“On the Sabbath day He went to the synagogue, as He always did, and stood up to read. The book of Isaiah the prophet was given to Him. He opened the book and found the place where this is written: ‘The Lord has put His Spirit in me, because He appointed me to tell the Good News to the poor. He has sent me to tell the captives they are free and to tell the blind that they can see again. God sent me to free those who have been treated unfairly and to announce the time when the Lord will show His kindness.’”
Jesus closed the book, gave it back to the assistant, and sat down…He began to say to them, “While you heard these words just now, they are coming true’” Luke 4:16-21 New Century Version
“This is the Gospel of the Lord.” Many will say those words after reading from one of the four Gospels. They are said here because the words of Jesus we have heard ARE the Gospel of Jesus the Christ. He came to set us free from whatever keeps us from living the life God breathed into us!
A sadly true statement has been made: “Jesus set the captives free, and the church has spent its time since then trying to re-capture them.” Another sadly true statement is that it’s usually no one’s fault but our own that we don’t feel as if we’ve been freed. Time after time, Jesus said, “Your faith has made you well.” Faith means believing in what we can’t see. Jesus simply asked those people to walk from the road of brokenness the seemingly invisible road of wholeness. Those who did, discovered new life.
It’s May! It is the official month of spring. New life, provided by God, is all around us! Now, it’s our turn! Take a step in faith and accept the freedom God has given you and us! I don’t need to define it for you. You know what it is. Jesus is with us, in His Spirit, to help us take those steps!
