Jesus; The Man - Talk by VicarMike on May 10'th
Matthew 4:14-21
14 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. 15 He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. 16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: 18 ‘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, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’ 20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began by saying to them, ‘Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’
These were some very important words that Jesus spoke just after his temptations in the wilderness, so very early on he established his manifesto.
Anointed to Bring (proclaim) Good News to the poor, freedom for prisoners, sight for the blind, freedom for the oppressed, in fact the year of the Lord’s favour. If this is what Jesus was about then it must mean something to us who follow in his footsteps.
In Matthew 4 we see how Jesus, like us, was tempted and tested but remained without sin. In Hebrews we read about Jesus, ‘we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet without sin’ (Hebrews 4:15). So just like us he was offered temptation which varied from the three we know of in Matthew 4; 1) satisfying bodily need (desire); 2) Fame – the need to be recognised and noticed and 3) The desire for power and respect/honour above others. We also know he resisted the temptation in the Garden of Gethsemane to avoid death but what other temptation did he encounter? He met women and one even sat at his feet wiping his feet with her hair and she a woman of ill repute and we may be able to identify more but one thing remains the same – ‘yet without sin’ he never gave into to the tempter’s voice. Not so easy for us I understand only too well but was it easy for Him? He had a choice each time as do we. Some of the works of fiction and even films have gone down the route that rather than resist the temptation of women he married and had children..... works of fiction I remind you! We do know that he spoke his mind – he wasn’t afraid to tell the Pharisees they were like whitewashed tombs, all clean on the surface but full of dead things deep down. If he saw sin he addressed it – the woman caught in adultery he told to go and sin no more. He looked at the commandments and wasn’t afraid to make them more real by explaining that murder can mean just wishing someone death, adultery can mean looking lustfully at another woman. He told us not to be the judge of others – how quick we are to come to the wrong conclusion about people.
He told us that the way to Heaven was difficult, narrow and full of danger – so why don’t men respond to this? Surely it is an adventure of epic and lasting proportions! How often do we tell folk this?
He touched the untouchables – lepers were touched when every ounce of humanity at the time said avoid them at all costs. He helped a Centurion at one time because he had faith that Jesus said was not found in Israel.
In Matt 8:18 he tells us that there is a cost to following him are we willing to pay that cost which one day may take our lives?
Jesus sometimes did things deliberately because people were questioning him such as healing the paralytic who only came to have his sins forgiven. He had meals with the tax
collectors and sinners because they knew they needed rescuing. Jesus despaired over his own people more than once see Matt 11:20-24; 13:53-58; 16:1-4; 20:20-28; John 9:35-41
Jesus raised up 12 men to stand with him – mentoring them, testing them and working through them but one betrayed him and one denied him and they all deserted him.
He stood up to the bullying and testing of the authorities. Matt 21:12-13 He got angry at the misuse of Holy Space.
He endured: false accusation, inflicted unjustified pain, and crucifixion – later described as the most barbaric punishment and later disbanded by Rome because of its cruelty.
But what about his manifesto? What can we learn from that?
18 ‘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,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’
Good News to the Poor – what does that mean? Yes feed them, clothe them, care for them but don’t neglect their spiritual poverty! May also be a reference to those who have not had the chance to believe – they are poor spiritually so to them we must preach Good News.
What does that say about those who have attended church all their lives and yet still don’t believe?
Freedom for prisoners – surely doesn’t literally mean let them all go from prisons? It might mean to be there when they do – Like Freedom for Life ministries or the service station that Henry Le Ruez told us about. But might it also mean those who are bound by something in the past that holds them back from experiencing the fullness of God?
Recovery of sight to the blind – yes we must pray for healing and keep on even when we don’t seem to see any positive results but might it also mean helping those who are blinkered to the truth to see it for themselves?
To set the oppressed free – what oppresses people? The past, their present circumstances, their future fears? In some places the government and laws, or the Muslim neighbours. We are called to be ones who will set people free – to stand up against what is wrong and stand with those who are
hurting while trying to lead them to freedom.
If this is Jesus, the man, shouldn’t we be following him? Doing what he did, set out on the same path as he
did?
14 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. 15 He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. 16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: 18 ‘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, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’ 20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began by saying to them, ‘Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’
These were some very important words that Jesus spoke just after his temptations in the wilderness, so very early on he established his manifesto.
Anointed to Bring (proclaim) Good News to the poor, freedom for prisoners, sight for the blind, freedom for the oppressed, in fact the year of the Lord’s favour. If this is what Jesus was about then it must mean something to us who follow in his footsteps.
In Matthew 4 we see how Jesus, like us, was tempted and tested but remained without sin. In Hebrews we read about Jesus, ‘we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet without sin’ (Hebrews 4:15). So just like us he was offered temptation which varied from the three we know of in Matthew 4; 1) satisfying bodily need (desire); 2) Fame – the need to be recognised and noticed and 3) The desire for power and respect/honour above others. We also know he resisted the temptation in the Garden of Gethsemane to avoid death but what other temptation did he encounter? He met women and one even sat at his feet wiping his feet with her hair and she a woman of ill repute and we may be able to identify more but one thing remains the same – ‘yet without sin’ he never gave into to the tempter’s voice. Not so easy for us I understand only too well but was it easy for Him? He had a choice each time as do we. Some of the works of fiction and even films have gone down the route that rather than resist the temptation of women he married and had children..... works of fiction I remind you! We do know that he spoke his mind – he wasn’t afraid to tell the Pharisees they were like whitewashed tombs, all clean on the surface but full of dead things deep down. If he saw sin he addressed it – the woman caught in adultery he told to go and sin no more. He looked at the commandments and wasn’t afraid to make them more real by explaining that murder can mean just wishing someone death, adultery can mean looking lustfully at another woman. He told us not to be the judge of others – how quick we are to come to the wrong conclusion about people.
He told us that the way to Heaven was difficult, narrow and full of danger – so why don’t men respond to this? Surely it is an adventure of epic and lasting proportions! How often do we tell folk this?
He touched the untouchables – lepers were touched when every ounce of humanity at the time said avoid them at all costs. He helped a Centurion at one time because he had faith that Jesus said was not found in Israel.
In Matt 8:18 he tells us that there is a cost to following him are we willing to pay that cost which one day may take our lives?
Jesus sometimes did things deliberately because people were questioning him such as healing the paralytic who only came to have his sins forgiven. He had meals with the tax
collectors and sinners because they knew they needed rescuing. Jesus despaired over his own people more than once see Matt 11:20-24; 13:53-58; 16:1-4; 20:20-28; John 9:35-41
Jesus raised up 12 men to stand with him – mentoring them, testing them and working through them but one betrayed him and one denied him and they all deserted him.
He stood up to the bullying and testing of the authorities. Matt 21:12-13 He got angry at the misuse of Holy Space.
He endured: false accusation, inflicted unjustified pain, and crucifixion – later described as the most barbaric punishment and later disbanded by Rome because of its cruelty.
But what about his manifesto? What can we learn from that?
18 ‘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,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’
Good News to the Poor – what does that mean? Yes feed them, clothe them, care for them but don’t neglect their spiritual poverty! May also be a reference to those who have not had the chance to believe – they are poor spiritually so to them we must preach Good News.
What does that say about those who have attended church all their lives and yet still don’t believe?
Freedom for prisoners – surely doesn’t literally mean let them all go from prisons? It might mean to be there when they do – Like Freedom for Life ministries or the service station that Henry Le Ruez told us about. But might it also mean those who are bound by something in the past that holds them back from experiencing the fullness of God?
Recovery of sight to the blind – yes we must pray for healing and keep on even when we don’t seem to see any positive results but might it also mean helping those who are blinkered to the truth to see it for themselves?
To set the oppressed free – what oppresses people? The past, their present circumstances, their future fears? In some places the government and laws, or the Muslim neighbours. We are called to be ones who will set people free – to stand up against what is wrong and stand with those who are
hurting while trying to lead them to freedom.
If this is Jesus, the man, shouldn’t we be following him? Doing what he did, set out on the same path as he
did?