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.
 
WE repeat verses 18-21 from the previous lesson 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, Jesus read Isaiah 61:1-2. He did so purposefully to say, “This tells you who I am and why I am here.”
   Second, we read in verse 22 that Luke describes the Jews as amazed and heard 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.
   The Jews needed to know God’s grace. The Pharisee system designed to protect God’s laws from pagan rule had created its own restrictions. There was a long list of insurmountable rules beyond God’s comprehensive law. Judaism had become a system of corruption from within, pointing more to the Jews’ ruling establishment than to God. Grace was silent. God became impossible to know from beneath the Pharisees’ heavy yoke. Jesus came to free his people from sin, and he came to open the Jews’ eyes to the false “rules only” religion. Jesus taught this also 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 the way to God is through a grace-based relationship.
   This “grace truth” is a repetitive, necessary teaching in the New Testament epistles. The apostles urged the converted Jews and Gentiles to believe and know such teachings as Ephesians 2:4-5 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions –  it is by grace you have been saved.
   The challenge remains. Our sin-based nature does not fully understand repentance, forgiveness and restoration. The gospel message is an easy yoke – a gracious teaching – if we allow Jesus’ mercy to penetrate our hearts. What do you believe? Do you think you must do more and more to be saved, to be good in God’s sight, so you are welcomed into God’s Heaven? Or do you trust confession of sin and of Christ will release you from sin’s bondage? Do you rejoice and rest faithfully in God’s grace?