The Danger of Proclaiming the Year of the Lord’s Favor - Isaiah 61 & Luke 4
Isaiah 61; Luke 4:16-30; Luke 3:16 & 22, 4:1 & 14; Matthew 5:3-12; John 1:11-13; Luke 2:25-32, 36-38, 7:18-23
The-Danger-of-Proclaiming-the-Year-of-the-Lords-Favor_02-27-2011.mp3
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On a regular basis, when we read through the New Testament, we see Holy Spirit-inspired interpretations of Old Testament texts. That is extremely helpful for those of us who have the responsibility to teach and explain those texts. For example, in John 17:12 we learn that Judas was the person who fulfilled the prophecy of David in Psalm 109:8. Jesus is praying on the night of His betrayal and He says,
[12] While I was with them [with the disciples], I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. (John 17:12 ESV)
John 19:36-37 explain how the crucifixion is the fulfillment of Ex. 12:46, Num. 9:12, and Zeh. 12:10.
For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken” And again another Scripture says, “They will look on him whom they have pierced.” (John 19:36-37 ESV).
The apostle Paul said, For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.” (Romans 15:3 ESV). Paul explains how the suffering of the Lord Jesus was prophesied in Ps 69:9.
Whenever the writers of the New Testament do this, it serves as a God-given interpretation of Old Testament texts. It gives us the scriptural basis for the doctrines of the New Testament. We should never refer to the New Testament as “the Christian Scriptures” and the Old Testament as “the Jewish Scriptures”. The New Testament comes from the Old, and the Old Testament is the prophetic anticipation of the New. Together, they are the inspired, written revelation of God to men.
Today we come to Isaiah 61, and thankfully, the Lord Jesus Himself gives us the explanation of the opening verses of this chapter. We need not wonder what Isaiah 61:1-2 means. Let’s read the entire chapter and then we’ll turn to the Gospel of Luke for the divine commentary on the first two verses.
[61:1] The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; [2] to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; [3] to grant to those who mourn in Zion—to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified. [4] They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations.
[5] Strangers shall stand and tend your flocks; foreigners shall be your plowmen and vinedressers; [6] but you shall be called the priests of the LORD; they shall speak of you as the ministers of our God; you shall eat the wealth of the nations, and in their glory you shall boast. [7] Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion; instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot; therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion; they shall have everlasting joy.
[8] For I the LORD love justice; I hate robbery and wrong; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. [9] Their offspring shall be known among the nations, and their descendants in the midst of the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge them, that they are an offspring the LORD has blessed.
[10] I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. [11] For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up before all the nations. (Isaiah 61 ESV)
Just like Isaiah chapter 60, chapter 61 is filled with promises of future blessing upon the people of God. It is a very good word of encouragement. So when Isaiah says in verse 1, “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, . . . to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor,” the questions we ask are, Who is “me”? Who is this Person upon whom the Spirit of God rests? When is He going to proclaim this year of God’s favor? And to whom does He proclaim it? The answers are in the New Testament. Turn to Luke 4.
[16] And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. [17] And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,
[18] “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, [19] to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”
[Isaiah 61:1] The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; [2] to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor . . .
[20] And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. [21] And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” [22] And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, “Is not this Joseph's son?” [23] And he said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Physician, heal yourself.’ What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.” [24] And he said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. [25] But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, [26] and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. [27] And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” [28] When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. [29] And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. [30] But passing through their midst, he went away. (Luke 4:16-30 ESV)
It was the custom of the Jews whenever they went to the synagogue to hear the Scriptures read publicly, that they would listen to the reading in complete silence out of reverence for the Scriptures. Afterward, questions could be asked and the text would be explained by the person reading. So as Jesus read these words, every eye was on Him and every ear was turned toward Him. You could have heard the proverbial pin drop as He spoke the words of Isaiah. Then, after reading those few words He sat down. The congregation waited to hear how He would teach the meaning of the passage. So He turned to them and said, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
Notice their response: And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth (v22). They liked what He said. They liked the text He read. It was a good and encouraging word. But it was when they realized He was saying that He Himself was the person Isaiah was speaking of, that was a problem. “Surely Jesus is not so presumptuous as to think HE is the Messiah! He’s Joseph’s son. I mean, just because His name means “Savior”, . . . didn’t He grow up right down the street in Joseph’s and Mary’s house? Who does He think He is?
When Jesus stood up, He began by reading Isaiah 61:1, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me . . . .” Look with me at Luke chapter 3. John the Baptist was sent by the Lord to pave the way and prepare the people for the coming of the Messiah. He is speaking to the crowds, answering their questions and explaining who he is. He tells them he is not the Messiah. But he says in verse 16, “He who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” (Luke 3:16 ESV).
Then in chapter 3, verse 22, when John baptizes Jesus we read, “. . . and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.’” (Luke 3:22 ESV).
Then we get to chapter 4 and verse 1 tells us, “And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness.”
Then if you skip down to verse 14 Luke tells us, “And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country.”
Jesus experienced the Spirit of God like no one ever had. The Spirit descended from heaven upon Him bodily. The Spirit filled Him entirely. The Spirit led Him perfectly. And the Spirit empowered Him completely. So when we get to verse 18 of chapter 4, it should be no surprise to us when Jesus reads from Isaiah 61:1 and He applies it to Himself: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.” The Spirit of God was definitely upon Him.
And initially, the congregation in the synagogue responded rather well to His reading, until someone said, “Wait a minute! We know you. You couldn’t possibly be the Messiah.“ But that was exactly who Jesus was claiming to be: the very one Isaiah spoke of who would proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. He was claiming to be the Holy One of Israel. “The Spirit of God is upon Me. I am the One. God has sent Me to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor to you.”
He’s bringing good news! This is a good day! They’ve been looking forward to this for centuries! But when the critics rise up, Jesus then begins to explain more precisely to whom the good news is being sent. And it isn’t being sent to them. They are going to be passed by just like Israel of old was passed by when God sent Elijah and Elisha to minister to Gentiles rather than to the people of Israel:
[24] And he said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. [25] But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, [26] and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. [27] And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”
These are the cold, hard facts. The people of Nazareth are just like their predecessors in the days of Elijah and Elisha. They have no heart for God or for truth. Israel had in their midst two of the greatest of God’s prophets, Elijah and Elisha. But the people had no interest in them because they loved their sin more than the word of God. So God used His prophets in a remarkable, and to the Jews, an insulting way: To bless two Gentiles: a Gentile widow in Sidon who was starving to death in the midst of a famine, and a Gentile general in the army of the Syrians who was dying of leprosy. And Jesus describes His own Nazarene neighbors as being just like the unbelieving people of Israel of old.
Isaiah says the future prophet upon whom the Spirit comes and who is anointed to bring good news, will bring good news to particular kinds of people. He will preach good news to the poor. He will bring freedom to the captives. He will bring sight to the blind. He will bring liberty to those who are oppressed. He comes for the poor, the captive, the blind and the oppressed. But the people of Nazareth don’t qualify. They don’t fit this description. Once again, Jesus states very clearly who would be the recipients of all the blessings of God that Isaiah spoke of:
[3] “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
[4] “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
[5] “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
[6] “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
[7] “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
[8] “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
[9] “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
[10] “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
[11] “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. [12] Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:3-12 ESV)
The Messiah came to proclaim good news to those who were sick of sin. Jesus came to minister the blessings of God to those who were seeking to escape from the oppression of sin and guilt. He came to bring God’s favor to those who were looking for a Savior from condemnation. The people in His home town weren’t looking for that kind of Savior. John tells us, “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:11-13 ESV).
Those who are born of God are the ones to whom the Messiah was sent, of whom we read in Isaiah 61. They received the Lord Jesus, they welcomed Him as the Promised One. Consequently, they are the recipients of all the blessings of God. Even as a newborn infant, there were those whose hearts God had prepared to recognize Him for who He was:
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, 29 "Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; 30 for my eyes have seen your salvation 31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel." (Luke 2:25-32 ESV).
Now answer this question: How is it that Simeon recognized who Jesus was when He was a squirmy little 8 day old infant, but the people of Nazareth, Jesus’ own friends and neighbors, couldn’t see who He was when He was 32 years old? How did Simeon recognize Jesus when the people of Nazareth didn’t? The EXACT same way anybody ever recognizes who He really is: It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit. Simeon was shown by God who this baby was. But the people of Nazareth were still blind. They couldn’t see past their own familiarity with Jesus and had no interest in pursuing it any further. In their minds, it was not possible that this young man whom they all knew, or whom they thought they knew, ever since childhood, could be the Messiah.
Then, they proved Jesus right by acting exactly like people of Elijah’s day. The Jews completely rejected Elijah and Elisha, so God sent them to minister to Gentiles. And that is what would eventually happen again. While the Jews continued to reject God’s ultimate Prophet, Jesus would send His apostles with the Gospel to the ends of the earth, to the Gentiles.
[28] When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. [29] And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff.
The people of Nazareth were outraged that Jesus would claim to be their Messiah, and that God would by-pass them and grant the blessings Isaiah speaks of to Gentiles!
Have any of you been following the news out of Wisconsin about the labor unions and Governor Walker? The more I think about it, the more the labor unions remind me of the Jews of Nazareth, Governor Walker reminds me of Jesus, and all us non-labor union people are the Gentiles.
The labor unions sincerely believe they have an absolute right to nearly endless financial blessings from the government and the tax payers. They believe their right is an unassailable human right. But Governor Walker says state law requires that he balance the state budget. So the people can either accept his proposals which are designed to help balance the budget so they can keep their jobs, or they can lose their jobs entirely because there won’t be any money left to pay them.
Well, since all the brothers and sisters in the labor union family feel they have an inalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness at the expense the tax payers, there has been an unending wailing and gnashing of teeth, and perpetual protests in the capital for two weeks. Governor Walker has been likened to Hitler, the presumed effect of his proposals have been likened to the Holocaust, and union members are absolutely livid that they might be required by law to bear some of the fiscal burden they have created. One protest poster had a picture of Governor Walker in the crosshairs of a rifle scope. These people absolutely hate him because he had the courage to stand up and tell them the truth.
Unregenerate people don’t like it when you tell them the truth about their own sinfulness. Jesus likened His neighbors to the wicked Jews of Elijah’s day. They were so outraged that He would suggest such a thing that they tried to kill Him! Imagine that. But the person they wanted to kill was the very person God promised to send to those who would be the recipients of unending blessings from Heaven.
“Wow, that is a great passage of Scripture Jesus was reading. It is so uplifting and encouraging and positive. And He reads so well! But, . . . wait a minute, . . . did I hear that right? Did He say what I think He said? Is He saying HE is the Messiah? Did He say God would sooner send His prophets to the Gentiles than send them to us? How dare He !! Who does He think He is?”
He’s the Messiah. He is the Savior of the world, the light to the Gentiles and the glory of His people Israel. He’s exactly who Isaiah says He is.
Beloved, it should never surprise us that men hate the Gospel. What should surprise us is that God saves men and women who hate the Gospel. Whether they are Jewish or Gentile doesn’t matter. No one has a right to salvation. All men have an absolute right to condemnation. It is a wonder that any are saved at all. Even the people of Jesus’ own home town hated Him when He told them the truth about Himself and about themselves. They would have killed Him if they could. And nothing in man has changed since the days of Elijah and Elisha. The natural man has no tolerance for the truth about sin.
The only hope we have is that God still works in hearts and minds like He did in Simeon. Luke also tells us there was an old woman named Anna at the temple that day when Joseph and Mary brought the baby Jesus there for the first time:
36 And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, 37 and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. (Luke 2:36-38 ESV).
Are you looking for redemption? For a Redeemer? Are you hoping for God to send someone to free you from your bondage to sin? Do you hunger and thirst for righteousness? Do you look forward to the day when the Messiah will come to deliver His people from their sin? Well, take comfort. You are in good company:
. . . And John [the Baptist], [19] calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” [20] And when the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’” [21] In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight. [22] And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. [23] And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” (Luke 7:18-23 ESV)
Blessed is the one who is not offended by the Lord Jesus Christ.
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