What is the implication for Luke 4:18-19?
In Luke 4:18–19, Jesus read Isaiah 61:1–2. The passage in Isaiah refers to the typology (symbolism) in Leviticus 25’s command to hold a year of Jubilee. (The wordings in Luke and Isaiah do not line up word-for-word because our English translation of Isaiah usually comes from the Hebrew manuscripts whereas our English translation of Luke’s quotation comes from the Greek, which probably translates from a Hebrew or Aramaic manuscript that Jesus read.)
One of the answers inserts an interpretation of verse 19 by a self-proclaimed prophet from 1800’s America. According to that prophet, verse 19 refers to his prophetic work; however, the context and language trace the language back to Isaiah, Moses, and something that was fully understood 3500 years ago and was never “lost.” The Bible we already have can interpret itself.
Colossians 2:16–17 explains that Old Testament ceremonial rules symbolized truths about Jesus Christ. For example, Hebrews 4:8–11 clarifies that the rest from work on the Sabbath symbolized entering into a rest from working to establish one’s own righteousness before God. Good that one does after entering that rest becomes a gift of love and thanksgiving rather than an attempt to earn grace.
Similarly, the Year of Jubilee had more than practical applications. God commanded Israel to hold a Year of Jubilee. The Hebrew calendar had seven sets of seven years (7x7=49), with each seventh year being a “Sabbath year” (Leviticus 25:1–7) The fiftieth year after the conquest of Canaan, and every fiftieth year after that, was to be a Year of Jubilee (Leviticus 25:8–17).
During the Year of Jubilee, on the feast day called the Day of Atonement, a number of things should have happened. For example:
In Bronze Age Mediterranean culture, people often sold themselves or family members in order to pay off debts or to avoid starvation. Many Bible translations use the word slaves, but they were more like indentured servants in early American history. During the Year of Jubilee, all such Hebrew slaves were to be freed.
As Israel conquered Canaan, the land was divided among the twelve tribes, and the tribes divided their lands among their families. Over the course of 49 years, some prospered and others did not, so lands were sold. During the Year of Jubilee, all lands were to be returned to the original owners to preserve their inheritance.
Now that we have a path from the ceremonial symbols in Leviticus, through the prophetic preaching of Isaiah, to Jesus’s proclamation in Luke, we can consider the passage phrase by phrase.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me
Anointing was a ceremonial act analogous to, today, ordaining a minister. It meant that a person was authorized and empowered to perform a service such as priesthood, prophecy, or leadership. God anointing Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit was like, not just giving a policeman a badge, but giving him the whole utility belt. God the Holy Spirit verified Christ’s identity by empowering His miracles as well as working on the hearts of those whom Jesus served.
to proclaim good news to the poor
Jesus preached good news not just to the favored religious people, but also to despised poor. Metaphorically, the poor represented humble people who lacked a “treasury of grace,” but who, rather, confessed their moral poverty and cast themselves upon God’s mercy in total dependence.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
The Old Testament “slaves” represented people who were in bondage to sins and its consequences. There is a twisted idea that the sinner is in bondage to the devil, and the devil will torment sinners in hell. That is not a Christian idea. We are born with an inclination to sin; which sin is optional, but sinning is inevitable. For this reason, we are all subject to the penalty for sin. Hell can torment us all by itself without any devils’ help. In fact, Hell will be the place of the devils’ torment, too.
As long as we rely on our own righteousness, ceremonies, sacrifices, or self restraint, we remain in bondage to the consequences of sin. Jesus came to proclaim liberty to that captivity. He did what we could not and offers that act to us as a gift. We can ignore or reject it and remain in our prisons, or we can walk out and enjoy the liberty God offers. It’s our choice.
recovering of sight to the blind
Israel had apostatized so severely (even practicing child sacrifice) that God allowed other nations to conquer and scatter them. Only a remnant of a few tribes survived, primarily Judea — or, the “Jews.” When Assyrians allowed Jews to return home, they had learned their lesson. But they took it too far. They became legalistic, shifting their focus from God to the Mosaic Law. It became part of their religion to try to establish their own righteousness. Metaphorically, they blinded themselves to the larger point concerning humility and dependence on God for redemption. You see Jesus contending with the Pharisees about this throughout the gospels. And you still see it in major “Christian” churches, too.
Through His teaching, Jesus repeatedly drove home the point that only those who performed the inhuman feat of achieving sinless perfection could enter heaven. The logical conclusion was that we are all condemned and must, in humble repentance, entrust ourselves to God’s promises. This lesson does not come naturally to us. Our pride blinds us to it. Recovering sight of it is a work of the Holy Spirit through Jesus’s message. He restores sight to the blind.
to set at liberty those who are oppressed
All these phrases interrelate. When we see ourselves through God’s eyes, or compare our lives to the spirit of the Mosaic Law or Ten Commandments, we see our condition. Guilt weighs us down. The Roman Catholic Church does a good job of this; I’ve encountered many who have completely shut themselves off to any discussion of spiritual topics because that load of guilt is so crushing.
That weight of guilt is a good thing when it drives us to rely on God’s mercy by trusting in the redemption that God offers through Jesus’s sacrifice. The first-century Jewish establishment had so weighed down its people with rules and regulations that the weight became unbearable. Jesus fulfilled the Mosaic Covenant. His self-sacrifice lifts guilt’s oppression off of those who entrust themselves to Him and sets them at liberty.
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
Because of the connection through Isaiah, we know that “year of the Lord’s favor” refers to the Year of Jubilee. The Bible does not record that Israel, or later, Judea, ever celebrated the Year of Jubilee. If it had been proclaimed in accordance with Leviticus 25:9, it would no doubt have been recorded because it would have been a very big deal. For the first time, Jesus proclaimed it. “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21). He did not merely proclaim the legal, religious holiday, but its symbolic fulfillment.
Those elements of the passage have another layer of implications. Jesus could proclaim Jubilee only as a High Priest or Prophet. He could set people free from guilt’s weight only as a Redeemer. He could serve as sufficient sacrifice for our sins only as perfect man and as infinite God. That identity could only be verified by the power and works of God Himself. And liberty from guilt, sight, freedom from legalism’s oppression, and favor of God are offered to all who will practice a “sabbath” rest from self-justification and receive the Gift as a free gift from the great Giver of gifts.
Copyright 2020, Richard Wheeler. Use freely for non-profit use, but please give credit where credit is due.
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