Luke 4:18-19 (Isaiah 61:1-2) - "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 for those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
In this setting, Jesus is in Nazareth at the synagogue. He gets in front of the people and reads this portion of the scroll. As soon as he finishes, he hand the scroll back to the attendant and declares that today, the Scripture has been fulfilled in their hearing.
Jesus was sent by God to preach the orientation of the kingdom of God. As the Messiah, he was the one who would ultimately be the Good News to a lost and dying world. He would bring spiritual liberty to captives bound by sin (Proverbs 5:22). He would bring light to those in spiritual darkness (John 1:4). Jesus embraced his mission wholeheartedly (John 10:10). He recognized that God had called him for a specific purpose. He realized that his purpose was to preach the kingdom of God and not glorify himself. Therefore, his ultimate mission was based on humility. He was sent to the poor, not to the rich. He was sent to those in need. He was sent to bring hope to a dying world.
The Lord has also appointed us with a mission. We are to make disciples as we go about our lives (Matthew 28:19-20). We are to be ambassadors of Christ to the world (2 Corinthians 5:20). God enables us to accomplish these tasks through the Holy Spirit (John 14:26; Luke 12:12.
What is God calling you to do for Him? Have you made His mission a priority? Who are the ones in your life who need to hear the good news? Who are the poor that need helping? How can you help those who are experiencing some sort of spiritual bondage? How can you proclaim God's favor to someone who desperately needs to hear it?
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