Gospel LK 4:16-21
Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had grown up,
and went according to his custom
into the synagogue on the sabbath day.
He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah.
He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:
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 recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.
Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down,
and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him.
He said to them,
“Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”
Reflection:
Jesus stands in the synagogue in his home town and reads Psalm 61 from the scroll of Isaiah.
Psalm 61, written some 600 years before Jesus was born, foretold of his coming and his mission to “bring glad tidings to the poor, proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free.”
When he was finished reading, he announced to the assembly, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” Anointed with the very spirit of God, Jesus, in effect, told those gathered that he has arrived and is going about his Father’s work.
Over the remainder of his life, Jesus “brings glad tidings,” announcing the “Good News” of God’s never ending love for his children.
He “proclaims liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind” opening both the eyes of those who are physically blind and the hardened hearts of those who refuse to see. Jesus “let the oppressed go free,” by liberating them from the bonds of man made religious laws that had held them captive for generations.
Nearing the end of his ministry before the time of his Passion, he returns to Galilee.
The disciples of John the Baptist who was imprisoned at the time, approach Jesus and say to him, “John the Baptist sent us to ask, ‘Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?'”
He told John’s disciples, “Go back to John and tell him what you have seen and heard—the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.”
Now, Jesus’ mission is our mission. As believers, we are called to be imitators of Christ, spreading the love and hope of God to all we meet.
Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 28:19