"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free." ~Luke 4:18, NIV
In this part of Luke, Jesus is in a synagogue, reading scripture. He reads this passage from Isaiah, and then looks to the crowd, saying, "you have seen this come to pass today." Jesus took the hope that the Old Testament heroes looked to and embodied it.
He knew it was true - the Spirit was upon Him and enabled Him to do everything He did. Be it bringing good news to the poor, setting psychological captives free, healing the sick, delivering His people from sin, Jesus did it all, and continues to do so today.
People used to look forward to the hope of the Messiah, but we have it with us today - and what better way to prevent fear than to fill up on hope? The promise made in the Old Testament is fulfilled by Jesus, and if you feel like you could be poor, a captive, sick, or oppressed, please take courage: Jesus came to rescue you. If you've accepted Him, He has saved you and will save you. If not, He's only a conversation away.
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