New King James Version:
Luke 4:18 "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;"
Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
Introduction
We continue our study on this passage of Luke where Jesus Himself now claims that He is the Messiah that God has promised to send, which is prophesied by the prophets, and long awaited by the people. Last Sunday we learned that:
I. Jesus was Sent by the Father – v. 18a
He was a man with a mission. And He comes from God. John 6:38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
II. To Whom He Was Sent
As we have read and said last Sunday that there are metaphors used here to describe to whom the Messiah was sent: the poor, the prisoners, the blind, and the oppressed. These four metaphors describe the unredeemed sinner, they described the unsaved, they describe the lost, the unconverted, the unforgiven.
III. The Purpose of Being Sent (or the Mission) – v. 18
Jesus’ ministry, as the promised Messiah, would focus on calling people back to God—those who saw their need, such as the poor, the outcasts, the disabled, and the Gentiles. Jesus fulfilled every prophecy about him, but in a way that many of the Jews were unable to grasp. They pictured their Messiah as a conqueror who would free them from Rome. Instead, Jesus was a conqueror who would free them from sin and restore them to wholeness.[i]
Jesus’ mission is described in a series of phrases in verse 18 that describe the work of the Messiah, the work of salvation.
A. Preach the gospel to the poor (evangelize)
“To evangelize the poor” in 4:18 should be read as an encompassing designation of Jesus’ whole ministry which is then expanded upon in the remainder of the verse (Bammel, TDNT 6:906)[ii]
And as we had learned, Jesus’ work is for those who acknowledge their true sinful condition before God. That we are poor and helpless and in need of a Savior so that we will be rescued from our pitiful and dangerous condition. Jesus said it this way in Luke 5:32 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
The good news is that we can be forgiven, that our condition and destination can be changed, and it is through Christ. God demonstrated His merciful and gracious nature by offering forgiveness and acceptance even if we have nothing to commend ourselves in exchange for His grace, even if we have nothing of value before God. Christ did the work of redemption and salvation for us by dying on the cross, and God the Father sent Him to do that for us, and it is ours if we accept and believe Jesus Christ.
B. Proclaim liberty to the captives
The next description of the Messiah’s mission is proclaiming freedom to the captives. Verse 18, “He has sent Me … To proclaim liberty to the captives.” God sent His son to free those who are imprisoned, the prisoners. And who are they? Who are the prisoners? Jesus was talking about spiritual prisoners. First, He was talking about evangelizing the poor in spirit or the spiritually poor. Although many in His audience were actually poor but He’s talking about the poor in spirit. Now the description He’s making about the sinner is spiritual prisoner. That is what a person who is still outside the mercy and grace of Christ, a prisoner. You see, Jesus said after reading this passage in Isaiah, Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing, he did not do and He was not doing jail ministry. This is not a reference to jail ministry. But please do not misunderstand me. I’m not saying prison ministry is wrong. In fact, many prisoners came to faith inside the prison. They too need to hear the gospel.
But Jesus was talking about being a prisoner spiritually, and because of that condition people need freedom from that imprisonment. And Jesus said that it is part of His work, His mission to proclaim liberty to the prisoners. What does He mean by that? Let us first define captive. Captives from aichmalōtos. It literally means “prisoners.” It can mean prisoners of war, those who have been taken captive by some powerful source, brought into prison for crimes that are deemed that they have committed and are waiting their own execution. That's how Jesus sees the sinner. The sinner is a prisoner.[iii]
Then the word liberty or deliverance in Greek (aphesis) means release from bondage or imprisonment, it also means forgiveness or pardon, remission of the penalty. So Christ came to proclaim or preach forgiveness to the captives, to the sinners. We can have forgiveness if we accept and believe Him because that is why He came. We can come to Him for forgiveness. To say that we first must go to the mother because the mother’s heart is soft is blasphemy! To say that surely the Son would not say no to His mother is wrong. Jesus came proclaiming forgiveness to sinners.
Many sinners today think they are free. Free to do what they want. It is their right to do what they want. But they don’t know they are not really free. They are actually in bondage. They are described as prisoners by Jesus here. Also, Jesus said in John 8:34 "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.” A sinner is in bondage of his sins. Barnes said, “In this passage Jesus shows them that he did not refer to political bondage, but to the slavery of the soul to evil passions and desires. Is the slave of sin. He is bound to it as a slave is to his master.”[iv]
And if we remember the lessons we learned in Ephesians chapter 2 verse 2, let us read, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience. The sinner is actually in bondage, living according the spirit that now works in the sons of disobedience – the evil spirits. The sinner is actually under the authority of the enemy, the prince of the power of the air. So he’s not really free, even if he’s saying he’s doing what he wants. But his life is greatly influenced by evil and it expresses through evil desires. Only God through Christ can release the sinner from that bondage.
In addition to that bondage from the enemy, the sinner is also in bondage of the penalty of his sin from God. By nature children of wrath as Ephesians 2:3 says it. Sinners that are outside of God are constantly carrying with them the due penalty of their sin. And we know that the penalty or wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Again, only God can rescue sinners, and Christ came to do that. Anyone can be forgiven if he/she believes in Christ.
Back in the praise of Zacharias in chapter 1, you remember verses 77 to 79, when the Messiah comes He will give His people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins. And when it says "release to the captives," that word “release,” aphesis, means “forgiveness.” The way you are freed, the way a prisoner is freed is when his sin is forgiven, when his crime is forgiven. That is precisely what the Messiah will do. He will release the captives because He will forgive their sins. Forgiveness sets the prisoner free. The only reason we can be forgiven is because Jesus took our penalty. That's why Charles Wesley wrote in that great hymn of Christ, "He breaks the power of cancelled sin. He sets the prisoner free."[v]
So we learned that the sinner is in bondage of his sins, in bondage in the authority of Satan, and in bondage in God’s wrath, the penalty of his sins. But Jesus the Messiah can deliver the sinner from all that bondage. Oh what a grace from God!
C. Recover sight to the blind
Another part of Christ’s mission here on earth was to recover sight to the blind. Again, we’re not talking about the physical blind here. Yes, Jesus’ heals blind people during His days here on earth but here He is talking about spiritual blindness. And this is another description of a sinner outside of God.
Back in chapter 1 Zechariah talked about the Messiah as the Sunrise from on high who would shine on those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death. There is a picture all through the Bible of spiritual blindness, spiritual darkness. Aside from being spiritually poor, aside from being in bondage, the sinner is also blind in the fact that he cannot see or understand the truth. Spiritual blindness is commonly discussed in the Bible. It is natural to fallen man. Jeremiah 5:21 Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not: This is the state of the unconverted. 1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.[vi]
So naturally, just by virtue of being a fallen sinner, the sinner is blind. Judicially, another category of blindness, he's also blind, because God has blinded him. John 12:40, "He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them." and that's quoted from Isaiah 6. So God literally judicially blinds. So here is the natural mind blind to start with, then God compounds his blindness by sentencing him to blindness for a punishment for his sin. Isaiah 29:10: "For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes:…"
A man is further blinded by Satan. He is blinded naturally. He is blinded judicially by God. He is blinded satanically. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4, "But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not" So we're talking about very, very comprehensive blindness. Blind naturally, blinded further by God judicially, blinded further by Satan who has blinded the eyes of those who do not believe.
Apostle Paul said this as the reason, Romans 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
So what does the Messiah come to do? It says in verse 18, "To recover sight to the blind." Isaiah 42:7 To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house. John 8:12, Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." 2 Corinthians 4:6: "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."
Paul’s conversion: Acts 26:15-18 (To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light).
D. Set at liberty the oppressed
So the Messiah has come to those that are spiritually bankrupt and know it, to those that are imprisoned and waiting death and execution and know it, to those who are blind spiritually and know it, and finally He comes to those who are called the oppressed.
The word oppressed here does not mean persecuted or imprisoned. Here it means crushed, pressed down, or burdened.
It means those who are “pressed down” by great calamity, or whose hearts are “pressed” or “bruised” by the consciousness of sin. To set them “at liberty” is the same as to free them from this pressure, or to give them consolation.[vii]
One of the things a Messiah does is come to the person who is overwhelmed and oppressed. And what is that oppression? It is sin. It is the burden of sin, the wearying burden of sin, the weight of the law, being unable to keep the law. The Pharisees bound on the people all kinds of law, as Matthew 23 tells us, and they didn't help the people to carry it and the people were crushed under this absolutely wearying, heavy burden of trying to keep the law of God which they couldn't keep. And well beyond that, trying to keep the law of man as the Pharisees were inventing laws upon laws. Jesus will come, the Messiah will come, take the whole burden of sin, the whole burden of trying to keep the law off and give you rest, rest. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Conclusion
What a gracious and merciful God we have. He made a way that all our pitiful and dreadful conditions are addressed and changed. All of that without anything coming from us or offered in exchange for His grace and mercy. Riches to the poor, freedom to the slaves, sight to the blind, and rest to the overwhelmed. God be praised. Amen.
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[i] Barton, B. B., Veerman, D., Taylor, L. C., & Osborne, G. R. (1997). Luke. Life application Bible commentary (92). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers.
[ii] Nolland, J. (2002). Vol. 35A: Word Biblical Commentary : Luke 1:1-9:20. Word Biblical Commentary (195). Dallas: Word, Incorporated.
[iii] MacArthur, J.
[iv] Barnes, A. (1798-1870). Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible.
[v] MacArthur, J.
[vi] Ibid.
[vii] Barnes, A.