividuals caught in the cycle of poverty and think
only of groups, we will probably take no action exceptan occasionalcheck.
When there is a personalface on need, we are far more likely to do something.
As this lessonis written, a story on the evening news informed viewers of 49
million Americans living below the poverty level. This week we attended a

marvelous choralpresentationby a high schoolgroup. All the singers are
from a Title I schoolwhere they receive breakfastand lunch. The dropout
rate for the schoolis close to 50 percent but the dropout rate of the chorus is
less than 2 percent! A seniorshared his story. For two months, his family lived
out of an automobile. He walks to this schoolsix miles eachday. He is
auditioning for a music scholarshipto a nearby university. It would be easyto
see him as just one among many and eliminate him like Lazarus – but not the
leaderof this group of talented young people. She is making a real difference
in many lives. She has a remarkable balance of attitude and action.
A change in attitude to really see people leads to actionthat can change lives
and open doors of opportunity. When we see individuals as sisters and
brothers in Christ, we cannot ignore them. In truth, they are our “blood kin!”
Calvary makes them such!
The parable closesonan enigmatic note. After being told that his family has
the Word in the Law and the Prophets, he implies the insufficiency of
scripture to convince them. “Send someone from the dead”, he suggestsas a
way to get their attention. Luke’s Gospelhas an answerwith which the world
still struggles. Theywill not be convinced “evenif someone rises from the
dead.” We disciples of Jesus know that “someone,”and we not only have
Moses andthe Prophets, but the messagegivenby that someone forces us to
examine our attitudes and actions in relationship to all the many like Lazarus.
Helen and Rev. Sam Rogers are a retired clergy couple. They can be reached
at sgr3@cox.netand hcsrogers@cox.net.
Biblical Foundations for Advocacy
Speak out for those who cannotspeak, for the rights of all the destitute.
Defend the rights of the poor and needy. —Proverbs 31:8-9

How terrible it will be for those who make unfair laws, and those who write
laws that make life hard for people. They are not fair to the poor, and they
rob my people of their rights. They allow people to stealfrom widows and to
take from orphans what really belongs to them. —Isaiah10:1-2
Is not this the fast that I choose:to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the
thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressedgo free, and to break every yoke? If
you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then
your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloombe like the noonday. —
Isaiah58:6-10
Two central themes run through the Bible concerning justice. The first is
God's all-encompassing love, concern, and mercy for all human beings. The
secondis our responsibility to love God's earth and to care for God's people.
God placedAdam and Eve in the garden and instructed them to care for it. In
the story of Cain and Abel, God sent the clearmessagethat we are, indeed,
our brother's and sister's keeper. In the tradition of the exodus from Egypt,
we learn of God's compassionateresponse to misery, oppression, and slavery.
God's law not only calls for individual piety but also communal responsibility
for the well-being of all.
God never asks us to love only those with whom we are intimately acquainted,
but insteada more difficult love is required. Over and over, the law instructs
Israelites to remember the stranger, the foreigner, the orphan and the widow
those most vulnerable to hunger and poverty and ties this instruction to the
exodus.
Look at Deuteronomy:
When you gather your crops and fail to bring in some of the grain that you
have cut, do not go back for it; it is to be left for the foreigners, orphans, and
widows. . . . When you have gatheredyour grapes once, do not go back over
the vines a secondtime; the grapes that are left are for the foreigners, orphans
and widows. Neverforgetthat you were slaves in Egypt; that is why I have
given you this command. (24:19-22)

Other laws provided for sharing one-tenth of the harvest with immigrants,
orphans and widows (Deuteronomy14:28-29), for lending at no interest to
those in need (Exodus 22:25), and for the cancellationof debts every seventh
year (Deuteronomy 15:1-2, 7-11). Every fiftieth year was to be a Year of
Jubilee during which property was to be returned to the family of the original
owner. The intent of this law, which may never have been carried out, was to
prevent the concentrationof wealth and make sure that eachfamily had the
means to feed itself.
The prophets, too, insisted on justice for everyone. Amos, for example,
denounced those who trampled on the needy and destroyed the poor in order
to gain wealth. He railed againstthose who lived in luxury while the poor were
being crushed. The prophets' main judgments were leveled againstidolatry
and socialinjustice. The living God insists on personalmorality and social
justice, while idols offer prosperity without socialresponsibility.
The Psalms invite us to celebrate God's justice.
God always keeps promises;God judges in favor of the oppressedand gives
food to the hungry. (146:6-7)Happy are those who are concernedfor the
poor; the Lord will help them when they are in trouble. (41:1 TEV)
The wisdom literature in the Old Testamentexpressesthe same theme, as
these texts from Proverbs indicate:
If you refuse to listen to the cry of the poor, your owncry will not be heard.
(21:13) Speak out for those who cannot speak, forthe rights of all the
destitute. Defend the rights of the poor and needy. (31:8-9)
Concernfor poor, hungry and vulnerable people is pervasive in the Hebrew
Scriptures. It flows directly from the revelation of God through the rescue of
an enslaved people.
Jesus:Our model of love, peace, and justice
The justice ethic of Jesus is built upon the foundation of Hebrew Scriptures.
Yet, as Christians, our understanding of liberation emerges from the divine
act of salvationthe life, death and resurrectionof Jesus Christ. Because"the

lamb of God who takes awaythe sin of the world" conquered sin and death
for us, we are forgiven, reconciledto God, born anew to be imitators of God,
calledto sacrificiallove for others. Through the gift of eternal life, Jesus sets
us free to make the doing of goodour purpose in life (Ephesians 2:8-10).
The example of Jesus is our guide and inspiration. He had a specialsense of
mission to poor and oppressedpeople evidence that, in him, the messianic
promises were being fulfilled. At the outsetof his ministry, Jesus stood up in
the synagogue atNazarethand read from the prophet Isaiah:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good
news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim releaseto the captives and
recoveryof sight to the blind, to let the oppressedgo free, to proclaim the year
of the Lord's favor. (Luke 4:18-19)
The gospels depictJesus repeatedlyreaching out to those at the bottom of the
socialpyramid--poor people, women, Samaritans, lepers, children, prostitutes
and tax collectors. Jesus was alsoeagerto acceptpeople who were well-placed,
but he made clearthat all, regardless ofsocialposition, needed to repent. For
this reason, he invited the rich young lawyerto sellall of his possessions and
give the proceeds to the poor.
Jesus expanded the traditional meaning of the word "neighbor"—defining
our neighbor as anyone who is in need including socialoutcasts. (Luke 10:25-
37) Moreover, Jesuscalls us to love not only our neighbors but also our
enemies. (Matthew 5:44)
In his portrayal of the day of judgment, Jesus pictured people from all nations
gatheredbefore him. To the "sheep" he says, "Come you blessedof my
Father, for I was hungry and you fed me. . . ." In their astonishment they ask,
"When did we do that?" And he answers, "Whenyou did it to the lowliestof
my brothers (and sisters)." Conversely, to the "goats"he says, "Out of my
sight, you who are condemned, for I was hungry and you did not feed me. . . ."
(Matthew 25:31-46, paraphrased)
Clearly, in both Old and New Testaments the intention of God that all people
find a place at the table is combined with a responsibility on our part for those

who are most vulnerable, those most often kept from the table. This intention
flows from the heart of God, who reaches outin love to all of us--rich, poor
and in between.
Advocating for justice
Churches are already doing a lot to take care of needy people directly through
charity work. By one estimate, religious congregations give $7 billion each
year (about one-seventh of their total revenue) to people in need (New York
Times, 1995). But Christians devote much less effort to influencing what
governments do.
God, however, requires both charity and justice, and justice can often be
achievedonly through the mechanism of government. The view that nations,
as well as individuals, will be judged by the waythey treat the weakestand
most vulnerable among them is deeply embedded in the witness of prophets
such as Isaiah, who said:
How terrible it will be for those who make unfair laws,andthose who write
laws that make life hard for people. They are not fair to the poor, and they
rob my people of their rights. They allow people to stealfrom widows and to
take from orphans what really belongs to them. (Isaiah 10:1-2)
Jesus criticized and disobeyed laws when they gotin the way of helping
people. He healedpeople on the sabbath, for example, even though all work
was prohibited on the sabbath. Religionand government were intermixed, so
Jesus was challenging the law of the land. The threat Jesus posedto both
religious and political authorities led to his crucifixion. Government is not the
only or always the best instrument to deal with injustice. But it is one of the
institutions createdby God part of God's providence for the welfare of people.
Becausewe live in a democracy, a nation with a government "of the people,"
we have a specialprivilege and responsibility to use the powerof our
citizenship to promote public justice and reduce hunger.
Compiled and edited by the Rev. J. Bennett Guess, UCC Justice and Witness
Ministries, with adapted selections from Grace At the Table: Ending Hunger

in God's World, written by David Beckmannand Art Simon for Breadfor the
World (1999:Paulist Press and Intervarsity Press)Usedwith permission.
5 Times Jesus ShowedHe Cares for the Poor
Jesus Film Project
Tue June 27, 2017 · 8 Comments
Jesus rejectedcultural norms to embrace people societyhad pushed to the
margins. Among those people were the poor. The Bible is packedwith verses
expounding on God’s heart for the poor. Here are five times Jesus showedhe
cares for the impoverished:
1. The sheep and the goats
In one provocative parable, Jesus says that when he comes in all his glory and
sits on his throne before all the nations, “he will separate the people one from
another as the shepherd separates the sheepfrom the goats” (Matthew 25:32
NIV). The sheepare honored for caring for Jesus in his time of need.
Confused, they ask Jesus whenthey caredfor him. His response is a powerful
picture of Jesus’profound concernfor the poor:
“‘Truly I tell you, whateveryou did for one of the leastof these brothers of
mine, you did for me’” (Matthew 25:40 NIV).

As recipients of his judgment, the goats are equally confused—whendid they
see the Lord and not care for him?
“Truly I tell you, whateveryou did not do for one of the leastof these, you did
not do for me” (Matthew 25:45 NIV).
Jesus equatedserving or neglecting the poor with serving or neglecting God.
2. Jesus preachedthe goodnews to the poor
When John the Baptist was imprisoned, he senta message to Jesus:“Are you
the Messiah, orshould we be expecting someone else?”(Matthew 11:2–3).
Instead of giving him a direct answer, Jesus points to the messianic signs and
wonders he has performed:
“Go back and report to John what you hear and see:The blind receive sight,
the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead
are raised, and the goodnews is proclaimed to the poor. Blessedis anyone
who does not stumble on accountof me.” (Matthew 11:4-6).
Redemption for the poor was part of God’s plan for restorationthrough the
Messiah.
3. The bleeding woman
In Luke 8, Jesus shows compassionto a woman who’s been impoverished by
illness. She’s spent all she had on doctors who couldn’t heal her (Luke 8:43).
Her disease hadrobbed her of her livelihood and ruined her reputation. Out
of desperation, she touched Jesus’cloak, and he healed her. After she’s
healed, Jesus stops what he's doing and draws attention to her, giving her the
opportunity to share her miraculous healing with the crowd (Luke 8:47).
Jesus wentbeyond healing her of her physical afflictions; he gave this poor
woman a platform to restore her reputation, too. Her material poverty was
paired with an emotionaland spiritual poverty from being labeledunclean for
so long. Jesus healedher of that as well.
Jesus’concernfor the poor goes beyond their physical needs.

4. Parable of the Great Banquet
While having dinner at a prominent Pharisee’s house, Jesus tells the host that
when they have banquets, they should invite the poor—people who are
incapable of returning the favor with an invitation to a banquet of their own
(Luke 14:12–14). Then, he shares the Parable of the GreatBanquet:
“A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At
the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited,
‘Come, for everything is now ready.’
“But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a
field, and I must go and see it. Please excuseme.’
“Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try
them out. Please excuse me.’
"Still another said, ‘I just gotmarried, so I can’t come.’
“The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the ownerof
the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the
streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind
and the lame.’
“‘Sir,’ the servantsaid, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still
room.’
“Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and
compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. I tell you, not one of
those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’” —Luke 14:16–24
Jesus says the poor—andother socialoutcasts—are invited to the kingdom of
God.
5. Blessedare you who are poor
In Luke 6, Jesus says, “Blessedare you who are poor, for yours is the
Kingdom of God.” He promises that the poor will inherit something far
greaterthan any of the riches of this world. He goes onto saythat those who
suffer now will not suffer in the kingdom (Luke 6:21–22).

This is a messagethat Jesus communicates again in his parable about Lazarus
and the Rich Man (Luke 16:19–31). In this parable he tells the story about a
rich man who passesby a poor, diseasedman at the city gates. Whenthe two
of them die, Lazarus finds himself tormented while the beggaris by
Abraham’s side. The rich man begs Abraham for mercy, and Abraham
responds:
“Son, remember that in your lifetime you receivedyour goodthings, while
Lazarus receivedbad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in
agony.” (Luke 16:25, NIV)
Jesus indicates that the values of the world will be turned upside down in his
kingdom.
Show people what Jesus saidabout the poor
Jesus had a lot to sayabout how we treat people living in poverty, and what
God thinks of the poor. Share this post with your church or your small group
to start a conversationabout how Christians today canfollow Jesus’example.
https://www.jesusfilm.org/blog-and-stories/jesus-cares-for-poor.html
What Does the Bible Say About Helping the Poor?
by Jack Wellman · Print · Email
MostChristians believe we are to help the poor but how are we to make good
judgments on who to help and who not to help? Are there Bible Scriptures
that tell us just how we canhelp the poor and what we can do to help them?
The Poorin Spirit

Jesus spoke aboutthe “poor in spirit” and pronounced a blessing on them. Is
Jesus talking about the financially poor? In Matthew 5:3 He said, “Blessed
are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The poor in spirit
may be those who are despisedin this world, they are lookeddown on by
many; they are humble, contrite people. The poor in spirit are blessed
because they are small in their own eyes. Since Godresists the proud, He
gives grace only to the humble (James 4:6). The poor in spirit are not those
who are not prosperous necessarily, but those who considerothers better than
themselves. Theyare broken overtheir sinfulness. Christians need to love
one another and we should help those who are in poor spirits too but to be
poor in spirit is not to be poor financially, although that could be part of it,
but it is to be meek and humble. A greatdefinition of meeknessthat I heard is
strength under control. The truth be told, Christians are simply one beggar
who has receivedthe Kingdom of Heaven, giving it to another beggar who as
yet is outside of the Kingdom.
It is hard to discernwho to help and who not to help, but even in Israel’s
infancy, “There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command
you to be openhanded towardyour brothers and toward the poor and needy
in your land” (Duet 15:11).
Proverbs 21:13 is among the most powerful calls from God to help those who
are hungry because “If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will
cry out and not be answered.”
The Poverty Stricken
When Jesus fed the thousands, He did not first check to see if they would be
His disciples. He did not require them to come to Him for salvation. He
simply filled a need by filling empty stomachs. Feeding the poor does not
define the Christian; it is part of being a Christian. The man who stands on
the streetwith a sign that reads, “Will work for food” may not be served best

by giving him money. Perhaps he is sincere but how do we know that he
simply wants to receive money so that he can continue his addiction to drugs
or alcohol. The fact is that only God knows. I heard of one pastorwho
stopped and invited one man with such a sign to breakfastand when the man
went with him to eat, the pastoraskedhim if he would like to mow the
churches lawn for money. The man refusedand said that he could not take
the heat. Did the pastor do the right thing? I believe that this man gave the
unemployed man the benefit of the doubt, but when he offered to provide a
short-term job for money, the man refused. Sometimes giving out a gift
certificate for a meal is better than giving someone you don’t know money
because you may be enabling their addiction and their unwillingness to work
for a living as the Bible commands (2 Thes 3:10).
There are also times when God will send a persontroubles like losing their
job, their home or their carin order to make them come to Him for help. The
purpose of some trials, including poverty, can drive us to our knees and create
in us a desire to come to Godfor help. God actually wants us to depend upon
Him and so He may send problems and difficulties to break our pride and
bring us to the end of ourselves and to seek His help.
Helping the Poor
Christians are commanded to help one another but we are also calledto help
those who are less fortunate than we are. Proverbs 21:13 is among the most
powerful calls from God to help those who are hungry because “Ifa man
shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered.”
First John 3:17 states that, “If anyone has material possessions and sees his
brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?”
Job wrote, “I rescuedthe poor who cried for help, and the fatherless who had
none to assistthem” (Job 29:12).
God asked, “Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the
poor wandererwith shelter when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to

turn awayfrom your own flesh and blood” (Isaiah58:7)? We also need to
“Speak up for those who cannotspeak for themselves, for the rights of all who
are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and
needy” (Prov 31:8-9). In fact, “The righteous care about justice for the poor,
but the wickedhave no such concern” (Prov 29:7).
Jesus Warns of Those Who Ignore the Poor
Jesus gave a startling wake up call to all who would profess their belief in Him
in. When Jesus comes to the earth and judges betweenthe sheepand the
goats, “Thenhe will say to those on his left, ‘Departfrom me, you who are
cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ForI was
hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing
to drink, I was a strangerand you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and
you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a
strangeror needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ He will
reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whateveryou did not do for one of the leastamong
you, you did not do for me‘“ (Matthew 25:41-45).
Sodom sinned the sin of not helping the poor as they were “arrogant, overfed
and unconcerned;they did not help the poor and needy” (Ezk 16:49). Being a
Christian means to be Christ-like. Notonly those who profess Him as their
Lord and Savior, but those who possessHim in their actions. We canprofess
and even confess Him, but unless we possess Him, He is not our Lord. As has
been said, if He is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all!
Treasures in Heaven
The reality is that it is in a believer’s best interest to give to the poor because,
“He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closeshis eyes to them
receives many curses” (Prov28:27). Helping the poor is actually an
imperative command, as Paul told Timothy to “Command them to do good, to
be rich in gooddeeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way
they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming

age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life” (1 Tim 6:18-19).
The Proverbs say that, “A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares
his foodwith the poor” (Prov 22:9) and “A faithful man will be richly blessed,
but one eagerto getrich will not go unpunished” (Prov 28:20). The fact is
that, “He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will reward him
for what he has done” (Prov 19:17). How interesting that the wisestman who
ever lived (save for Christ Who was both God and Man) wrote more on
helping the poor than anyone. He writes much about the wisdomof helping
the poor, even though he was the richestman who had ever lived. Was his
wealth and generositya coincidence? Goddoes notbelieve in coincidences.
He blesses those who bless others. That is no coincidence…itis cause and
effect. This is what Ecclesiastes11:1 means, “Castyour bread upon the
waters, for after many days you will find it again.”
If you decide to help the poor, the Salvation Army is one of the best charities
there are in the world with over 95% of donations going directly to services
that help the poor. This organization’s founder, William Booth, said that
feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and sheltering the homeless was part
and parcelof the Gospelof Jesus Christ. William Boothdid not just talk the
talk but he walkedthe walk of Christ. This man is an inspiration to me and
he has brought, some estimate, millions to faith in Christ by feeding them,
clothing, them, and sheltering them. He did not insist that they first must
believe in Christ. He did not demand their being born again. He never tied
salvationto anything he ever did for anyone. He may be one of the richest
men in heaven today, for he storedup treasures there that may be
uncountable. He gave to the poor because that is what the Bible teaches…itis
what Jesus taught, and it is what we as believers ought to be doing.
Jesus said, “And if anyone gives even a cup of cold waterto one of these little
ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his
reward” (Matt 10:42). Somedaywhen you see Christ and receive your reward,
you might be pleasantly surprised to hear that, “The King will reply, ‘I tell
you the truth, whateveryou did for one of the leastof these brothers of mine,
you did for me’ (Matt 25:40).

Readmore: https://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/what-does-the-bible-
say-about-helping-the-poor/#ixzz6Pj2fbHEG
15 Bible Verses About Helping the PoorYou Needto Know
March 4, 2020 by Brian 27 Comments
“…Forthe poor will never cease fromthe land…” – Deuteronomy 15:11. This
is one of many Bible verses abouthelping the poor, a major theme within the
Bible. Jesus famouslysaid in Matthew 22:39, “You shall love your neighbor as
yourself.” This statementcan best applied in how we treat the poor.
Deuteronomy 15:11 says that the poor will always be with us. The world
cannot escapeit. We cantry through economic and political systems to pull
people out of poverty and create an environment where they can better
themselves. But even the best systemthat leads to prosperity for many can’t
reacheveryone. There will never be an instance in this present life when
someone somewhereisn’t experiencing poverty.
Becauseofthat, we should considerall manner of ways in which we might go
about helping the poor.
God clearly has a specialplace in his heart for the poor. His words about the
poor are littered throughout the pages ofthe Bible. So today, we are going to
look at 15 powerful Bible verses about helping the poor that show us how we
might best meet their needs.
Old TestamentBible Verses About Helping the Poor
These verses capture the essenceofhow God feels about the poor and what
the Bible says about helping them:

Exodus 22:25
“If you lend money to any of My people who are poor among you, you shall
not be like a moneylender to him; you shall not charge him interest.”
One of the first verses in the Bible about the poor is tied to the issue of debt.
God did not want his people taking advantage of a poor man by charging
excessive interest. Ohwait, check that…they were to charge the poor no
interest at all. Loaning the money was fine, but the lender was not to expect
anything back other than the original loan amount. God stated this command
againin Leviticus 25:36-37.
Leviticus 19:10
“And you shall not gleanyour vineyard, nor shall you gather every grape of
your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger:I am the
Lord your God.”
Here we see Godproviding a way for the poor to find food. He instructed the
farmers to not pick every single grape from their grapevine. Instead, they
were to leave a few behind so the poor could come in after the workers had
left and glean from the leftovers.
Leviticus 23:22 gives instructions to grain farmers regarding this issue –
“When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the
corners of your field when you reap, nor shall you gather any gleaning from
your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the stranger.”
Additionally, we see this conceptput into practice in how Boazallowedthe
widow Ruth to gatherfood in his fields (Ruth 2:1-17)
RelatedContent: 13 Encouraging Bible Verses for Men
Leviticus 25:35
“If one of your brethren becomes poorand falls into poverty among you, then
you shall help him, like a strangeror a sojourner, that he may live with you.”
By using the phrase “falls into” the Bible here seems to be addressing
accidentalpoverty. Sometimes a life event could happen that might cause

someone to become poor. (See the story of Jobin the Bible.) Maybe it was
their fault but maybe it wasn’t. Either way, God instructs his people to not
rejectthose who become poor. Instead reachout to support them. Perhaps
even provide a place for them to live for awhile as they getback on their feet.
Deuteronomy 15:7-8, 10-11
“If there is among you a poor man of your brethren, within any of the gates in
your land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your
heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother, but you shall open your
hand wide to him and willingly lend him sufficient for his need, whateverhe
needs. You shall surely give to him, and your heart should not be grieved
when you give to him, because for this thing the Lord your Godwill bless you
in all your works and in all to which you put your hand. For the poor will
never cease fromthe land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall open
your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.”
Perhaps no other series ofverses in the Bible so clearlyillustrates and
describes the nature of our heart attitude toward the poor as these in
Deuteronomy. We are called to be sensitive to their situation and are
challengedto not harden our heart to them. That sensitivity leads to a giving
spirit…and not just any giving spirit. It’s a beautiful picture the Bible paints
of our hands being open wide, signifying a generous spirit of giving to their
need.
Deuteronomy 24:14-15
“You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy…eachday you
shall give him his wages, andnot let the sun go down on it, for he is poor and
has sethis heart on it; lest he cry out againstyou to the Lord, and it be sin to
you.”
This addresses employers who might be tempted to withhold payment to their
employees for work rendered. The poor of the day counted on receiving a
day’s wage for whateverwork they performed. They “set[their] heart on it.”
They needed it to survive. Godsays the employer has no right to withhold it
from them even for a day.

Psalm9:18
“Forthe needy shall not always be forgotten;the expectationof the poor shall
not perish forever.”
The poor feelthey have been forgotten – that no one is remembering their
plight. But God does remember. He offers encouragementand hope that He
will see their situation in time.
RelatedContent: 8 Bible Verses About Worry for All Life Situations
Psalm41:1
“Blessedis he who considers the poor; The Lord will deliver him in time of
trouble.”
Helping the poor would appear to bring a blessing to those who do. In this
verse in Psalms we see that the Lord promises his assistanceto those who have
remembered the poor. The book of Proverbs shows similar outcomes of
blessedness,
“…He who has mercy on the poor, happy is he.” Prov. 14:21
“He who has a generous eye will be blessed, for he gives of his bread to the
poor.” Prov. 22:9
Proverbs 14:31
“He who oppressesthe poor reproaches his Maker, but he who honors him
has mercy on the needy.”
The word reproachmeans to address someone in such a way as to express
disapproval or disappointment. Synonyms could be “reprimand,” “rebuke,”
or “chide.” Do we really want to go there with God by oppressing the poor?
He is the “Maker” the verse references. Are we so arrogantthat we think God
made a mistake when he createdthe poor? I don’t think so. They are equally
loved beings worthy of respectand honor.
Proverbs 22:22-23

“Do not rob the poor because he is poor, nor oppress the afflicted at the gate;
For the Lord will plead their cause, and plunder the soul of those who plunder
them.”
Many times people take advantage of the poor simply because they can. The
poor have less accessto resources, knowledge, and information about how
things are supposedto work. Consequently, that information deficiency(and
situational experience)create opportunities for those in-the-know to exploit
the poor for money or whateverelse they need. Needlessto say, God does not
look kindly on those who do this.
Isaiah61:1
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to
preach goodtidings to the poor; He has sentme to heal the brokenhearted, to
proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to those who are
bound.”
The prophet Isaiahgives us a glimpse into the future in this prophecy about
the coming Messiah– Jesus Christ. Jesus wouldquote this passage (seeLuke
4:16-22)at the outsetof his ministry while preaching in the synagogue in his
hometown. The words that followed his recitationlaunched his ministry as he
said to the gatheredaudience, “Todaythis Scripture is fulfilled in your
hearing.” Some didn’t like that boldness. However, Jesus clearlydefined his
mission – which included speaking to and interacting with the poor.
RelatedContent: 12 Short Bible Verses That Pack a PowerfulMessage
Zechariah 7:10
“Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. Let none of
you plan evil in his heart againsthis brother.”
Zechariah challenges us to not oppress widows, orphans, strangers and the
poor. Do not direct an evil thought toward those who feel like outcasts and are
alone because ofsome a life altering event.
New TestamentBible Verses About Helping the Poor

Matthew 19:21
“Jesus saidto him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give
to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come follow me.”
This passagecomes froman encounterJesus had with a rich young ruler. The
big idea message isn’tso much about helping the poor. Rather it is what are
the personalissues that come betweenus God. For the rich man it was his
greatwealth. He couldn’t let it go even to help the needy and, in the end, it
costhim a specialopportunity.
Luke 14:12-14
“Then He [Jesus]also saidto him who invited Him, ‘When you give a dinner
or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich
neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. But when you
give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame the blind. And you will be
blessed, because theycannot repay you…”
Jesus is challenging our motives with this party example. We love to hang
with friends or people of status. However, sometimes we do so to gain their
favor, looking for something in return. Jesus says that a party invitation to the
poor reveals our heart is in the right place. We are truly seeking to bless them
for they literally cannot return the favor.
Galatians 2:10
“Theydesired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I
also was eagerto do.”
After the church began the apostles facedpersecution, trials and interestingly
enough doctrinal issues. One of the biggestcontroversieswas whetheror not
the new believers in Christ (some of whom were Gentiles) had to convertto
Judaism and practice certain Jewishrituals. The apostle Paul didn’t believe
conversionto Judaism was necessaryfor salvation.
The church leaders at large eventually reachedthe same conclusion. They
commissionedPaul to preach the messageofsalvation and in doing so

remember the poor. Paul tells us here in Galatians it was always his desire to
do so. If it was important to Jesus and Paul it should be important to us.
RelatedContent: 12 Bible Verses About Friendship That Will Make You a
BetterFriend
James 2:2-4
“Forif there should come into your assemblya man with gold rings, in fine
apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, and you
pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, ‘You sit here
in a goodplace,’and say to the poor man, ‘You stand there,’ or ‘Sit here at
my footstool.’Have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become
judges with evil thoughts?”
Finally, these verses in James address the subject of showing favoritism to the
wealthy over the poor. James says it’s wrong to place the wealthy in special
places of honor and subject the poor to lower places ofhonor. We should treat
everyone equally. Interestingly enough, the Bible also says that favoritism
going in the direction of the poor over the wealthy is wrong. Exodus 23:3 says,
“You shall not show partiality to a poor man in his dispute.” Leviticus 19:15
also addresses this issue by saying, “You shall do no injustice in judgment.
You shall not be partial to the poor, nor honor the personof the mighty. In
righteousness youshall judge your neighbor.” So don’t show favoritism in
either direction – to the poor or to the wealthy.
Conclusion
When it comes to the poor, it’s easyto look the other way and ignore their
plight. We getso wrapped up in our own lives, we forgetthere are people who
are less fortunate than us.
As you can see and as we statedat the beginning, God has a specialplace in
his heart for the poor. Because Godcares forthem so much, we should
demonstrate the same attitude. And by doing so, we show the love of God to
them.

Questions:What verses stand out to you? Why do you think God has such a
specialplace in his heart for the poor? What are you doing to reach out to the
poor in your neighborhood or around the world? What other Bible verses
about helping the poor canyou think of?
https://luke1428.com/15-bible-verses-about-helping-the-poor-you-need-to-
know/
What Jesus ReallySaid about Poverty
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Inspiration from Jesus’ Economy, a Nonprofit that CreatedJobs & Churches
2012–20. See the book, Jesus’Economy. JesusEconomy.com.
by John Barry, CEO of Jesus'Economy
In Jesus, Godcame as a poor man, lived as a poor man, and died as a poor
man. He is goodnews to the poor. And as such, Jesus careddeeply about the
impoverished.
Being What We Believe

What we do with our beliefs is as important to Jesus as what we believe. Jesus
is about complete commitment to loving him and others. Jesus loves belief-
filled actions, as his saying to a wealthy young man shows:“If you would be
perfect, go, sell what you possessandgive to the poor, and you will have
treasure in heaven; and come, follow me” (Matthew 19:21;see 19:16–30ESV).
The man walks awaysorrowful. Jesus then says his famous:
“Truly I sayto you that with difficulty a rich person will enter into the
kingdom of heaven! And again I sayto you, it is easierfor a camelto go
through the eye of a needle than a rich personinto the kingdom of God”
(Matthew 19:23-24).
Jesus’disciples then ask, “Thenwho can be saved?” Jesus looksatthem and
says:“With human beings this is impossible, but with God all things are
possible” (>Matthew 19:25-26). Jesus is not suggesting it is impossible for a
rich personto enter the kingdom of heaven, or be saved—He is saying it is
only possible with God. And for God to enter a person’s life they must be open
to Him entering.
Many of us are just like the rich young man. Out of one side of our mouth we
speak allegianceto Jesus, but out of the other side we’re speaking allegiance
to the trappings of wealth. I know, because the rich young man asks the same
questions I would ask. Look at the events that prompted Jesus to make his
statementabout the wealthy:
“And behold, someone [the rich young man] came up to him and said,
‘Teacher, whatgoodthing must I do so that I will have eternal life?’ And he
said to him, ‘Why are you asking me about what is good? There is one who is
good. But if you want to enter into life, keepthe commandments!’ He saidto
him, ‘Which ones?’And Jesus said, ‘Do not commit murder, do not commit
adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and your
mother, and love your neighbor as yourself.’The young man said to him, ‘All
these I have observed. What do I still lack?’” (Matthew 19:16-21).
Jesus is clearly frustrated and perhaps even offended: “Why are you asking
me about what is good?” The man is asking the wrong question. He doesn’t
ask how he can follow Jesus, orwhat it means to be a disciple—or what good

thing he cando for the world on behalf of a goodGod. He asks, “Whatmust I
do so that I will have eternal life?” If we’re honest with ourselves, isn’t that
the question many of us are asking God today? Jesus is unsatisfiedwith that
question.
Eternal life (salvation) is God’s greatgift, but it’s meant to be a gift that
prompts action. It is meant to give us purpose.
When I was confronted with the reality of the story of the rich young man, I
againaskedanother question that he asks:“Which [commandments]?” Jesus
cites to the man all the relationalTen Commandments, and in doing so,
basicallyimplies, “All of them.” The man tells Jesus he has observedthese and
then asks, “Whatdo I lack?”It is this question that gets to the rootof the
issue. Jesus tells the man that he lacks self-sacrificeforothers—he lacks
giving to the extent that it is painful to him. He lacks anability to put aside his
wealth for the sake ofthe gospel. Wealthis meant to bless others—plain and
simple (see Genesis12:1-3 for an example). It is not for hording, and it will—if
not given up, when God prompts you—keepyou from fully experiencing the
blessings ofGod.
But do not fear, fret, or worry—instead, pray. Remember: “With human
beings this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matthew
19:26).
What Jesus Would Say to Us Today
Put simply, when we apply Jesus’sayings today, they look like withdrawing
from any relationship, occupation, event, or thing that stands betweenyou
and following Jesus—permittedthat you can do so while still honoring the
commandments Jesus tells the rich young man to keep: “Do not commit
murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony,
honor your father and your mother, and love your neighbor as yourself”
(Matthew 19:18-19).
Jesus has calledus to join him in His work—to believe in it with all we have.
The costmay be hard to bear or understand at times, but when it’s put in the

perspective of all that Christ has done for us—dying for our sins—it seems
like very little.
Jesus’Currency and “Owning” the Problems of Poverty
The currency of Jesus’kingdom is different than ours. Jesus’economyis
basedon self-sacrificeand His currency love. For Jesus, beliefand actions are
one and the same—youcannot have one without the other.
The more I reflecton the problem of poverty—and what Jesus had to say
about it—the more I realize that we own the problems of the impoverished as
much as they do. Our inactions have createdmany of them. We—allof us—
are at fault for the state of our world. But we can also join Jesus in changing
the state of our world.
If Jesus believedthat belief is about action, why don’t we? Why have we not
dedicatedourselves to bringing true discipleship and love to others, when it’s
what Christ told us to do? What goodis belief without it offering true hope?
God has askedus to demonstrate our belief by bringing goodnews to those
who feel hopeless. We are calledto drop everything for Him—what is He
calling you to drop for Him? This is Jesus’view of the economy. He envisions
what the world could look like and calls us to join God in the process of
making that vision a reality. It’s about exchanging the currencies of this world
for the currency of love.
An adapted/modified version of this article was originally published by "on
faith"/"faith street" as "Five Sayings of the Homeless Jesus."
John D. Barry is the CEO and Founder of Jesus’Economy, dedicatedto
creating jobs and churches in the developing world. BecauseofJohn’s belief
that business can also transform lives, Jesus’Economyalso provides an online
fair trade shop. He is currently leading Jesus’Economyefforts to Renew
Bihar, India—one of the most impoverished places in the world where few
have heard the name of Jesus.

Jesus, the Gospel, and the Poor
By Howard Snyder -
September 11, 2017
2
From the Mosaic covenantto the promises of the gospel, the Bible is
continually pointing to the poor, the widow, the orphan, the stranger, the
needy, and the oppressed.
The Old Testamentreveals severalsignificant, surprising facts about God’s
attitude toward the poor. We read that the Lord especiallyloves the poor and
does not forgetthem. God’s anointed one “delivers the needy when he calls,
the poor and him who has no helper. He has pity on the weak and the needy,
and saves the lives of the needy” (Psalm 72:12–13). The Lord “does not forget
the cry of the afflicted” (Psalm 9:12). God has been “a strongholdto the poor,
a stronghold to the needy in his distress” (Isaiah25:4).
But what of Jesus and the poor? Did Jesus play down the Old Testament
emphasis, or did he affirm it? Severalfacts about Jesus’attitude towardthe
poor can be discernedin the Gospels.
1. Jesus made the preaching of the gospelto the poor a validation of his own
ministry. He said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed
me to preachgoodnews to the poor” (Luke 4:18). And he cited Isaiah 61 to
show by what marks his gospelcouldbe known. He plainly said that it was his
practice and consciousintent to preachhis gospelespeciallyto the poor.
(Compare Matthew 11:1–6.)

2. Jesus believedthe poor were more ready and able to understand and accept
his gospel. An amazing thing, and how different from common attitudes in the
church today! On one occasionJesus prayed, “I thank thee, Father, Lord of
heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and
understanding and revealedthem to babes; yea, Father, for such was thy
gracious will” (Matthew 11:25–26). Here Jesus indicatedthat “the wise and
understanding”—the sophisticated, the educated, those of higher social
status—find the gospeldifficult to accept, a stumbling block, while “babes”—
those of little sophisticationand understanding—are quick to graspthe
meaning of, and accept, the goodnews. Clearlythe poor are in the latter
category. “While he was Lord of the whole world, he preferred children and
ignorant persons to the wise,” saidJohn Calvin (Commentary on Luke).
3. Jesus specificallydirected the gospelcallto the poor. He said, “Come to me,
all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
Despite the almost universal tendency to spiritualize these words, by the
context it seems clearthat Jesus was speaking,in the first place, literally.
Jesus’callwas preeminently to the poor—those who, of all people, are the
most weariedand burdened, not only spiritually but also from long hours of
physical labor and the various oppressions knownonly to the poor. To these—
not exclusively, but preeminently—Jesus was speaking.Walter
Rauschenbuschwas right when he said, “The fundamental sympathies of
Jesus were with the poor and oppressed.”(Christianity and the SocialCrisis
in the 21stCentury)
4. On severaloccasions Jesus recommendedshowing partiality to the poor.
(See, for example, Matthew 19:21;Luke 12:33;14:12–14.)In this he was in
complete harmony with the spirit of God’s revelationin the Old Testament. In
short, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, demonstrated the same attitude toward
the poor that God revealedin the Old Testament. Thoughthe Saviorof all
men, he lookedwith specialcompassionupon the poor. He purposely took the
gospelto the poor, and specificallycalledattention to what he was doing.
This is, in summary, the biblical evidence. That there is biblical evidence for
God’s particular concernfor the poor is obvious if one takes the trouble to
look for it.

Does Jesus CommandUs to Help the Poor?
by Chris on May 14, 2013
At first blush, this question might seemlike a no-brainer to readers. But, who
are the poor? What does God’s Word sayabout the poor? How do we
effectively help the poor? Let’s dig in!
Who are the poor?
Becauseallof us come from different backgrounds, cultures, and
expectations, whatwe define as poor, may not actually be poor to others or
even in God’s eyes. Determining who the poor really are canbecome a very
subjective exercise.To prevent that we must first establisha common
understanding of whom the poor are as presentedin the Scriptures.
The two primary Greek words usedin the New Testamentfor the word poor
are penichros and ptōchos. Penichros is defined as needy while ptōchos has
more severe implications meaning reduced to beggary, destitute of wealth,

influence, position, honor, lowly, afflicted, helpless, powerless to accomplish
an end, lacking in anything.
John MacArthur writes, “The word commonly used for ordinary poverty was
penichros, and is used of the widow Jesus saw giving an offering in the
Temple. She had very little, but she did have two small copper coins (see Luke
21:2). She was poorbut not a beggar. One who is penichros poor has at least
some meagerresources.One who is ptōchos poor, however, is completely
dependent on others for sustenance. He has absolutelyno means of self-
support.”
For the purpose of this article, I’ve chosen to focus on the ptōchos poor, those
that are helpless and lack everything.
Two Kinds of Poverty
The New Testamentdescribes two kinds of ptōchos poverty:
1. MateriallyPoor – But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand
know what your right hand is doing, . . . . (Matthew 6:3 NIV).
This verse clearly points out the existence of the materially poor. This is not a
command to give from Jesus but a descriptionof how we are to give (quietly).
This verse primarily strikes atour motive for giving to the poor as it comes in
the contextof a warning from Jesus to not practice acts of righteousness so
that others will notice.

2. Spiritually Poor – Blessedare the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven. (Matthew 5:3 NIV)
This verse speaks ofthose who are spiritually poor and how they are blessed
because oftheir poverty. Matthew Henry’s concise commentaryshares this
insight, “The poor in spirit are happy. These bring their minds to their
condition, when it is a low condition. They are humble and lowly in their own
eyes. They see their want, bewail their guilt, and thirst after a Redeemer. The
kingdom of grace is of such; the kingdom of glory is for them.”
Obviously, no one desires material poverty, but this verse makes it clearthat
all of us should desire a spiritual poverty that recognizes the need for
forgiveness, a saviorand God’s continued presence in our lives.
To keepthis article focusedand brief, we will focus on the materially poor.
What the Scriptures RevealaboutGod and Poverty
There are many Scriptures that address the God’s heart for and perspective
of the poor but I have selectedjust a few to help us draw a conclusionto the
subject question:
Giving and helping the poor is core to God’s character:As it is written: “They
have freely scatteredtheir gifts to the poor; their righteousnessendures
forever.” (2 Corinthians 9:9 NIV) Also, 1 Samuel 2:8 NIV shares, “He raises
the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them
with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor. “Forthe foundations of
the earth are the Lord’s; on them he has set the world.”

Jesus assumes we willbe giving to the poor (notice not “if” but “when”):“So
when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the
hypocrites do in the synagoguesand on the streets, to be honored by others.
Truly I tell you, they have receivedtheir reward in full.” (Matthew 6:2 NIV)
True followers of Christ gave to the poor: “But Zacchaeus stoodup and said
to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessionsto the
poor, and if I have cheatedanybody out of anything, I will pay back four
times the amount.” (Luke 19:8 NIV) Paul was eagerto give as well: “All they
askedwas that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had
been eagerto do all along.” (Galatians 2:10 NIV)
When we give to the poor, we are giving to God: “Whoeveris kind to the poor
lends to the Lord, and he will rewardthem for what they have done.”
(Proverbs 19:17 NIV)
When we give to the poor, it honors God: ”Whoeveroppressesthe poor shows
contempt for their Maker,
but whoeveris kind to the needy honors God.” (Proverbs 14:31 NIV)
The Israelites were commandedto provide for the poor and were blessedfor
their generosity:“At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that
year’s produce and store it in your towns, so that the Levites (who have no
allotment or inheritance of their own) and the foreigners, the fatherless and
the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so
that the Lord your Godmay bless you in all the work of your hands.”
(Deuteronomy 14:28-29 NIV)
Not helping the poor was reasonfor judgment in the past: “ ‘Now this was the
sin of your sisterSodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfedand
unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.” (Ezekiel16:49 NIV)
It will be a topic at the future judgment: “Then the King will say to those on
his right, ‘Come, you who are blessedby my Father; take your inheritance,
the kingdom prepared for you since the creationof the world. For I was
hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me
something to drink, I was a strangerand you invited me in, I needed clothes

and you clothedme, I was sick and you lookedafter me, I was in prison and
you came to visit me.’
“Then the righteous will answerhim, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and
feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a
strangerand invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?When did we see
you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the leastof
these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
“Then he will sayto those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed,
into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ForI was hungry
and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to
drink, I was a strangerand you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you
did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
“Theyalso will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a
strangeror needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whateveryou did not do for one of the leastof
these, you did not do for me.’
“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal
life.” (Matthew 25:34-46 NIV)
Specific Commands from Jesus and His Word
Here are three specific commands from Jesus and His Word. One to the rich
young ruler wondering what his life lackedand the others to more general
audiences of followers:
“All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?” Jesus
answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessionsand give to the
poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When the
young man heard this, he went awaysad, because he had greatwealth.
(Matthew 19:20-22 NIV)

Then Jesus saidto his host, “Whenyou give a luncheon or dinner, do not
invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich
neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But
when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,
and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at
the resurrectionof the righteous.” (Luke 14:12-14 NIV)
If anyone has material possessions andsees a brother or sisterin need but has
no pity on them, how can the love of Godbe in that person? Dearchildren, let
us not love with words or speechbut with actions and in truth. (1 John 3:17-
18 NIV)
While the first is a specific command to an individual, the principles apply to
all of Christ’s followers, whichis that we must give generouslyto the poor,
and that when we do, it’s an eternal investment. Luke 14:12-14 clearlyshares
Jesus’heart towardthe poor and needy and is a specific command to His
followers to be intentional about reaching out and providing for them. The
passagein 1 John is a clearwarning to those who saythey are Christ’s
followers but the actions don’t align with their proclaimedfaith. In this verse,
we are compelled to provide for those in need.
How can we help the materially poor?
After just a brief review of Scripture it becomes very clearthat we are
commanded to help the poor. God demonstrates His heart for the poor and
needy by His own example, through His promises for those who do, and
through His perfectjudgments for those who don’t. But how does one give to
the poor effectively? Here are four suggestions:
1. Give strategicallythrough a trusted ministry or foundation.

You can effectivelygive your time and talents to the poor by supporting a
localrescue missionor community organizationthat is trusted and has a
proven track recordhelping the poor and needy. Knowing how to choose the
best charities is important. If your church has a direct ministry to the poor
and needy, this is a greatstarting place!
2. Give strategicallyby giving more than money.
Effective long-term support of the poor and needy typically requires more
than money. For the poor and needy who are mentally and physically able to
recover, I encourage readers to plug in with respectedand trusted ministries
and community organizations to give by sharing practicalskills, such as
job/vocationalskills, budgeting, and basic life skills that will effectively
empowerthose in need for long-term recovery.
3. Give spontaneouslyand cheerfully.
I’m often asked, “ShouldI give to the beggaron the streetcorner?” Many are
rightfully skepticaldue to recentscandals ofpan handlers who are not truly in
need. My advice is to listen to the Holy Spirit. If you sense a burden or call to
give, then give cheerfully and obediently. If you don’t, then don’t give. If your
motive is pure, you will never regret a decisionto give. Now this advice can
only be successfulif you are asking God and listening to Him.
4. Getequipped.

I recommend two books that will equip you with how to effectivelyhelp the
poor. The first is When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without
Hurting the Poor. . . and Yourself by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert. A
secondresource is titled, Giving Wisely by Jonathan Martin.
How about you? Have you found an effective way to help the poor that would
equip other readers? Share any lessons youlearned as well!
Having GoodDeeds Towards The Poor
Contributed by Lay Man on May 29, 2015
(rate this sermon)
| 2,367 views
Scripture: Hebrews 13:16
Denomination: Evangelical/Non-Denominational
Summary: And do not forgetto do goodand to share with others, for with
such sacrifices Godis pleased. - Hebrews 13:16 Doing goodwas something
always spokenof in the early Church. Believers were commendedto in
practicalways do gooddeeds. Requirements f ..

And do not forgetto do goodand to share with others, for with such sacrifices
God is pleased. - Hebrews 13:16
Doing goodwas something always spokenofin the early Church. Believers
were commended to in practicalways do gooddeeds. Requirements for
Presbyters, Deacons,those in leadership, was that they be servants and rich in
gooddeeds. Giving to the poor was not an option in the New Testamentbut
rather one of the chief ways Jesus Christ emphasized dealing with money.
Also the Apostles followedthis pattern and emphasized this as one of the
traditions and tenets of the Church. John Chrysostomin 300 A.D. said, "Not
to enable the poor to share in our goods is to stealfrom them and deprive
them of life. The goods we possessare not ours but theirs."
The Apostle John says, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christlaid
down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and
sisters. If anyone has material possessions andsees a brother or sister in need
but has no pity on them, how canthe love of God be in that person? Dear
children, let us not love with words or speechbut with actions and in truth” (1
John 3:16-19). Having a remembrance and love for the poor always is a vital
part of New TestamentChristianity and of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Jesus
said: “The poor you will always have with you.” So this is a continual God-
given responsibility and ministry of the Church. What a joy it is to live for
others and help the leastand not always fend for ourselves. When we realize
the Heavenly Father is taking care of all of our needs we will be more open to
share this care and love with the poor and other brethren.

Jesus was the advocate for the poor

Jesus was the advocate for the poor

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