Jesus' Manifesto

A message from Luke 4:14-22 by Phil Rogers 6/05/07

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Jesus was baptised by John in the river Jordan and was immediately led by the Spirit into the wilderness of Judea where he was tempted by the Devil. He spent most of the next year in the southern province of Judea, where he met his first disciples. On a visit back to Galilee to attend a wedding he performed his first miracle, but Jesus stayed in Capernaum not at home in Nazareth. Returning to Jerusalem for the Passover he caused a huge stir by overturning the tables in the temple something he was to repeat two years later. He spent the rest of the year in Judea making disciples and teaching and performing various signs. He had a private interview with the Pharisee Nicodemus. But when John was arrested, Jesus travelled back up to Galilee with his disciples, stopping off in Samaria where he met the woman at the well. His reputation as a teacher and healer had become known in Galilee and when he arrived in Cana in the power of the Holy Spirit he healed the son of a royal official who was in Capernaum. He began to teach in the synagagues and heal people. Everyone was talking positive about him and were amazed at his teaching. He eventually visited his home town, Nazareth, and on the Sabbath he joined his family in the local synagogue, as was their regular practice. All eyes were on him, whispers were going round and so when the time came for the reading of the scripture, the leader of the synagogue handed the scroll of Isaiah’s prophecy to Jesus to do the reading. He opened the scroll and found chapter sixty one and began to read.“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He anointed Me to preach the good news to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim release to prisoners and sight to the blind, to set free those who have been oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s acceptance.”

As he closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down, the every eye was fixed on Him. Jesus said “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” and began to teach them from the passage. At first all were speaking well of him, and wondering at this message of grace which came from his lips. They said to each other “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” Now it wasn’t long before thigs turned around and became quite ugly. But for now they are marvelling at his words about grace - this was a radical new message to a people who knew only the Law of God. God’s grace is the central theme of this passage that Jesus quoted.

Grace is God’s undeserved favour. Jesus quotes an OT prophetic passage which he claims is fulfilled in their hearing that very day through him. This is his manifesto - He was God’s anointed One, upon whom the Spirit of the Lord God rests in order to bring the grace of God to those who need it. He was anointed:
1. To bring a message of hope, provision and abundance to the destitute and needy who struggle to survive.
2. To heal the broken hearted. Omitted in newer mss but in the OT. To ‘bind up those whose lives have been broken in pieces and whose hearts ache with the pain of it all.3. To proclaim release for prisoners or manumission or freedom for captives. Imagine going into a prison and visiting each cell with a bundle of release papers. Each prisoner is released from the punishment they justly deserve, this is not a parole, this is complete overturning of their imprisonment. They are declared free and not guilty of any crimes committed. Or imagine going to a cotton farm in the WI freeing all the slaves giving them official papers declaring their freedom.
4. Opening to the bound = ‘open-open’ = ‘release from darkness for the prisoners’ NIV
a) Recovery of sight to the blind or even unstopping the ears of the deaf. Isa 35:5-6, 42:6-7, 16, 18, Jesus ‘opened the eyes’ of the blind on many occasions and opened deaf ears. John the Baptist.
b) To release the oppressed = To send the broken away made whole.
5. To proclaim the year of the Lord’s acceptance, is a possible reference to the ‘Year of Jubilee’ when all Jews who had had to sell themselves into servitude were set free.

The theme is release of every sort from every kind of circumstances that have caused people to loose their freedom. “For freedom Christ has set us free.” was Paul’s cry. Freedom from sin and God’s righteous judgement, freedom from guilt, condemnation and shame, freedom from slavery to sinful habits, freedom from the lies of the enemy, freedom from internal pain and the hurt that people inflict on us. Freedom from anger, freedom from fear, freedom to love and to worship and to serve the Lord, the living God who has purchased our freedom. Good News!

So Jesus’ passion, his mission, was his message of grace to all whose lives are in a mess either through their own sin or the sins of others, to bring release to every kind of condition, to heal every hurt and break every stronghold of sin. To do this he was anointed by the Spirit and he knew it. He knew he was called and equipped for this task. His anointing gave him authority from his Father, so he always operated with faith. He expected people to be healed he expected demons to leave, he expected people to believe in him, for lives to be changed, for burdens to be lifted. He was not amazed that God should work through him, he was amazed if God didn’t and only at Nazareth was he not able to do any mighty works because of their unbelief. The Lord can change the hearts of the lost, he can heal all kinds of sicknesses, he can set those with life controlling problems free, wherever he finds faith. Not just in the unchurched but faith in us. Just as God worked through Jesus he works through us. The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon us. We have an anointing and authority from God within us and we will see those struggling to survive accept the message of hope and be utterly changed, we will see the broken hearted healed and those in bondage set free and the physically sick healed too. Acts 1:8 Jesus’ witnesses

He will do his work through us - which is why he anointed us. But if we have no expectation, no confidence, no faith, uncertainly, cynicism, unbelief or doubt, “God can’t use me”, God is unable to any mighty works amongst us because of our unbelief. How can we cultivate faith? Repent of unbeleief, prayer, stepping out pressing through.