Sermon Tone Analysis

We have been looking at the passage of scripture in Luke 4:18-19, where Jesus was in the synagogue at Nazareth.

The scroll of Isaiah was handed to Him and He found the place in Isaiah 61:1-2 and read it.

Then He sat down and declared that He was the Messiah (The Anointed One) who had come to declare the Year of Jubilee.

We have learned that the Year of Jubilee, which occurred every 50 years, brought *liberty*, *restoration*, *release*, *rest*, *thanksgiving*, and *faith* to God’s people.

Jesus said that His mission was to:

1.  Preach the Good News to the Poor—Poverty (Physical & Spiritual)

2. Heal the Brokenhearted—Sorrow~/Grief (Emotional)

3.  Proclaim Freedom for the Captives—Bondage (Spiritual)

4. *Recovery of Sight for the Blind*—Blindness (Physical & Spiritual)

5.  Release the Oppressed—Oppressed (Physical & Spiritual)

Today we want to look at the phrase *recovery of sight for the blind*.

Luke 4: 18-19 (NIV) “The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor.

He has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and *recovery of sight for the blind*, to release the oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Isaiah 61:1-2 (NIV) The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and *release from darkness* for the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor

 

How many of you have been blind in your life?

Probably most of us would say we have not been blind.

According to the American Foundation for Blindness 5 out of 1000 people in America are blind.

Yet, although we have not been blind, we sing the words, “Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me, I once was lost, but now I’m found, was *blind*, but now I see.”

So, then we have been blind.

Maybe not physically sightless, but we all have been spiritually blind.

As we have been looking at this passage we have been trying to view it through the eyes of a Jew who would have heard Jesus preach it in the synagogue that day in Nazareth.

When John the Baptist was in prison and wanted to know if Jesus was the Messiah, what did Jesus say?

Matt 11:4-5 (NIV) Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 5 *The blind receive sight*, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.

So Jesus declares that the healing of the *blind* is a primary sign of the fact that He is the Messiah.

But when we read this scripture, we need to recognize that Jesus was quoting from Isaiah.

Isaiah 35:5 (NIV) Then will the eyes of the *blind* be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.

In fact, there are numerous references to the healing of blind eyes in the Old Testament.

Here are just a few:

·        Isaiah 29:18 (NIV) In that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll, and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the *blind* will see.

·        Isaiah 42:6-7 (NIV) “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand.

I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, 7 to open eyes that are *blind*, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

·        Isaiah 42:16 (NIV) I will lead the *blind* by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will *turn the darkness into light* before them and make the rough places smooth.

These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.

·        Psalm 146:8 (NIV) the Lord gives sight to the *blind*, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the Lord loves the righteous.

Yet, there is also a spiritual blindness that is talked about in the scriptures (primarily Isaiah).

In fact in Isaiah’s call he is told by God that the people are blind and deaf and will not understand his message.

Isaiah 6:9-10 (NIV) He said, “Go and tell this people: “‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; *be ever seeing, but never perceiving*.’

10 Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and *close their eyes*.

Otherwise they might *see with their eyes*, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

Now that may sound harsh, but Isaiah was sent by the Sovereign God to tell a people that they had sinned and were going to be punished because they would not repent.

The Northern kingdom of Israel had fallen into such idolatry that it was destroyed by the Assyrian army and the 10 tribes of the north were scattered.

The Southern kingdom of Judah and Benjamin was carried off to captivity in Babylon for 70 years.

Isaiah may have had a hard message, but he also had a message of hope.

He declared what it would be like when they came back from exile in Babylon and how that God would be among them.

He is the prophet who revealed the major prophecies about Jesus (his birth, anointing, ministry, suffering and death).

In fact Jesus quoted these same verses in Matt 13:14-15 when His disciples asked Him about why He spoke in parables.

The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”

11 He replied, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. . . .

13 This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.

14 In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: “‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.

15 For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes.

Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’

16 But *blessed are your eyes because they see*, and your ears because they hear.

17 For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

So when we look at the words of Isaiah, we see the true heart of the nation of Israel and the true heart of a God who was rejected by that nation, but still loved His people.

He does not abandon them, but disciplines them.

·        Isaiah 42:18-20 (NIV) “Hear, you deaf; look, you *blind*, and see! 19 Who is *blind* but my servant, and deaf like the messenger I send?

Who is *blind* like the one committed to me, *blind* like the servant of the Lord?

20 You have seen many things, but have paid no attention; your ears are open, but you hear nothing.”

·        Isaiah 44:9 (NIV) All who make idols are nothing, and the things they treasure are worthless.

Those who would speak up for them are *blind*; they are ignorant, to their own shame.

·        Isaiah 56:10 (NIV) Israel’s watchmen are *blind*, they all lack knowledge; they are all mute dogs, they cannot bark; they lie around and dream, they love to sleep.

·        Isaiah 59:9-10 (NIV) So justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us.

We look for light, but *all is darkness*; for brightness, but *we walk in deep shadows*.

10 Like the *blind* we grope along the wall, feeling our way like men without eyes.

At midday we stumble *as if it were twilight*; among the strong, we are like the dead.

So now that we understand what a Jew would have thought of when Jesus said that He came as the Messiah to give *recovery of sight for the blind*, let’s see what Jesus was trying to tell them as He proclaimed the Year of Jubilee.

1.

He came to open our *spiritual eyes* so we can understand who God is and how we can relate to Him.

The Greek word for blindness means to be “enveloped with smoke, unable to see clearly, ignorant, stupid, and slow of understanding.”

*5185.

**τυφλός** **/tuphlós/*; fem.

/tuphlé̄/, neut.

/tuphlón/, adj.

from /tuphlóō/ (5186), to envelop with smoke, be unable to see clearly.

Blind (Matt.

9:27, 28; 11:5; 12:22; Luke 7:21, 22; John 9:1ff.; Acts 13:11; Sept.: Lev.

19:14; Job 29:15).

Figuratively in respect to the mind as being blind, ignorant, stupid, slow of understanding (Matt.

15:14; 23:16, 17, 19, 24, 26; Luke 4:18; John 9:39–41; Rom.

2:19; 2 Pet.

1:9; Rev. 3:17; Sept.: Is. 42:16, 18, 19; 43:8).

(Complete Word Study NT)

They were walking around like they were in a fog, not knowing which way to go.

They needed a *light* to guide them.

Jesus is the *light* of the world, sent to illuminate the path of truth for all mankind.

John 1:4-9 (NIV) In him was life, and that life was the *light* of men. 5 The *light* shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

6 There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John.

7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that *light*, so that through him all men might believe.

8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the *light*.

9 The true *light* that gives *light* to every man was coming into the world.

John 8:12 (NIV) When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the *light* of the world.

Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the *light* of life.”

“God is light, therefore those who are alienated from Him are in complete spiritual darkness.

They do not see the frightful danger to which they are exposed.

Though they are led captive by Satan from day to day and year to year, they are totally unaware of his malignant (evil) influence over them.

They are blind to the nature and tendency of their religious performances, failing to perceive that no matter how earnestly they engage in them, they cannot be acceptable to God while their minds are at enmity (hostility) against Him.

They are blind to the way and means of recovery.”

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2.  He came to show the way to God, to lead us out of the fog and darkness.

To take the blinders off our spiritual eyes, so we can clearly see the true way to God.