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Nothing Ordinary About Jesus

Writer's picture: Joe VaszilyJoe Vaszily



The Rescue Mission Begins


"Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing."

 

The Anointed Bearer of Glad Tidings

 

We hear Jesus today read a scroll that comes from the 61st chapter from the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah speaking to a people who have been through severe persecution and isolation; a people in exile.  And why were they in exile?  For disobedience to God and forsaking the Law of Moses which had been handed down generations before them.   70 years in exile.  Jerusalem ransacked and destroyed.  And as we heard last Sunday, A people forsaken and a land that was desolate.   

 

Yet Isaiah speaks of this future “anointed bearer of glad tidings”.  

 

And who would fulfill this prophecy.  Yes, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

 

He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me

to bring glad tidings to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives

and recovery of sight to the blind,

to let the oppressed go free,

and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.

 

The Lord announces His Mission in his own hometown of Nazareth, proclaiming a year acceptable to the Lord.   Jesus would be referring to the “Jubilee Year” in Leviticus 25:9-10 where “debts” would be released.

 

But what are the debts that Jesus would ultimately be referring to?  Sin!  The rescue mission that Jesus embarks on is One where He will rescue us from our sin - by the blood of His Cross, He will save & redeem us.  The Holy Spirit, the perfect bond of love between God the Father and Jesus will strengthen Him for this journey & as Paul says in Philippians, “become obedient to death, even death on a Cross”.

 

Yet, we live in a world today that puts its faith in several “-isms”

Individualism. What’s in it for me?  

Hedonism. If it feels good, do it.   

Minimalism. What is the least I can do?  

Materialism. Material possessions are more important than character and values.  

 

Just look at social media - you will see these 4 practical philosophies on full display.   And how much time do we spend each day just scrolling through these various social media platforms?  Our phones give us a full report every Sunday morning about 9:15am.

 

And how is our Lord portrayed on social media?

 

CS Lewis reminds us that Jesus is either a liar, a lunatic, or He is who He says He is - the Son of God.  He cannot be just another nice prophet or a great moral teacher.  That’s NOT who He said He was!

 

The Lord always stands ready to bring:

 

Glad tidings

Liberty

Recovery of sight (not just physical, but spiritual as well)

Freedom from Sin

 

But it becomes a daily choice for us - do we choose the Lord or do we try to do it on our own?

 

Several hundred years before Jesus, Nehemiah & Ezra urged the people not to be sad or weep as they read the words of the law.  They tell the people:

 

Do not be saddened this day,

for rejoicing in the LORD must be your strength!"

 

The joys of this world are fleeting - we experience both happy & sad moments throughout our lives - but the prophets remind us that true joy, deep joy, lasting joy can only come from a deep-rooted relationship in the Lord.  Rejoicing in the Lord must be our strength.  When we come to worship each week, are our hearts overflowing with joy as we sing, as we pray, as we praise the Lord and as we listen to God’s Word proclaimed to us?

 

God’s Word never returns void - we have to let it shape us & move us every time we hear it, every time we spend time reading and reflecting on it.  It is a spiritual discipline that is critical & absolutely necessary to nurturing and deepening our relationship with Jesus.

 

Jesus came on a Rescue Mission - the pattern of sin we see and read about throughout the Old Testament is proof that we “cannot save ourselves”.  Salvation comes through our belief, our acknowledgment, our love for the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ, who offered Himself once and for all, the ultimate sacrifice on the Cross.

 

Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing: this sermon inaugurates the time of fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. Luke presents the ministry of Jesus as fulfilling Old Testament hopes and expectations; for Luke, even Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection are done in fulfillment of the Scriptures.

Jesus embarked on the ultimate rescue Mission 2000 years ago – and the Gospel we hear proclaimed each day/each week is as relevant today as it was 2000 years ago.  Jesus came to save & redeem us from our sins. His Words as we pray in the psalm today are spirit and life. 

 

Hebrews 4:12 says:

 

Indeed, the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.

 

May we deepen our commitment this week to spending quality time with the Lord, reading and reflecting on His Word, giving Him the firstfruits of our time each day.

 

And may our prayer this week echo the words from Psalm 19:15:

 

Let the words of my mouth and the thought of my heartfind favor before you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

 

Amen!

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