“He has sent Me . . . to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight
to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed;
to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:18, 19).
LET’S READ TWO passages this morning and try to find the phrase that makes them different from each other. The first one is found in Isaiah 61:1, 2: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God.” The second is found in Luke 4:18, 19: “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; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”
Jesus was indeed fulfilling the promise of Isaiah 61. In fact, in Luke 4 verse 21 we read that Jesus said, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled.” However, we cannot overlook the fact that He exchanges the phrase “the day of vengeance of our God” for “the acceptable year of the Lord. «The day of vengeance was exchanged for the year of grace. While vengeance lasts only a day, grace is expanded throughout the year, a year that translates into an endless era beginning “today’’ right now.
Do we prefer vengeance or grace? No matter what we decide to choose, our Master chose to give prominence to grace. He was and shh is the Ambassador of God’s grace.
Ellen G. White says that «the world is full of men and women who are carrying a heavy burden of sorrow and suffering and sin. God sends His children to reveal to them Him who will take away the burden and give them rest. It is the mission of Christ’s servants to help, to bless, and to heal.»‘
“To help, to bless, and to heal”—that is why the church exists, so that «the acceptable year of the Lord” will be an authentic experience within us. As the Lord’s servants, may this mission be a reality in our lives today and always.
*Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church (Mountain View, California: Pacific Press. 1901). vol. d, p. 54.
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Taken from: Devotional Readings for Adults 2023
“I AM WITH YOU”
From: J. VLADIMIR POLANCO
Collaborators: Lorina Maya & Avineyda Hernandez
