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THE KING’S BUSINESS
conquering king that the Jews were expect- ing' their Messiah to he anointed, but the wonderful representation of this verse is of a Saviour. A five-fold ministry was to be His as the “anointed” of God. (1) “To proclaim good tidings to the poor” (cf. ch. 6:20; 7:22; isa. 29:9; Zeph. 3:12; Zech. 11:11; Matt. 5:3; 11:5; Jas, 2:5). The modern church has departed widely at this point from the Master’s mission. ,(2) “To proclaim release to the captives,” captives of the Devil and sin (Luke 13:16; John 8:24, 31, 32). Jesus can free from these and He alone (John 8:36). (3) “Recover ing of sight to the blind,” the physically blind and still more the spiritually blind (John 9:39-41; 1 John 5:20). (4) “To set at liberty them that are bruised,” bruised by Satan (Gen. 3:15f Acts 10:38). (5) “To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,” i ,e., the great millennial jubilee of which the fifty years’ jubilee of Israel was a type (Lev. 25:8-13, 50-54). Jesus stopped at just this point in the prophecy. Isaiah goes on to speak of “the day of vengeance of our God,” but that belongs to the Sec ond Coming and after the rejection of Christ, so Jesus goes no further at this time. The picture of man’s condition in this prophecy is a sad one, but it is abso lutely true, and the prophecy also shows the / sure way of deliverance. Jesus- shut the book, sat down, looked His auditors in the face with a gaze of marvelous penetration and tenderness and said: “This prophecy means me.” Monday, October 18. Luke 4:22-30. Every eye in the synagogue was fastened upon Him. It was a critical hour; will they 'believe and be saved ? Alas, no ! “They bare Him witness;” that looks promising, but it did not go deep enough. They “wan dered at the words of grace which pro ceeded from His mouth;” that too, looked promising, but it did not go deep .enough; so when the unwelcome message comes they will turn upon Him and reject Him and seek His destruction. How near they came to the kingdom and yet how far away after
. all. The turning point came in the ques tion, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” Doubts and objections have begun. They are now on the wrong way. Doubt is a rank weed and grows fast; they are now saying in their hearts, “Physician heal thyself: what soever we have heard done at Capernaum, do here also in thine own country.” They were beginning to doubt the reports that had come to them of wonderful things done in another place; they wanted to see them •done right there. Jesus was not surprised but He was bitterly disappointed. He knew “that no prophet is acceptable in his own country.” The meanness of the human heart is such that it can never forgive a boy that grows up right among us for out stripping us. Again Jesus resorts, as al ways, to Scripture to explain matters; His quotations were very much to the point. They both showed that God is sovereign in His acts of mercy and we cannot dictate how or when He must act, and, further, that faith, not birth or natural claims, brings His blessing. This truth touched the pride of these Nazarenes and so mad dened them (cf. Acts 22:21-23). Men are more likely to become enraged at truth than at error (John 7:7). Every man in the synagogue was filled with “wrath,” and their wrath was murderous; Jesus’ end seemed right at hand. But “His hour was not yet come.” In majesty He passed through their midst (cf. John 18:6). Tuesday, October 19. Luke 4 :31, 32. Again we see Jesus in the synagogue on the Sabbath, and again He is teaching. The results are far different in Capernaum from those in Nazareth. They, are “astonished at His teaching.” The Greek word is a very strong one. This was frequently the result of Jesus’ teaching (cf. Matt. 7:28; 13:54; John 7:46). That which astonished them was that He was not a mere commentator on what ancient men of God said, but He taught them as one who Himself taught directly from God. They recognized that a God-sent man with a God-given message
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