Jesus Begins His Ministry
Notes
Transcript
Opening Illustration
Opening Illustration
For 51 years Bob Edens was blind.
He couldn’t see a thing.
His world was a black hall of sounds and smells.
He felt his way through five decades of darkness.
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And then, he could see.
A skilled surgeon performed a complicated operation and, for the first time, Bob Edens had sight.
He found it overwhelming.
"I never would have dreamed that yellow is so...yellow," he exclaimed.
"I don’t have the words.
I am amazed by yellow.
But red is my favorite color.
I just can’t believe red.
I can see the shape of the moon--and I like nothing better than seeing a jet plane flying across the sky leaving a vapor trail.
And of course, sunrises and sunsets.
And at night I look at the stars in the sky and the flashing light.
You could never know how wonderful everything is."
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Bob here experienced what born again believers in Christ also feel when God makes them brand new...
It is like seeing the world for the first time...
All the colors and wonders of God’s creation experienced in a way it was never experienced before.
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Take the Word of God for example...
To the one lost it is just another ancient book...
But to the child of God it is the living Word of the God of all creation.
However, before we can experience this...
We need to first be set free from our chains of bondage...
And their is only one person who can do that...
Jesus Christ!
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So, please turn your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke.
We will conduct our study in Chapter 4 and focus on verses 14 through 21.
Our message this morning is called, “Jesus Begins His Ministry”
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As you are finding your place in God’s Word...
I would like to share that this message will focus on three main points:
Jesus’ Teaching...
Jesus’ Hometown...
And...
Jesus’ Declaration.
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Opening Prayer
Opening Prayer
Before we consider our text, please join me in prayer...
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Heavenly Father...
Mighty and awesome God...
The Alpha and Omega....
We turn to you with our thanksgiving and requests.
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Thank You for everything You do...
You have made us into new creations...
You have broken our chains of bondage...
You have set the captive free...
Given sight to the blind...
And gave liberty to the oppressed.
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Help us to be more like your Son...
Help us to know your Word better...
Help us to be more sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit...
And Help us to forgive those who sin against us...
As you...
Oh merciful God...
Have shown us grace and mercy and forgiven us of our incalculable debt.
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And it is in Jesus’s name we pray all these things...
Amen.
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Let’s turn to our text for today:
Reading of the Text
Reading of the Text
14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country.
15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.
16 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.
17 And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,
18 “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,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
20 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.
21 And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
So, let’s look at our first point...
1) Jesus’ Teaching
1) Jesus’ Teaching
Verses 14-15: 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.
So, the synoptic gospels...
That is Matthew, Mark, and Luke...
Are for the most part silent about Jesus’ ministry between His baptism and His return to Galilee...
However, in the Gospel of John we see an detailed record of this in John 2:12 through John 4:1.
So, if you would like to fill the gap...
Take some time to read through that section on your own.
Now, Jesus’ ministry at that time was mainly in Jerusalem and Judea...
Because of this, news of Him quickly spread throughout Isreal.
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Let’s also take a look at this note from the Pillar New Testament Commentary on Luke about this section we are about to study further regarding the phrase, “Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee”:
“Jesus returns from the temptation in the wilderness not as a limping survivor, but “in the power of the Spirit,” as the righteous one vindicated by God.
Fidelity to the divine will does not leave one depleted and exhausted, but spiritually empowered.
In the infancy narrative the Holy Spirit was active through Zechariah, John, Elizabeth, Mary, and Simeon so that the Spirit might be active in Jesus the Son of God in his conception, baptism, temptation, and public ministry.
First-century Jews believed that the Holy Spirit ceased speaking directly to God’s people at the end of the prophetic era in Israel.
In Jesus the power and righteousness of the Spirit are again active in the world to consummate the divine will.
John left human society and went out into the wilderness; the Spirit returns Jesus from the wilderness to human society, to Galilee.”
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So, the Holy Spirit was involved in every aspect of Jesus’ life...
We have seen this all throughout our study of the Gospel of Luke...
This is the case too for the rest of the New Testament.
This perfectly lines up with the truth foretold in the Old Testament in passage like Isaiah 11:2 which says:
2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
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Next, let’s look again at the Pillar New Testament Commentary on Luke for a great note regarding the phrase “He taught” or as other translations render it “He was teaching”:
“The Greek imperfect tense edidasken (“he was teaching”) connotes the central role that teaching played in Jesus’ ministry.
Moderns are often more impressed by acts of compassion or ministries of “presence” than they are by teaching and preaching.
In Luke’s theology of the word, teaching and proclamation are the essential forms of divine revelation.
A good deed, even miracle, can be misunderstood; and even if properly understood may not evoke a commitment.
Teaching involves a word.
A word is capable of greater precision and penetration than any other symbol of reality.
God created all things by the word, brought Israel into existence and sustained it through the prophetic word, and through Jesus, who both is the Word of God and declares the word of God, God offers salvation to all.
Through the word of Jesus, God speaks; and through Jesus as both the speech and act of God, hearers communicate—literally, they are built up and fortified—with God.”
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So, Jesus was going from village to village and synagogue to synagogue sharing the Good News...
While He shared the Words of life He also restored like by healing the sick, casting out demons and raising the dead.
These miracles pointed to to the fact that He truly was the Messiah and that His healing was not just physical in nature but more importantly it was spiritual fro those who would repent and believe.
Matthew 4:23 records this by saying:
23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.
And in Acts 10:38 we see that it says:
38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
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However, the physical miracles...
As necessary as they were...
Were not the priority like the Gospel message itself...
Although many wanted Jesus to stay in their villages continuing to heal people...
He made it clear that the Good News of the Kingdom was the purpose of His ministry leading up to the final work that would be done on the cross as it says in Luke 4:43:
43 but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.”
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The Gospel message that Jesus preached was the same one John the Baptist preached...
And it is the same one Peter, Paul, and the rest of the apostles preached...
And it is the same one all genuine followers of God preach to this day...
And that message can be seen in passages like Mark 1:14-15:
14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God,
15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
Repent and Believe...
That is the Gospel in a nut shell.
And it is this same message that Jesus brought back to His hometown
And this takes us to our next point.
2) Jesus’ Hometown
2) Jesus’ Hometown
Verses 16-19: 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 favor.”
The Reformation Study Bible has this great note about this section of our passage:
“This account is the oldest-known report of the order of worship in a synagogue service.
The service included a reading from the Law and one from the Prophets, followed by comment and application of God’s Word.”
Additionally, we have evidence from literature about that time that indicates that Sabbath services at a synagogue involved singing, set prayer readings, the reading of Scripture, an interpretative homily on the weekly Scripture reading, and a priestly blessing.
The leadership of the synagogue fell to the elders of the congregation and to officials who were known as the “ruler of the synagogue.”
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That is why we conduct our service each Sunday in like manner...
We always have singing and praying and a reading of the Word of God...
And then we follow that up with an exposition...
And an application of it.
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Jesus is reading from Isaiah 61:1-2 and Isaiah 58:6...
Specifically, the passage Jesus reads includes all of Isaiah 58:6 and Isaiah 61:1 but only part of verse 2...
He actually stops in the middle of verse 2 very intentionally...
The rest of that verse prophesies judgment in the day of God’s vengeance...
Since that part of the verse pertains to the end times, He did not read it.
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Additionally, regarding this Old Testament reference...
New Testament Scholar Darrell L. Bock says:
“The deliverance imagery parallels the description of the Jubilee year, when debts were canceled and slaves were freed every fiftieth year.
It is a picture of forgiveness and spiritual liberation, which is at the center of Jesus’ message.
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When Jesus applies the passage to himself, he is saying that the present time is like the message of comfort that Isaiah brought to the nation.
In fact, the totality of the deliverance that Isaiah described is now put into motion with Jesus’ coming.
He is the Servant par excellence.
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A strictly material and political interpretation of these verses often ignores this crucial spiritual element and also tends to forget that Jesus spoke in Luke 6:23 of the reward existing in heaven for those who suffer.
This is not the language of violent revolution, but of individual transformation within a new social perspective.
On the other hand, it is significant that the poor get singled out as a particularly appropriate audience for the gospel.
The outsider often related to Jesus’ message the best.
The church is certainly called to minister to such people and to do so with a sensitivity to their plight and poverty, since a major ethical call for the church is that Christians are to meet one another’s needs and to love their neighbors, as the church expresses its love concretely to all.
The example of Paul’s collection for the Jerusalem saints shows that this responsibility knew no regional or racial bounds.
The church is to be the place where such total concern is expressed most visibly.
Other human institutions are subsidiary to this institution of God as the vehicle of such concern.
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Jesus’ message involved proclaiming release to the captives.
Again, a more prophetic focus is in view.
In the Old Testament, reference to captives meant the exiled, but often it had spiritual overtones, especially since the Old Testament viewed the exile as the result of sin.
The image is of release from captivity; but in Luke, the picture includes release from sin and spiritual captivity.
Of course, since the judgment of captivity is tied to sin, such an association is natural.
Jesus’ call is to come to God on his terms and accept his forgiveness as provided in Jesus, who sets free the oppressed.
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[Additionally,] Jesus proclaimed sight to the blind.
Again, on the surface, one might be led to think only of physical miracles here.
But the light and darkness imagery also has spiritual overtones, as does the idea of seeing.
The work envisioned here is not merely physical.
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The reference to setting at liberty the oppressed is probably from Isaiah 58:6.
While a prophet could proclaim the message of liberty for the oppressed, he could not bring it to pass.
It is a deliverer who brings deliverance to reality.
Again Lucan theology makes the point clear.
Luke 3:15–18 spoke of the Stronger One to come who is greater than the prophet John.
This Coming One brings with him the Spirit’s baptism, which represents salvation’s presence and the covenant’s arrival.
Thus, this passage describes a messianic function.
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Jesus will do what Israel was rebuked in Isaiah 58 for not doing:
Jesus will meet in love the needs of those who need God.
The picture again is of Jesus reaching out to the needy and giving them aid.
It is a declaration of injustice reversed.”
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So, let us truly understand that to refuse to surrender to Christ is to continue in bondage...
There is absolutely no freedom without Christ...
For to be outside of Christ is to be a slave to sin...
And a slave to the world...
And a slave to wicked desires...
But Jesus Christ is a chain breaker!
No shackle is to strong...
No chain too indestructible!
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In one would surrender their life to the Lord...
Repent of their wicked ways...
Turn from the old life and embrace a new way of living...
If one believes in the truths found in the Scripture and trusts in them...
Well...
They will be set free from the power and curse of sin!
They will be saved!
As Galatians 5:1 says:
1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
And as John 8:36 says in order to provide reassurance for those who already believe:
36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
For one is an absolute fool to think you can escape eternal fire all by themselves...
It is equally foolish to think anyone outside of Christ can save you...
Only the Son of God!
Only the Messiah!
Only the Creator!
Only the Alpha and Omega!
Only Jesus Christ can save!
John 14:6 is as clear as it gets:
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Jesus truly is the only way...
As Pastor John MacArthur says regarding this passage:
“Four metaphors depict the desperate condition of needy sinners whom God seeks to rescue from hell.
Though the religious in this world may imagine themselves to be rich, free, healthy, and unhindered, until receiving the salvation that Christ brings, they are in reality poor, prisoners, blind, and oppressed.
Those metaphors graphically depict their utter lack of any spiritual resources to extricate themselves from their deadly dilemma.
Only through the Messiah’s work of salvation can they be rescued from eternal punishment in hell.”
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Next, Jesus makes a declaration...
One that would produce extreme reactions...
And this takes us to our next and final point.
3) Jesus’ Declaration
3) Jesus’ Declaration
Verses 20-21: 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.”
In our passage when it says, “sat down” it should be understood in context to the 1st century culture of Jesus’ day...
You see Church, it was customary for a teacher to stand respectfully during the reading of the Scriptures and then sit humbly when he was to teach.
That is why often when Jesus is teaching Scripture will record that He is sitting.
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This practice was seen in Isreal but it should be noted that for those outside Isreal, the teachers actually stood up...
Consider that in Acts 13:16 Luke writes that Paul is standing in the synagogue while preaching...
So, we can conclude this was a cultural practice and not one that needs to be followed in all cultures...
That is why in our day a teacher for the most part but not always stands when they teach.
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When Jesus said, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” it was a bold statement...
He was making an unambiguous claim that He was in fact the long promised Messiah who fulfills the just read prophecy...
As we will see next week when we cover the next section of our study of the Gospel of Luke...
The audience correctly understands that Jesus means this yet they could not accept this...
They could not wrap there heads around that fact that Jesus, whom they knew so well as the carpenter’s son, was the Messiah.
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Additionally, verse 21 that that contains this bold statement should be understood as a summary of Jesus’ sermon and not the only statement He said.
You see Beloved, the sequence of verses indicates that Luke is summarizing the events.
Luke only notes Jesus’ brief declaration here, but the following verse indicates that the crowd was impressed with his message of gracious words, a remark that suggests that Jesus said more than what Luke recorded.
The text also says that Jesus began to speak, suggesting that he gave more than one sentence of exposition.
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Jesus has declared Himself the Messiah in other parts of Scripture as well...
Just look with me at the conversation between Jesus and the woman at the well as recorded in John 4:24–26:
24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.”
26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”
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When John the Baptist was lock up in prison...
He started to have some doubts...
So he sent his disciples to Jesus to seek the truth...
He wanted to know for sure if Jesus was the Messiah or if they should expect another...
And in response we see this in Matthew 11:4–5:
4 And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see:
5 the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.
In fact, Jesus response for John was similar to the Scripture reading from Isaiah that Jesus says is about Him.
And we start to come to anther imperative realization...
All of Scripture points to Christ.
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In Matthew 5:17 this is what Jesus says:
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
That is because all the Old Testament...
The prophecies it contains...
All the foreshadowing...
The different types...
The who sacrificial system...
The commands and laws...
All of it points to Christ!
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The religious elite of Jesus’ day and modern false teachers today are clueless to this truth...
Many knowing the words of Scripture well but at the same time being totally ignorant of its true meaning...
That is why Jesus says in John 5:39:
39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me,
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Jesus taught His disciples the truth...
He gave them the right formula...
He put them in the right direction...
As it says in Luke 18:31:
31 And taking the twelve, he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished.
Jesus’ mission was foretold in the Old Testament...
And the disciples did not fully understand it then...
But after everything played out the way it did they remembered what Jesus said...
And they remembered what Scripture had already prophesied.
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Consider this that Luke records happened on the Road to Emmaus in Luke 24:13- 53:
13 That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem,
14 and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened.
15 While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them.
16 But their eyes were kept from recognizing him.
17 And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad.
18 Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
19 And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,
20 and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him.
21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened.
22 Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning,
23 and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive.
24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.”
25 And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!
26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?”
27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
28 So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther,
29 but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them.
30 When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them.
31 And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight.
32 They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?”
33 And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together,
34 saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!”
35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.
36 As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!”
37 But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit.
38 And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?
39 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”
40 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.
41 And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?”
42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish,
43 and he took it and ate before them.
44 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”
45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,
46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead,
47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
48 You are witnesses of these things.
49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
50 And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them.
51 While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven.
52 And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
53 and were continually in the temple blessing God.
Closing Illustration
Closing Illustration
So, as this message comes to a close...
I would like to share this that I came across in my study this week:
A story tells of a man who was imprisoned within an ancient stone dungeon.
A grey shadowy jailor shook the iron lock on his daily rounds.
It was the only sound that reminded the prisoner he was not alone in all the hopeless, dim and dying world of his solitary cell.
The crime of which he was charged was unforgivable, and the verdict was death and irrevocable, but still he secretly harbored the defiant belief that he would, one day and by the cleverness of his own wits, find a way of escape.
But despite all his tunnels, his schemes and his plans, he remained as always within the dungeon walls.
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Years beyond number had passed from consciousness as he sat and plotted how he would set himself free.
Then one day an unfamiliar figure appeared at his prison door.
This was not his jailor who always rattled the lock.
Instead, this person stood silently staring with his hands upon the bars.
An air of sorrow emanated from his silhouette.
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“What do you want?” growled the prisoner nervously.
He wondered if the king had finally commanded his execution.
“Have you come to kill me?”
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The heavy silence broke with these gentle words, “I have come to set you free.”
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Momentarily stunned, the inmate hesitated before spitting back, “No one can do that except the hangman or me.
Are you the hangman?”
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“No,” replied the stranger.
“I am the one who will take your place that you may go free.”
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“Don’t mock me!” the prisoner fumed.
“Only death or my own devices can liberate me! And since, as you can see, I am still here, then you can bet I’ll get out of this prison someday.”
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“No one can break free from these walls,” the strangers motioned around him.
“But I can and I will set you free.
You do not know me, but I have known you and loved you all your life.”
The stranger turned slightly away, “I am going now to the king to purchase your freedom.
In three days, your cell door will be unlocked.
On that day, you will be free.
You will have only to believe what I have told you.
You have only to open the door and leave . . . on the third day.”
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“Do you think I’m crazy?” shouted the prisoner, but the stranger made no reply.
“The king would never forgive my crime no matter who you are or think you are!” his words trailed after the vanishing silhouette.
“I’m the only one who can set me free,” he cried, “and someday I’ll find the way out! ME, I . . . I can do it!”
But there was no further reply and the stranger was gone.
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That same day the jailor came again to rattle the lock, and the next day he did the same.
Nothing was different.
The prison was still dark and damp.
The lonely emptiness still dripped from the stone cold walls.
The prisoner still sat arrogantly and plotted and schemed.
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But on the third day . . . on the third day the prisoner felt the floor begin to rise as though the earth were sucking in a deep breath.
The walls trembled and the iron bars rattled and rang out in a deafening clanging.
Stone blocks cracked and fragments shattered on the floor.
The very rocks roared.
For an instant, it seemed like the ancient dungeon would split asunder . . . but then it stopped as suddenly as it had begun.
The silence was deafening.
The prisoner sat shaking in a fearful sweat – huddled in the farthest corner from the door.
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“Is this the third day?” the thought flashed through his mind.
The calm had been restored; dark silence returned; it was all normal again.
No guard appeared to rattle the lock, but after all, he could still see the lock in the dim light.
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“A false hope,” muttered the prisoner.
“Nothing has changed; nothing will ever change unless I change it.”
And the prisoner resumed his squatting, thoughtful pose in the dank darkness of his dungeon.
Meanwhile, down the distant corridor, other prisoners pushed wide their creaking cell doors and danced into the light of their liberty.
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The Gospel invitation if for all...
To put your trust in Jesus is to experience true freedom...
If you have experienced freedom already...
Then know you are free indeed.
If you are still in your jail cell...
Repent and believe...
And experience newness of life as a child of God!
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To God be all the glory.
Amen.
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Please join us for one more song from the Praise Band.