The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord

          The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives   and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.  They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations. (Isaiah 61:1-4)

          “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”  Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:18-21) 

          We’re returning to yesterday’s passage because it is it is a passage that Jesus read to the people in a synagogue. He applied it to Himself, so if we are to be Christlike, it should apply to us, at least to some extent. That means we should be 

Proclaiming good news to the poor	Binding up the broken-hearted
Proclaiming freedom for captives Setting the oppressed free	Proclaiming the year of the Lord’s favor Proclaiming recovery of sight for the blind
Proclaiming release from darkness for prisoners

          First, notice that Jesus stopped partway through the list. The seven items He did list pertain to His first coming. The rest of the list pertains to the second. So, it’s reasonable for us to stick with the first part. The other factor we need to keep in mind is that each of these things must be considered from God’s perspective. 
          Proclaiming good news to the poor. The good news is, of course, that salvation is available through Christ. Someone who is financially poor may be (but is not necessarily) spiritually wealthy from man’s perspective. But everyone is poor from God’s perspective. We need to practice this so that we’re ready to do it when the opportunity arises.

          Binding up the broken-hearted. This is the first of two things Jesus quoted that wasn’t proclaiming, but doing. How are we to recognize the broken hearted? Chances are good that every person you meet has a broken heart over something. It’s not our job to heal their hearts, but to bind them so they are protected from further damage and stress until they can heal.

        Two issues come to mind related to this. The first is that sometimes, broken hearts result in anger or other negative emotions. Sometimes those with broken hearts attack. We need to learn to deal with that. The second is that sometimes those with broken hearts become emotional leeches. We must learn to deal with that as well. Keep in mind also that binding tends to involve the pain of restriction.
          Proclaiming freedom for captives. At first glance, this seems similar to setting the oppressed free and proclaiming release from darkness for prisoners. A captive was a citizen of another land who was taken from it and either enslaved or held for ransom. They might be well-treated or brutally treated but they were denied their freedom.

          Setting the oppressed free.  The oppressed are those who are mistreated by those in authority over them. This is the second thing that Jesus didn’t say involved proclaiming. There are issues here, too. Quite often, freedom is frightening and difficult. Those we work to set free may respond negatively because it’s easier, more familiar, and therefore more comfortable to be prisoners. Freedom involves their taking responsibility. They may need to be taught this.

          Proclaiming the year of the Lord’s favor. This suggests that there will be a time when the Lord’s favor will no longer be available. We should have a sense of urgency about it.

          Proclaiming the recovery of sight for the blind. This is the odd one of the group. He doesn’t say that He came to give recovery of sight but to proclaim it, at least, that’s what it seems to say. I think the reason for this is that like the others, it has a more spiritual than a physical manifestation. One is caused to see by the Word, by Jesus’ proclamation, but the key is not that we no longer walk into pillars, but that we no longer walk into sin.

          Proclaiming release from darkness for prisoners. The prisoner is someone who has been accused or found guilty of a crime. They are not victims in the way that captives or the oppressed are victims. It has never resulted in jails being emptied. But those who have endured the darkness of a spiritual prison is something to which we can all relate.

         The challenge of all of these is the question of how we go about doing them. In this, sometimes we get stuck on one specific application. I don’t think there is just one. An introvert is likely to prefer a different approach than an extrovert. An idea person won’t approach the situation the same way as a sensate person. A thinker and a feeler won’t have the same priorities. Someone who seeks in blacks and whites and someone who sees only shades of gray won’t have the same perspective. A conservative will want things individualized, a liberal will prefer them systemic. And people who express their love through words of affirmation will respond differently from someone who spends quality time, gives gifts, physically touches, or serves. Each one of these – and more – have their limits.

         How you do these seven things is between you and God. The important thing is that we all learn to do them.