Opening: read aloud Isaiah 61.
Jesus’ Ministry Begins – In the Power of the Spirit
Jesus has led a life preparing him for this time of public ministry: he is a man of prayer, of the Scriptures, and deep thought, not least about his own identity and mission and in understanding the times.
All this background in place, we are told that Jesus begins his ministry proper in the ‘power’ of the Spirit. At his baptism the Spirit ‘descended on him in bodily form, like a dove’. He was ‘full’ of the Spirit when the Spirit ‘led’ him into the wilderness. But after his time of testing is accomplished victoriously, we are told he returns to the populated regions ‘in the power of the Spirit’.
Strength, energy, manifestation, gifting, wisdom, and all spiritual resources from God are now coursing through him by the presence and empowering of the Holy Spirit.
And people notice the difference. The gossip about Jesus begins to spread again as in the days of his birth.
Jesus the Teacher
His first role of public ministry is that of teaching in the synagogues. He is a teacher. And he is a good one (in terms of both moral and sapiential excellence). And also a remarkable one. He is a teacher like no other, a teacher with a difference, as we’ll see. Everyone ‘glorifies’ him, makes much of and praises him, spreading his singular reputation.
16-21
Jesus at His Hometown
So he does the same thing in his own hometown of Nazareth: teaches in the local synagogue on the Sabbath day. As a recognised teacher, he reads from a passage of Scripture and then expounds on it as the custom was.
Jesus’ Expository Preaching is Like No Other
But Jesus’ expository preaching is like no other. It’s not platitudinous and it’s not merely ‘correct’. It’s radical, revolutionary, controversial, creative, lively, pointed, prophetic, and all this because it is above all centred on himself as the Key of biblical interpretation and because his interpretive identity and mission are not what a whole lot of people want to hear.
This is the only place Luke records the content of any of Jesus’ synagogue teaching and we may take it as representative. We may also take it as an outline of the nature and character of Jesus’ identity and ministry.
With the temptation of Jesus we saw what Jesus, as the Son of God, would not do. Now we see what he will do and in what kind of spirit or attitude.
Jesus the True Human
Just as in the temptation of Jesus, we see 1) him winning the victory Adam lost and we rejoice in him and unite to his victory by faith and 2) we see how to stand on the deep meaning of God’s word and make life choices (not just individual temptations to individual instances of a sin) in harmony with God’s character rather than the devil’s…
So, in the same way, we see here positively how Jesus fulfils being truly human in God’s image and what good and love and compassion and help and liberation that brings to the world, to those around us, and we rejoice in him as our Liberator, being united to him by faith; and in so doing we also share in his liberation mission – he works out his gracious saving ways through us, his people.
On Trial Before Jesus, the Just and Merciful Judge
Consider his clear agenda of gracious liberation and healing to the poor, captive, blind, and oppressed (like Mary’s song) in light of John the Baptist’s fiery portrait of the Coming One. In fact, the Isaiah passage he is quoting (61) goes on directly to speak of the ‘day of vengeance of our God’, which Jesus stops short of here. Divine vengeance and wrath are realities in Scripture, but they are contextualised by a larger agenda of divine love and redemption and Jesus’ mission highlights this larger agenda so that we always see even the judgment that he talks about is in light of a wider mercy.
This shows us something of the nature of Jesus as Judge: he is a gracious, loving, liberating Judge, who will pardon and free all who are willing before he cuts down and threshes out all forces of evil. Indeed, throughout the N.T. it is we who are on trial before him – our response to his agenda of grace and love demonstrates just where we stand in relation to him, whether we are surrendering to his gracious, conquering love or whether we are rebelling and resisting his worldwide agenda of reconciliation.
Jesus announces the Era of Grace, just as the angels had declared his birth heralded.
‘The passage he quotes is about the Messiah. Throughout Isaiah there are pictures of a strange “anointed” figure who will perform the Lord’s will. But, though this text goes on to speak of vengeance on evildoers, Jesus doesn’t quote that bit. Instead he seems to have drawn on the larger picture in Isaiah and elsewhere which speaks of Israel being called to be the light of the nations, a theme which Luke has already highlighted in chapter 2. The servant-Messiah has not come to inflict punishment on the nations, but to bring God’s love and mercy to them. And that will be the fulfilment of a central theme in Israel’s own scriptures.’ (Wright, 48)
Clearly, Jesus views himself as God’s anointed liberator.
Are we poor, captive, blind, and oppressed? Is Jesus our Jubilee Liberator?
22-27
Marvelling at His Gracious Words
Verse 22 holds a tension in it. They can’t help but ‘speak well’ of Jesus as everyone else is doing. He’s a good and wise teacher. They ‘marvel’ at his ‘gracious words’. But this marvelling is not unalloyed approbation. It is perplexity too. Rather than just meaning they were amazed at what a good speaker Jesus was, ‘it seems more likely that [Luke] means “they were astonished that he was speaking about God’s grace – grace for everybody, including the nations – instead of grace for Israel and fierce judgment for everyone else.” That fits perfectly with what followed’ (Wright, 48).
v. 23 – cf. 23:35 – everyone wants Jesus to ‘save himself’ to prove who he is! They seem to not find it proof enough that he can and does ‘save others’!
Jesus the Prophet
24ff. – Jesus here identifies himself with the prophets. So, he is a Teacher (or Sage, Wise Man), a Preacher, and a Prophet.
Like Elijah and Elisha, if Israel is unbelieving, Jesus will be sent to bring his healing good news to the Gentiles. This was not a message his people wanted to hear. ‘Israel’s God was rescuing the wrong people’ (Wright, 47). But in God’s plans this is ultimately where the healing gospel was always meant to go.
28-30
Jesus the Shocker
‘This message was, and remains, shocking. Jesus’ claim to be reaching out with healing to all people, though itself a vital Jewish idea, was not what most first-century Jews wanted or expected. As we shall see, Jesus coupled it with severe warnings to his own countrymen. Unless they could see that this was the time for their God to be gracious, unless they abandoned their futile dreams of a military victory over their national enemies, they would suffer defeat themselves at every level - military, political, and theological' (Wright, 49).
Thus:
‘Here, as at the climax of the gospel story, Jesus’ challenge and warning brings about a violent reaction. The gospel still does this today, when it challenges all interests and agendas with the news of God’s surprising grace.’ (Wright, 48-49)
Here again, through the people’s reaction to what God is doing in Jesus, we have a chance to gauge our own reaction. Will we listen to Jesus and allow him to interpret the Scriptures for us and authoritatively show us the character of his person and mission? Or will we try to snuff him out of the picture? If we choose the latter, I’m sure we’ll find the real Jesus just as elusive, slipping through our greedy grasp, going on his ordained way.
Notice that something like the very scenario the devil tried to tempt Jesus into (throwing himself from a height to demonstrate how God would miraculously deliver him from harm) occurs here and God does indeed keep his anointed one safe, for Jesus is not testing God to make a show and his time for redemptive sacrifice has not yet come.
31-37
Jesus the Exorcist - the reality of evil forces from the spiritual realm
All recognised that ‘his word possessed authority’ (which is fleshed out dramatically in the ensuing scene).
There existed known exorcists at this time, but Jesus was totally different. He called on no other power or authority than his very own to command a demon to depart. This was unprecedented and completely astonishing.
The whole New Testament constantly warns us against the wiles and warfare of the devil (e.g. 2 Corinthians 2:11; 10:3, 14-15; Ephesians 6:11-12; 1 Peter 5:8; 1 John 3:8, 10; 5:18-19; Revelation 2:10, 13, 24; 12:9-17; 20:10). In Luke's Gospel we've already seen the devil himself in action and from now on we will have encounters with his oppressive minions.
All this satanic and demonic activity lends a preternatural air to the Gospels – there are elements of the terrifying supernatural horror story of chilling evil in these accounts. This is something many western people are not very familiar with, but most other cultures around the world are quite familiar with evil forces of the spirit world as a simple reality of life (even if they misunderstand them and are often deceived about their true nature and origin). Jesus will do decisive battle with these ‘unclean spirits’ (anti-Holy Spirit), conquering them again and again, in accordance with his Liberator agenda outlined in the synagogue preaching from Isaiah 61.
Jesus, the Divine Warrior, also equips us, his soldiers (2 Timothy 2:3-4), to resist and overcome the demonic forces of evil and their anti-God, anti-human, anti-creation agenda. We rejoice in Christ’s mighty victory over them (Colossians 2:15; 1 John 3:8), sharing that victory by being united to him by faith, and, in the same power of his Spirit, we participate in warfare against them in our day to day lives, trusting God for his conclusive victory over them in the end (Romans 16:20; 1 Peter 5:8-11; Revelation 12:11; 20:10)
What Is This Word?
The astonishment of the people again led to questioning and pondering: ‘What is this word?’ The question is not whether we think miracles prove Jesus’ identity, but whether we’re willing to receive God’s gracious word, believe and trust him – only then will be able to see the true meaning of the miracles and find them corroborating evidence.
Here we see Jesus begin to dramatically flesh out the ministry that he had outlined from Isaiah 61. This is what it looks like in action. He begins to liberate the oppressed, with gracious power and authority.
And the gossiping the gospel continues.
38-41
Jesus the Healer
The gracious ministry of healing and liberation continues to many more, signs of God’s kingdom coming near (‘breaking in’). Here we see the truly astounding mighty miraculous power both the devil and Jesus knew would be at his disposal in God’s saving purposes. But here we see it unleashed in godly liberation and compassion rather than devilish self-serving and oppression.
Note that he ‘rebukes’ the fever just as he had rebuked a demon. He sees the anti-God agenda of the devil behind all human suffering. It is the devil’s idea of being ‘equal with God', centring in ourselves as creatures instead of God the Creator, that has broken the world so that it is ‘fallen’ from what God intended and is now a place of mixed misery and happiness, of much evil and suffering and pain as well as goodness and kindness and pleasure. In his healings as well as his teaching and exorcisms, Jesus is doing battle with the forces of evil that have invaded and oppressively enthralled God’s creation.
In addition to being a Teacher, Preacher, Prophet, Exorcist/Warrior, we now see Jesus is also a mighty Wonder Worker, a Healer. These healings are tokens of the full and final healing and restoration he will bring in the New Creation. In the meantime, we can all receive his spiritual healing and reconciliation to bring us safely to that glorious Day.
In keeping with his total antithesis and warfare with all things satanic, Jesus does not accept the unclean testimony of demons.
42-44
Jesus' Priorities
Jesus’ knew the priorities of his mission and stuck to them. We see him again in solitude (praying and meditating) and this no doubt is part of how he kept his focus and priorities where they needed to be. He had to keep on the move in spreading this message throughout the region, privileging no particular place.
The people here received him more positively than in Nazareth, but they still did not entirely perceive or accept his real message of worldwide good news, for they tried to keep the gracious blessing of his presence and power to themselves. But they have the opportunity to listen to his word and believe him, to be corrected by his reiterated revelation of the nature of his person and mission.
This section ends as it began, with Jesus proclaiming the good news of God’s kingdom: ‘He had to tell people that God was becoming king in a new way, that God’s long-awaited salvation was breaking into the world, even though it didn’t look like they had expected it would.’ (Wright, 52)
In the next chapter we will begin to see him call others to follow him and join him in spreading this good news.
Works Cited:
Darrell Bock, Luke
Joel Green, The Gospel of Luke
Tom Wright, Luke for Everyone
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