THE CHARACTER OF THE MINISTRY OF JESUS

LUKE 4:14–30

The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor

(Luke 4:18–19).

Jesus’ ministry lasted only about three years, but in that three-year period He accomplished all that needed to be done to redeem this fallen planet. How did His ministry begin? What was its accent and focus? I think that perhaps the best glimpse we can gain of Jesus’ ministry comes from one of His earliest public appearances, His visit to the synagogue in His hometown of Nazareth.

The Announcement of His Ministry

Jesus was treated as a rabbi, one who was skilled in the Scripture and had a band of disciples around Him. Thus, according to custom, He was invited to read one of the appointed lessons in the synagogue and to comment on it. He was given a portion of Isaiah to read that applied directly to Him.

The Spirit of the Lord had just come upon Him a few weeks earlier at His baptism, and had indeed anointed Him to preach good news to the poor. Everyone knew that these verses in Isaiah referred to the Messiah, and everyone in those days was interested in the coming of the Messiah. Jesus closed the scroll, sat down in the teacher’s chair, and said, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21).

The Nature of His Ministry

Isaiah’s Messiah was to be a preacher, and Jesus was. He was also to be a pastor, concerned for the poor and the prisoner, and Jesus was. Certainly ordinary ministers could do these things, but Isaiah’s qualifications get tougher. The Messiah would give sight to the blind and deliver the demonically oppressed. How many normal pastors could do that? Finally, Isaiah gives a qualification that none other than the Messiah could meet: He would proclaim the coming of the kingdom.

CORAM DEO

We, of course, do not do the miracles Jesus did, but we can surely follow His example in proclaiming the kingdom and in ministering to the needy. Do you have an accent or focus to your ministry that includes both? Being conformed to the image of Christ also involves being conformed to the character of His ministry. Consider today what you may need to do to ensure this proper balance.

For further study: Isaiah 57:14–21, 61:1–3, 10–11

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