Luke 4:14-21
14 Jesus, endued with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and his fame spread throughout all the surrounding country. 15 He taught in the synagogues, and was glorified by all. 16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and, according to his custom, he entered the synagogue on the sabbath day. He got up to read, 17 and they gave him the book of the prophet Isaiah. Unrolling it, he found the place where it was written: 18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor; He sent me to heal the brokenhearted, 19To proclaim deliverance to captives, And recovery of sight to the blind, To set the oppressed free, To proclaim a year of favor from the Lord. 20 Then he rolled up the scroll, handed it to the servant, and sat down. Everyone in the synagogue was staring at him. 21 Then he began to say to them, This day this word of the scripture, which you have just heard, is fulfilled.
The Affirmation of Christ
After Jesus was tempted on several points by the devil in the desert, the latter had to give up his bewitchment which led him nowhere [Luke 4: 3-13].
The crowd, amazed at the words of love and grace that came from the mouth of Joseph’s son bore witness to his performance [v. 22].
Led by the Holy Spirit, Jesus taught in the synagogues where the crowds glorified him [vv. 14-15]. On the Sabbath day, by reading part of the Book of Isaiah (61: 1-2), Jesus confirmed to all those who listened to him that this word of Scripture: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me…” is fulfilled [vv. 16-21].
exercise of joy
It is evident that the Book of Luke speaks of Christ as the fulfillment of God’s plan for the salvation of mankind [19:9].
On the one hand Christ confirms that the Spirit of God is upon him [4:18] to bear witness to Him who sent him [Ac. 2:22]; on the other, he maintains the imperative character of a prophecy which is fulfilled by his presence on earth [Luke 19: 21].
Coming to witness to God’s plan for mankind, Christ set himself the task of teaching, equipping and relieving aching hearts to know better days of joy and gladness as the Scriptures testify [ 1:14].
Christians must on all occasions and in all circumstances demonstrate this joy by living it and sharing it. For it is to this that Christ came, that joy might be perfect in everyone which is not easy even to those who are the richest.
It is not wealth that gives joy, nor intelligence that gives hope. It is the Spirit of God who lets himself be welcomed who is the Author.
- “Blessed are you who weep now, for you will be joyful! [6:21].
- “But I hold my life to myself, as if it were precious to me, provided that I fulfill my race with joy, and the ministry which I have received from the Lord Jesus, of announcing the good news of the grace of God. [Ac 20:24].
- “At that very moment Jesus was thrilled with joy by the Holy Spirit, and he said: I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and prudent, and that you have revealed them to the children. Yes, Father, I praise you for wanting it this way. [Lk. 10:21]
If the earth is disturbed of any kind, it is not the work of God, but rather that of human beings. These without the knowledge of God do not know what they are doing [23:34]. And since God is not the Author, it becomes evident in the Book of Luke that the devil is the promoter.
Bet on our choices?
The choice to live with God or with the devil is a free will. And since we already know the knowledge of either choice:
- to live in joy is to welcome the Holy Spirit in the incandescence of God’s love. If joy is an expression of happiness, felicity and joy, love is to passion what affection is to God. The choice to live with God unites us with Him by making us one like Christ;
- on the other hand, walking according to our thoughts separates us from God and opens the way to the incantation of the devil as described in the book of Luke 4: 3-13. The choice to live according to our own thoughts puts us on the path of utopia and disappointment. So it will be living in sadness with all its cohort of melancholy, sorrow, affliction, pain, bitterness, despair and all the rest.
The accomplishment of Christ’s mission created a revolution of thought and heart through a change driven by trust in God. It is by trusting in the word of Christ that we embrace God who confers the power to produce fruit. Christ produced innumerable ones with the Spirit of God in the drum of love to the point of shaking the planet until today.
The church must wake up to walk in love with the Spirit of God. She must live with purity in order to return immediately to glorification. Christ demonstrated it by his remarkable teachings, confirmed it by demonstrating the works of the Spirit of God, and accomplished it by openly affirming his mission and testimony.
