Luke 4:16-21
16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up.
And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day,
and he stood up to read.17 And the
scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found
the place where it was written,
18 ¡§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 those who are oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour.¡¨
20 And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant
and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 And he began to say to them, ¡§Today this
Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.¡¨
Life¡¦s Great Liberator
From some people¡¦s countenance,
we judge them to be happy. Smiles, makeup, and stylish clothing can create an
appearance of inner peace. Internally, though, many are in bondage.
In today¡¦s passage, Jesus
clarifies His purpose: He has come to set free those in captivity. Christ was
referring to several types of bonds that can imprison our souls.
First, Jesus breaks the chains
of sin. All people have broken God¡¦s law and consequently live apart from Him
(Rom. 3:23). But Christ¡¦s death and resurrection free us when we accept His
gift of forgiveness and place our trust in Him. Then we can have a relationship
with the Lord.
Secondly, He liberates us from
persistent sins like jealousy, bitterness, and gluttony. His Spirit resides
within each believer and provides the power to overcome wrong choices that
seemed to ¡§own¡¨ us. He enables us to do what He desires¡Xby bringing immediate
healing or by giving guidance and strength in the ongoing battle.
The Creator of mankind made us
with a void in our hearts for Jesus to fill. Everything we put there¡Xwhether it
seems like a good thing at the time or an obvious bad choice¡Xwill ultimately
leave us empty. And we will remain in bondage until God frees us and then
provides the only true satisfaction.
Are you one of those people who
appear happy and seem to have life figured out, and yet inside feel uneasy and
empty? Jesus Christ is the only One who can redeem you, forgive your sins, and
fill the vacant place in your soul. Allow Him to liberate you today.