God's Liberator

Luke 4:16-21

Picture this scene. The Jews have gathered in the temple on the Sabbath, just like many of us now gather at church on Sunday morning. Jesus, the One who everyone in town is talking about (v. 15), comes to the front stage to speak. All eyes focus on Him. Finally, they get to hear Him speak.

He takes the scroll of Isaiah and reads Isaiah 61:1, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners.” As He speaks, the people's hearts excite over what Jesus will teach them. How does this verse apply to us? Who will God send? Will Jesus explain these matters?

But Jesus doesn’t start teaching when He finishes reading. He steps back from the podium and sits down. No wonder "the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him."

Perhaps picking up on the cue that He should say something else, Jesus adds, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." Attendees exchange glances. What does He mean the verse has been fulfilled? By whom? Where is the liberator?

Slowly, they begin to understand. It's Him. Jesus is the One God has sent to help, to heal, to liberate. He is the One they have been waiting for. Finally, help has come.

Could you imagine sitting in the room that day, listening, thinking about what holds you captive, the issues that plague your mind, the darkness you live in. And, as if to only you, He says, "I’m here to rescue you. I’ve heard your pleas, felt your tears, known your fears. And I’ve come to break you out of the prison that's keeping you from Me. I have come to liberate you, to love you, to show you the light of day. I am He.”

And He is still here. His mission has not changed. He has come to set us, the captives, free. Jesus came to deliver us from the bondage of sin, the very thing that causes our pains, our fears, our addictions. The cross that brought freedom then provides freedom today.

The grace of Christ in His death and resurrection is the very hope and good news for us in our daily struggles. Let us allow Him entrance into our places of weakness, temptation, sorrow. He can deliver us from any prison, no matter the length of confinement or the strength of the prison bars. Nothing is too difficult for Jesus, God’s liberator.

I Want More

My pastor recently defined salvation as God making everything right—creation, relationships, us. How I long for that day. I weary of this human nature that leads me away from the God I love. I tire of the battle between my flesh and his indwelling Spirit. I continue to fail in compassion, forgiveness, and love. I harbor resentment, seek revenge instead of grace, and do good deeds from wrong motivations.

I know his forgiveness, in that rich grace, covers the payment for such sins, but I want more. I want something new; I want redemption. I desire that new heart promised me. I long for the return of Christ, when he will restore me to his beautiful, loving, holy image. He will permanently remove my weary, sin-laden heart and replace it with a heart of life, beauty, and holiness. In that day, I will receive a glorified body. A body free from wrinkles, free from aches and pains, free from all effects of sin. No sorrow. No tears. No sin. God will make everything new. I will love without demand, exude kindness without deceit, live in the Spirit without a battle.

So each day, I wait. I hope for the return of the Savior whose words are trustworthy and true. He remembers his promise. This redemptive process he has begun, he will complete. Even now, God works, forming his heart in me. Slowly, I mature in godliness. And while I, with the rest of creation, groan, he labors to accomplish redemption. So I yield to God’s wisdom, to his present and future work in me, in creation, in the world.