“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, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19)

To appreciate freedom, we must realize what it means to be enslaved. Slavery still exists—involuntary in servitude. For some, it is not difficult at all to relate to. Addiction, abuse, imprisonment, lack of choices–all would be forms of enslavement. To appreciate sight, we must realize what it means to be blind. Sometimes blindness is literally the physical inability to see. Sometimes blindness is because we failed to see the truth, we have been fooled or mislead.

Jesus makes this bold promise early in his ministry, right after his time in the wilderness. He is paraphrasing Isaiah, who was prophesying about the coming Messiah. During the time of Isaiah, the people of Judah were under threat of domination by Assyria and Babylonia. During the time of Jesus, the Jewish people lived under Roman rule. Not only that, but the Jewish people also lived under the covenant of works—believing that strict obedience to the Law would save them.

The truth of our situation is that ever since Adam and Eve chose to believe Satan rather than God, ever since they bought into the deception promoted by Satan–the Father of Lies–that they knew better than God, sin has dominated the earth and controlled our lives. We are enslaved by sin. And sin is death. It may look and feel good for a time, but sin ultimately dooms us to the eternal lake of fire. There is only one way out, only one way to be rescued, and that is by the grace of God through Jesus Christ.

During this time of Lent, we reflect on Jesus’ three years of ministry as well as his final week of Passion, his crucifixion, death and burial, and resurrection and ascension. Jesus did indeed proclaim the gospel; he did heal and perform many miracles. The Pharisees and other Jewish leaders were constantly challenging him about his claims to be the Messiah. In the passage above, he is preaching freedom for the prisoners and oppressed (those enslaved by sin) and recovery of sight for the blind (those unable to see the Truth for who He is). In other words, Jesus is preaching salvation, and he is promising to deliver us, to redeem us, to rescue us from our enslavement to sin.

And how is Jesus above to accomplish our rescue, our redemption? By personally paying the price for our freedom. Jesus was obedient when we failed to be obedient. He humbled himself “by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:8). With his death on the cross, he accomplished our freedom. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

All we need to do is to receive this marvelous gift is to believe.

“Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).

In Christ,

Judy