Ep. 172. Isaiah 60-61 | The Spirit of the Lord

EPISODE 172

THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD: ISAIAH 60-61

We can't know for sure what the first message Jesus taught to his followers was, but Luke 4 seems to contain the first recorded message of Christ for us. In Luke, Jesus was handed the scroll of Isaiah while in the Synagogue. He finds the place that contains what we call Isaiah 61:1-3 and, after reading them, sits down and says, "This has been fulfilled in your hearing." As far as sermons go, it was incredibly short. I think our church announcements take that much time, but Jesus had just revealed himself to the Jews as the promised Messiah sent by God to redeem his people. These few verses say a lot.

The Spirit of the Lord God was on him.

He was anointed to bring good news.

He came to bind up the brokenhearted.

He came to set free the prisoners.

He came to proclaim the year of God's favor.

He came to proclaim the day of God's vengeance.

He came to replace mourning with gladness and praise instead of fainting.

He came to take weak people and turn them into oaks of righteousness for the glory of the Father.

Then he sits down and says, "This is fulfilled in your hearing." In other words, "I have the Spirit, the one who came to set you free from slavery (to the law), to bind up your broken hearts, to give you the good news of salvation." It was a short sermon, to be sure, but it was mighty.

Jesus catches upon their disbelief and is not caught off guard by it. Instead, he points out two separate miracles, one from 1 Kings and one from 2 Kings. "There were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, but he lived with a Gentile woman and provided for her during the famine. There were many lepers in the days of Elisha, but only the Gentile soldier Naaman was healed."

Jesus knew the Jews would disbelieve him. He also knew the Gentiles would believe. These statements of Jesus had the crowds so enraged they sought to kill him, but it was not yet time for him to die.

I love this text so much, not just because there is significance to how it is tied to the first recorded sermon of Jesus' ministry, but more so because of how it reveals to us who Jesus is and what he came to do. Isaiah speaks so beautifully about this wonderful Savior we serve.

ADDITIONAL READING: Revelation 21:23; Revelation 22:5; Luke 4:18-19; 1 Peter 2:9; Isaiah 53:10; 1 Corinthians 2:8