Jesus the anointed, the liberator who calls for a response

This Sunday, the lectionary invites us to ponder Luke 4:14-21. The English Standard Version (ESV) supplies verses 14-15 with the heading “Jesus Begins His Ministry” and verses 22-30 with the heading “Jesus Rejected at Nazareth.”

When did Jesus begin his public ministry?

It could be the time when he, just 12-years old, debated religious scholars in the Jerusalem Temple. Or when he turned water into wine at a wedding. Or when Herod Agrippa put John Baptist in prison. Or when he did his first healing or casting out of an evil spirit.

Why are there so many possible answers? Because the sources we have are the gospels. And the gospel writers[1] didn’t write in order to give us the timeline we seek. No. They wrote in order to tell us why Jesus was crucified, what this reveals about him, and how we should respond.

They used different ways to tell the story of prophecies about Jesus, his birth, words, works, death, resurrection. Matthew emphasized how Jesus fulfilled the prophecies. Mark and Luke emphasized differences between the kingdoms of God and of Caesar. John emphasized the words of Jesus.

In today’s reading, in verses 14-15, Luke tells us Jesus’ ministry began after he was baptized by John. From then on, Jesus was “led by the Spirit.” People in synagogues around the country honoured him.

But Luke doesn’t tell us what Jesus did or said before he got to Nazareth. He doesn’t mention healings, casting out demons, sermon titles.

But at Nazareth, he gives details. This suggests that in his view, the most important thing in the story of Jesus is how people respond to him. People in his hometown of Nazareth – he was known as a Nazarene.[2]

Jesus went to the synagogue, on the Sabbath, for he was a devout Jew. He was given a scroll to read from. It was the book of the prophet Isaiah. He “found” portions of Isaiah and read them out. Luke quotes the words.

The words are from four different portions of Isaiah, written about 600 years before Jesus was born. I’ve listed the references in the footnotes.[3]

After Jesus read, he sat down. Because it was customary to stand while reading the scripture, and to sit while speaking about it.

What Jesus said next was stunning. You can read it in verse 21:

“Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

What did Jesus say had been fulfilled? Listen to verses 18 and 19:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
    and recovering of sight to the blind,
    to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
   to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”

He said the Spirit of the Lord was upon him.

He said he had been anointed. The words “Christ” and “Messiah” mean “anointed one.” So, he was saying that he was the Messiah.

He said he came to proclaim good news. Good news for the poor, the captives, the blind.

“Poor, captives, and blind,” are not distinct groups. They overlap. They include people born female. People who lack education, family heritage, caste, religious purity. People who suffer from poor health or are under demonic oppression or are debt slaves. People who work in occupations considered despicable. In other words, people with low social status.

Now, let’s consider the end of the Isaiah quotation read by Jesus, the words “to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”

It’s from a portion of Isaiah 61:2. It has two clauses. The first is:

“to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour,”

The second is:

“and the day of vengeance of our God;”

It’s a reference to the Jubilee year, ordained in the book of Leviticus, and taken up by Isaiah. It was a year in which debts were written off.

Why did Jesus omit the second clause, the day of vengeance of the Lord?[4]

One of the religious groups of Jesus’ day was the Qumran sect of Judaism. Members of the sect were called Essenes.[5]

The Essenes said only members of their community, who followed the “Teacher of Righteousness” and who adhered to strict monastic rules of separation, would be delivered, saved. Those who were not members would be damned. Membership was restricted to males.

I think Jesus omitted the vengeance part because at that moment, in that synagogue, he wanted to focus on good news. And he wanted to differentiate his message from that of the Essenes. In his famous words found in chapter three of John’s gospel:

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

Jesus didn’t come to scare people away from hell. He came to attract people into an eternal life which begins now, in step with the same Spirit who anointed him at his baptism.

What’s our response to Jesus?

Are we in step with Jesus? Do we liberate people? Do we restore and receive people who are forced to live on the margins of society? People who are impoverished, have leprosy, are transgender, are refugees?

Peace be with you.


[1] Whom we call “Evangelists.”

[2] Matthew 2:23; Mark 14:67; Acts 24:5.

[3] The ESV reference edition lists the following passages from the Old Testament: Isaiah 61:1-2; Psalm 146:7,8; Isaiah 42:7; Isaiah 58:6; Leviticus 25:10; Isaiah 49:8.

[4] Pope Francis has declared 2025 a Jubilee year. In the Bible, Jubilee years follow a 50-year cycle, but Catholics follow a 25-year cycle. According to the UK-based Catholic Agency for Overseas Development, “In the Catholic Church, a Jubilee or Holy Year is a special year of forgiveness and reconciliation, in which people are invited to come back into right relationship with God, with one another, and with all of creation.” (Link)

[5] The origin of the label “Essenes” is debated. The label was applied to them by outsiders. The root could be the Greek essenoi. Translations include modest, humble, pious, silent, reticent. The root could be the Hebrew word hisonim, translated outsider.

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  1. Pingback: Luke’s pregnant fourth story of the adult Jesus – Bangsar Lutheran Church

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