Luke 4 Devotional

Grace Sent to Outsiders

““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 liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to release the oppressed,”Luke 4:18 (BSB)

Jesus comes to the synagogue in Nazareth already tested. Led by the Spirit, he has answered each of the devil's temptations with the written word of God (4:1-13). Now he unrolls the scroll of Isaiah and reads about one anointed by the Spirit to bring good news to the poor, the captive, the blind and the oppressed. Then he sits down and tells them this Scripture is fulfilled today (4:16-21).

At first they marvel at his gracious words. The mood turns when he reminds them that Elijah was sent to a widow in Sidon, and that Elisha cleansed only Naaman the Syrian (4:25-27). God's favor had reached outsiders before, and no hometown could claim it. They try to throw him off a cliff, but he passes through the crowd and goes on his way (4:28-30). The favor Jesus announces is not owed to anyone. It comes to the poor and the captive as a gift, which means you can receive it without first proving you belong.

To think about: Do you ever treat God's kindness as something you are owed, and how does it change things to receive it as an undeserved gift?