Title: Synagogue of Nazareth / Luke 4:16-21
Contents The Great Pilgrimage of Life (7) Synagogue of Nazareth / Luke 4:16-21
Ladies and gentlemen, when I name some of the people who have had a significant impact on our time, consider what they have in common. Peter Drucker, Stephen Covey, John Maxwell, Zig Ziegler, Ken Blanchard. Yes, these are the management theorists of our time. But at the same time they can be called leadership theorists. And they have the honor of being a so-called motivational writer and a motivational speaker. And another important thing they have in common is the fact that most of them are either Christians or pro-christians who have read the Bible and have a worldview based on the Bible. Through them, it can be said that the most important trend that has occurred in the so-called economic field around the world over the past two to three decades has been the “management leadership discovery movement. Through them, business leaders of our time have come to realize that, in the past, simply generating profit was the most important concern in economics, but now the leadership that moves customers beyond profit and unites the actors to move them is more important than anything else.
As a result, the so-called <mission statement> movement has recently occurred in all companies, government offices, and most educational institutions, NGOs, and religious institutions around the world. So now, at the beginning of a new year or a new reorganization, we have a universal experience of identifying the reasons for the existence of our organizations and stating and declaring the purpose of our existence. Today's text shows the place where Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River and tested in the wilderness, and then returned to Nazareth, which was like the Lord's hometown, and participated in the so-called synagogue worship, where he preached the Lord's first sermon. The location is the ‘synagogue of Nazareth’ (the synagogue is still preserved near the market place of Nazareth). Here, through his first sermon, the Lord declares his mission as the Messiah and what the mission of his disciples should be. In other words, the text shows the scene of the proclamation ceremony of Jesus' mission statement.
* What is the mission of the Messiah revealed in Jesus' first synagogue sermon, and what is our mission to follow him?
1. It is to preach the gospel to the poor.
Later, in the eighth beatitude of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus reiterates these words, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” True poverty in spirit means, above all, a humble heart to accept the Messiah. A poor man is one who, like a desperate patient, is ready to come before the “Doctor Jesus” (verse 23), acknowledge his ailment, and accept his healing. For such patients, meeting with Jesus, the doctor and Savior, is the gospel itself. Unfortunately, however, the villagers of Nazareth then reject Jesus' message and drive him out of the village. They did not have the humility to admit that they were sinners. Even now, when we preach the gospel, many people reject the gospel like the people of Nazareth. But some gladly embrace the gospel. For those who are poor in heart, we have to preach the gospel. That was Jesus' mission, and that's our mission today.
2. To set the captives free.
All aspects of human existence mentioned here are the consequences of sin. Why are our hearts broken and sick? because of sin. But sin goes a step further and binds our freedom, making us captives. Paul confesses this state of captivity in sin in Romans 7:19. “I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want.” This is the image of a sinner who has lost spiritual freedom. Modern medicine describes this condition as addiction. How do I know if I am addicted to something? If I leave that addiction, I feel like I'm going to die. This is called the withdrawal phenomenon. So I can't get out of there. Gerald May, a psychiatrist and spiritual leader who wrote the book Addiction and Grace, says that 98 of the people on this earth are addicted to something. But he says he hasn't met the other two. It means that we are all addicted to something. As the saying goes, “all have sinned”.
There are addictions that look beautiful and there are addictions that are disgusting. Addictions that look beautiful include coffee addiction, sugar addiction, alcohol, drugs, sex, gambling, shopping, drama, food (eg, anorexia), work addiction, and Internet addiction, which are getting serious these days, and aversive addictions include stealing, lying, anger, Jealousy, suicidal fantasies, slander (gossip), snot picking. But all these addictions take away our freedom. Is there really any hope for such a captive life? Jesus answers yes. Remember John 8:36? “If the Son sets you free, you will truly be free” Some people are set free as soon as they believe in Jesus. Some people need more time to gain true freedom even when they come into the faith. But if he seriously holds on to Jesus and his words of truth, he is finally free. “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32). Isn't this the gospel? freedom of the captives. This is why Jesus came. This is the mission of Jesus and that is our mission.
3. To restore sight to the blind.
Sin not only takes away our freedom, it blinds us. We lose our sense of direction and wander. But Jesus promises to restore sight to the blind. It's the gospel. Of course, when Jesus was on this earth, he literally laid his hands on the blind and healed them. However, in John 9, Jesus was more concerned with the spiritual blindness of man while healing the blind. Do you remember how John 9 ended? John 9:40-41. “Among the Pharisees who were with Jesus, hearing these words, they said, “Are we blind too?” (41) Jesus said to him, “If you were blind, you would have no sin, but if you said you could see, your sins are still there.” He was pointing out that the Pharisees were spiritually blind.
4. It is to set the oppressed free.
In English, it is “to release(free) the oppressed.” In our yard, we have neighbors who are living a life of oppression. If the captives are addicted, they can be said to be abusive. The so-called abuse is It is defined as the experience of being repressed or hurt by others from an early age, regardless of one's will, either mentally or physically, verbally, psychologically, or literally, through violent actions, the consequences of which are deep-rooted bitterness in our hearts. So they abuse themselves, do not trust their neighbors, and lead a life of self-pity, helplessness, and self-belief. The Bible says that the reason for living like this is because of the press. Behind Nurum, there is a presser, the enemy the devil. Sometimes the devil uses unjust powerful people, and sometimes he uses unrighteous institutions to exploit weak people.
Jesus proclaims freedom against the devil or against the powers he has. “Go away, Satan” He says, “Go away from the powers of darkness.” Where he comes and where he speaks, the oppressed experience healing and are set free. You can see that while the Lord entrusted His disciples to preach the gospel, He also gave them the power to cast out demons and heal diseases. See Luke 9:1. “Jesus called the twelve disciples together and gave them the power and authority to control all demons and to heal diseases.” Just as Jesus helped people like this, if we too, armed with the power of prayer and moving forward with true love for our neighbors, will The Bible says you can do the work of setting people free. No, he says that was Jesus' mission and now it is our mission.
In today's text verse 19, the Lord says that this is the preaching of the <Year of Grace>. It means that the age of grace, the time of grace, has arrived. The word “year of grace” originally meant that the year of the 50th year (the year after the seventh sabbatical) in the Old Testament was the year of Jubilee, so that slaves were set free, their debts were forgiven, and their land also meant a year of rest. That time has come because Jesus has come. Interestingly, when Isaiah speaks these words, in Isaiah 61:2, it is said to <declare the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance>. That will be the time of the Lord's second coming. But now is, as Paul said, “an acceptable time and a day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). So, let's enjoy the grace to our heart's content. Let's enjoy the grace. And let's share that grace with our neighbors in need. This is the reason we live, the mission we have received from the Lord.