August 14 Gracious Words

Luke 4:18-22 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, 21 and he began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked.
 
I repeat verses 18-21 from yesterday for two reasons. The first is to see this Scripture as Jesus’ fundamental mission statement. Jesus spoke to the Jews of his God-anointed mission to proclaim the gospel. As we learned yesterday, Isaiah 61 was the Scripture Jesus read. He did so purposefully to say, “This is how and why I am here.”
    Second, we see as Luke describes today, that the Jews saw Jesus’ words as “gracious words that came from his lips.” Isaiah 61 prophesied the time of grace would come. Jesus then spoke the gracious text to tell his hometown that God’s grace had come! This would be extraordinary news to God’s people. Certainly they were confused about their God. Based on what historians tell us and what we will later see in Jesus’ hard words to the religious authorities, the Jews had a long list of insurmountable rules to obey. God’s laws of themselves were comprehensive to provide the ways to relate to God and to each other. But for about 400 years prior to Jesus’ arrival, the Pharisee system was established and an increasing number of rules were added to God’s laws.
    Although the intentions of this restrictive religious system were to preserve the worship of God, grace was unseen. Grace was silent. God became impossible to comprehend as the Jews’ lived under a heavy yoke of restrictive rules. In grace, Jesus came not only to free his people from sin, he came to open their eyes to the false “rules only” religion. This is one reason Jesus said in Matthew 11:29-30 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  He was urging the Jews to live into the grace he offered to them. Also, the grace truth is a repetitive, necessary teaching in the New Testament epistles. The apostles urged the converted Jews and Gentiles to believe and know Ephesians 2:4-5 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved.
    What do you believe? Do you think you have to do more and more to be saved, to be welcomed into God’s Heaven? Or do you rejoice and rest faithfully in God’s grace?
 
Prayer: I pray, Father, that I fully accept your gracious gospel. Thank you that Jesus’ blood has saved me into your gracious, loving arms forevermore. Amen.