Luke 4:16-21
Good News: Freedom from Debts That Define Us – Luke 4:16-21
Luke 4:16-21 (NIVUK)
He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: 'The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour.' 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. He began by saying to them, 'Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.'
Commentary
Revd. Mark Fletcher: Debt is one very significant way of understanding what the Bible means when it talks about sin. And in fact, you might know that the literal translation of the Lord’s Prayer is forgive us, our debts as we forgive our debtors. And when we have debts that we can’t pay, they come to define us. And that’s true financially, but it’s also true in our lives, the legacy of the damage that we’ve done to others. The legacy of our sin and broken relationships, the legacy of the mistakes that we have made, which mar our lives, they can leave us feeling trapped, and we can imagine that nothing can ever change. Jesus says The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to you. This is the gospel. That’s what gospel means. It means good news. It is that call from the bank manager and if you will have it through Christ in repentance and faith, this is jubilee. Your sins forgiven. The past, no longer needs to define you. You are free. This is what the New Testament calls the glorious liberty of the children of God.