C, Epiphany 3 - Luke 4:14–21 "It's Time to Come to Church"

 Luke 4:14–21 (ESV) And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country.  And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.  And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read.  And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,  “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,  to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”  And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down.  And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.  And he began to say to them,“Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

This is the start of Jesus’ ministry.  And where does he find himself?  In a congregation, amongst God’s people with God's Word!  He's been brought there by the Holy Spirit.  And there he does not bring them new word but Word from Scripture which they would have heard and considered many times before.

The Holy Spirit rested on him in his baptism.  Led him into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan.  And now brings him into the synagogue to proclaim the Word of God; to fulfil the Old Testament Scriptures.

Jesus announces he is the one to bring good news to the poor; freedom to slaves and those afflicted; sight to the blind, and favour or a holy jubilee from the Lord.

But first to the pattern.  This pattern is easily overlooked!  The Holy Spirit works within a very precise structure.  He does so because he is God, he proceeds from God the Father and God the Son, and he inspired peopled to write down the Word of God.  Therefore, the Holy Spirit chooses to work through the Word of God!

All the way through his ministry, Jesus goes from synagogue to synagogue and on the Sabbath day, finds himself in the presence of God’s people and God’s Word.

In the synagogue at Nazareth, he is given Isaiah to read, and he reads from chapter sixty-one, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,  to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” (Luke 4:18–19 ESV)

When Jesus finishes the reading from Isaiah, he gives the scroll back and preaches a one sentence sermon, saying, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:21 ESV)

Unfortunately, I cannot preach a one sentence sermon.  Not because I have more to say than Jesus!  But rather, because I am not Jesus.

All the Old Testament pointed forward to the Messiah.  A Messiah anointed by the Holy Spirit.  Jesus preaches a one sentence sermon, but its preface is everything written about him beforehand under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament. 

But what is it the Holy Spirit is anointing the Messiah to do?

First, he is anointed to preach the Gospel to the poor.  The poor are beggars, and beggars beg for mercy.  With outstretched arms those who truly know their predicament and trust Jesus over all things will cry out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Luke 18:38 ESV)  Just as the blind beggar Bartimaeus did, when Jesus of Nazareth was entering Jericho, on his way to Jerusalem and death on the cross.

But it was not just a word of good news that the poor received, it was also release from captivity, a recovery from clouded sight, and deliverance from the madness of being overlooked.  The poor and the blind and the oppressed would have a new start in the Lord’s favour. 

This favour was greater than the jubilee of the Old Testament.  Every fifty years was a jubilee, debt was released, and people got their property back.  Here, Jesus was led by the Spirit to declare the eternal release to the poor, the captives, the blinded, and the oppressed.  All those held down by their sin and the sin of others. 

People get their life back through the life and death of Jesus of Nazareth.

Just as the Holy Spirit led Jesus, our lives in Christ are led in the pattern of the Holy Spirit.  And through the Holy Spirit’s work, we get our lives back.  The Holy Spirit wills those to trust in Jesus for sight and faith, for release from captivity and oppression, and to cry out for mercy!  The Holy Spirit wills us with his pattern and we see the pattern at work in Jesus.

What is the pattern of the Holy Spirit for you?  What is the Holy Spirit’s will for you?

We get a glimpse of what it is when Jesus sends out the seventy-two followers and they return to him having been given power over Satan.  We hear from Luke ten… 

In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I  thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.  All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” (Luke 10:21–22 ESV)

Just like the seventy-two sent out by Jesus, you have been sent out from this place in the Word of God, in the power of the Holy Spirit.  Just as Jesus went out and came in, by the power of the Spirit you too come in as beggars but go out rich in the Word of God.  Jesus reveals his Father to you!

You have come in as captives but have been free from eternal death in the forgiveness of sins.  You have sought mercy to be released from the depression and maddening oppression of your old Adam.  You have been given the promise of an eternal inheritance in the glory of God the Father.

Just as Jesus came into the synagogue and the seventy-two came to him, you have come here to church, led by the Holy Spirit, gathered together in our Messiah, Jesus Christ, all forgiven members of the one body under our head, Jesus Christ. 

The Holy Spirit has brought us here to be taught by Jesus Christ in the Word of God, and through his word the Heavenly Father is revealed to us, his little children, his church.  We his children in his church are his weak ones – poor, captives, blind, and oppressed. 

Today is the first day of the new week.  Today is the first day of the new creation in Christ.  It is also the eighth day of the old week.  It is the day of resurrection from sins of the last seven days of the old creation.  We are sent out bearing his victory.  The sin which we all carry; the poverty, the captivity, the blindness, and the oppression, is now covered under his cloak of victory over sin.

When you have doubt about the power of God to cover and forgive your sin, Jesus tells us to ask for the Holy Spirit.  “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”(Luke 11:13 ESV)

If Jesus is led by the power of the Holy Spirit!  If he tells you to ask for the Holy Spirit!  If Jesus praises God in the joy of the Holy Spirit!  And, if you are his child and we are his children!  If Jesus was led into God’s congregation on the sabbath, if he fulfilled the Sabbath by resting in the grave and descending into hell between Good Friday and Easter Sunday!

Then surely, we will receive the greater gift of the Gospel, the forgiveness of sins and peace with God the Father, when we come to church to be forgiven and fed on the day of his resurrection. 

Jesus finds himself with his people on the Sabbath.  Find yourself with Jesus and his other forgiven sinners on the day of his resurrection.  Let the Holy Spirit place you in his weekly pattern, in church.  It’s time to come to church!

In church you receive the will of God the Father, the will of God the Son, and the will of God the Holy Spirit.  Amen.