The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; Isaiah 61:1 KJV

With these prophetic words, Isaiah foreshadows the coming of the Jewish Messiah. Jesus makes this clear as he reads from Isaiah 61:1-2 in his hometown of Nazareth. In the synagogue there, Jesus read from Isaiah beginning with the words “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me” and ending in verse two giving his purpose, “to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” Luke 4:16-21 records this event.

After Christ read Isaiah’s prophetic words aloud, Luke 4:20-21 records of Jesus, “He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began to tell them, ‘Today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’ WEB”

The Holy Spirit Descended

Jesus had already received the Spirit of the Lord God after his baptism in the Jordan River. Luke 3:21-22 records this event saying, “Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus also had been baptized, and was praying. The sky opened, and the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily form like a dove on him; and a voice came out of the sky, saying ‘You are my beloved Son. In you I am well pleased.’ WEB”

Christ’s proclamation of the acceptable year of the Lord relates to the year of Jubilee. This was the Jewish practice of forgiving debts, freeing slaves, and restoring hereditary property once every fifty years. Here, Christ announces the acceptable year of the Lord to inaugurate the freeing of those held captive to sin, to bind the wounds of the brokenhearted, and present himself as an offering of peace with God for those who repent from sin and turn to the Lord in humble submission.    

Yesterday’s Devotional: We Must Obey God