Reading: Luke 4:14-30
Our first passage in our series ‘Snapshots from the Gospel of Luke’ pulls together four commonly recognised themes in Luke’s account: The Holy Spirit; Good News to the Poor; the fulfilment of scripture in the person of Jesus, and; Jesus’ mission to the nations.
This story opens the public mission of Jesus and moves quickly to his hometown. In the synagogue, Jesus reads from the prophet Isaiah celebrating the Good news of his coming in the language of freedom.
Jesus will recognise the marginalised and bring them release. Controversially, Jesus cuts short his citation of Isaiah 61:1-2, avoiding the reference to ‘…the day of God’s anger against their enemies.’ This omission is then highlighted when Jesus recounts the story of the widow of Zerephath and the healing of Naaman.
The Good News that the Spirit-empowered Jesus will proclaim in Luke’s account will focus on the marginalised extend well beyond the borders of Israel.
No wonder Luke calls it ‘Good News’.
