January 19, 2020: Freedom, Sight, and Favor – Michael Hidalgo

Jesus is the face of God – a living, breathing picture of what God’s character, love, and justice look like embody as a human. Jesus came as a “bringer of Justice.” There is perhaps no better illustration of this than how Jesus begins his ministry. In Luke 4:16-30. Jesus returned to his hometown and went to the synagogue. He is given a scroll to read and finds Isaiah 61:1-2. He reads the passage, makes a startling claim, and then rebukes those in the synagogue. Needless to say, it doesn’t go over well and those present try to kill Jesus. 

This passage is filled with wisdom, and many scholars suggest that this is a programmatic text because it sets the course for the events that follow as recorded in the book of Luke. Jesus’ ministry is characterized by his single most popular theme: The Kingdom of God. Here, Jesus is giving a picture of what that Kingdom ought to look like: Healing, Liberation, and Mercy. We would be wise to notice the number of times Jesus healed the sick and showed mercy to the poor and sided with the outcast before he ever forgave sins. This should be a clue for us about what the gospel (good news) is really all about.