Scripture Reference: Isaiah 61:1-3
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.
Reflection
The book of Luke provides insight into the passage I selected for this devotional. Jesus is beginning His public ministry and operating through the power of the Holy Spirit in Galilee. Reports of His ministry are surfacing and He is being glorified. Next up, a stop in His hometown, Nazareth. Per Jesus’ custom, He went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day. Jesus then does something fascinating! He stands up to preach from the scroll of Isaiah and reads the above passage from Isaiah (Luke 4:18-19). Suddenly, as quickly as He unrolled the scroll to quote the famous prophet, there occurs a ‘mic drop moment’. Jesus rolls the scroll back up and takes His seat. Pause to think about this. Jesus had access to many Scriptural scrolls at this point in time. Why do you think He chose Isaiah 61 as His chosen passage on that particular day?
Heart for the Homeless
We, the modern church, cry out, ‘I want to be like Jesus’! So often, we do this by ‘doing church.’ Hear me out. There’s nothing wrong with having gatherings to worship our great God! As a matter of fact, I’ve devoted the past 18 years of my life to serving in full-time ministry, and Scripture encourages us not to neglect meeting together. But I think there is so much more!
Back to the question in the reflection. I believe Jesus chose a passage about poor, broken-hearted, captive, and mourning people that day because these types of people matter DEEPLY to Him. His message in that synagogue is just as applicable to us today.
God’s people are called to intentionally GO OUTSIDE THE WALLS of our churches. We’re called to meet people where they are in their brokenness, addiction, fragile mental states, and living on the streets. I challenge myself: ‘If it matters deeply to Jesus, it should matter deeply to me.’ I’m thankful people in Anderson care about what God cares about.
Author: Tom Haren
“Why does no one care”?! “Why do our homeless friends feel invisible”?! “Doesn’t ‘the Church’ want to be like Jesus”?! I’ve had these thoughts for many years. Truth is, often people do care. Often, churches care. Often these words are an indictment against me and my actions (or at times, inaction) toward the poor, marginalized and least of these. These are people God cares greatly about. It’s my desire to make a difference in the homeless community by sharing my life, sharing Christ and supporting organizations like HOPE Missions who exist for these purposes. I want to bring people along this journey, not solely for the sake of the homeless, but also for the sake of the volunteers whose lives are equally changed by the great honor of being a part of our friends lives.
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