Meditation
THE ACCEPTABLE YEAR OF THE LORD
Text: Luke 4
12 January 2025
THE MINISTRY OF THE LORD JESUS
The context of this text is to be traced to the time when the Lord Jesus sought to minister in Nazareth. He was in the local synagogue and the scroll of Isaiah was given to Him to read. He chose this text to read.
18 “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.” Luke 4:18-19
- A Messianic text
a) This was a text that prophesied about the coming of the Messiah
b) The Lord Jesus identified Himself as the Messiah
c) The Messiah would have the anointing of the Holy Spirit
d) The Lord Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit
- The Ministry of the Messiah
a) He would preach the Gospel to the poor
b) He would be there to heal the broken-hearted
c) He would proclaim liberty to all who have become a captive of sin and Satan
d) He would bring about healing to those who are blind, physically and spiritually
e) He brings freedom to those who are oppressed
- The “acceptable year of the Lord”
a) This may be identified as the Jubilee year
b) This was a special Golden Jubilee year (50 years)
- On the Golden Jubilee year
8 ‘And you shall count seven sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years; and the time of the seven sabbaths of years shall be to you forty-nine years. 9 Then you shall cause the trumpet of the Jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement you shall make the trumpet to sound throughout all your land. 10 And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a Jubilee for you; and each of you shall return to his possession, and each of you shall return to his family. Leviticus 25:8-10
a) Liberty was proclaimed
b) All debts were cancelled
c) Properties were returned to owners
The Ministry of the Lord Jesus was like the Jubilee year. Debts were forgiven. Liberty was made possible. This was like being given a new lease of life! The Lord Jesus offers life from the power of sin and the evil one. He can set anyone free from the vilest of oppression!