“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted , to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,”
My Notes
What Does Luke 4:18 Mean?
Jesus reads Isaiah 61:1-2 in the synagogue at Nazareth and applies it to himself: the Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. The mission statement of Isaiah becomes the mission statement of Jesus.
The anointing is specific: to preach to the poor, heal the brokenhearted, preach deliverance to captives, give sight to the blind, and set at liberty the bruised. Every element targets vulnerability and suffering.
Luke notes that Jesus closed the book, sat down, and said: this day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. The fulfillment is not future. It is present. Today. In this room. In this person.
The congregation initially responded well (v.22) but turned hostile when Jesus expanded the mission beyond Israel (v.24-29). They were fine with the Messiah as long as he was exclusively theirs. When he extended his ministry to outsiders, they tried to kill him.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Which element of Jesus' mission — gospel to poor, healing broken hearts, delivering captives — speaks to your need?
- 2.What does 'this day is this scripture fulfilled' mean for the immediacy of God's work?
- 3.Why did the hometown crowd initially accept but then reject Jesus?
- 4.How is Jesus' mission statement still being fulfilled today — in your life, in the world?
Devotional
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me. Jesus stands in his hometown synagogue and reads his own job description. Every word was written seven centuries before he was born. And he says: this is about me. Today.
To preach the gospel to the poor. The mission starts with the most overlooked. Not the influential. The poor. Good news specifically for those who have the least.
To heal the brokenhearted. The mission includes emotional and spiritual healing — not just theological instruction. Jesus came for people whose hearts are in pieces.
To preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised. Every line is aimed at someone in bondage, someone who cannot see, someone who has been crushed. The Messiah's mission is a rescue operation targeting the most damaged.
This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. Not someday. Today. The Messiah was standing in the room. The prophecy was being fulfilled in real time. And most of them missed it.
If you are poor, brokenhearted, captive, blind, or bruised — this mission was designed for you. The anointing was aimed at your condition. Today. This scripture is still being fulfilled. In you.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,.... By whom is meant, the third person in the Trinity; so called, to distinguish him…
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me - Or, I speak by divine appointment. I am divinely inspired to speak. There can be no…
The Spirit of the Lord - This is found in Isa 61:1; but our Lord immediately adds to it Isa 42:7. The proclaiming of…
After Christ had vanquished the evil spirit, he made it appear how much he was under the influence of the good Spirit;…
he hath anointed me Rather, He anointed (aorist); the following verb is in the perfect. The word Mashachin the Hebrew…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture