Luke 4:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,

NIV: 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,

NASB: 'THE SPIRIT OF THE Lord IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO BRING GOOD NEWS TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED,

CSB: The Spirit of the Lord is on me,because he has anointed meto preach good news to the poor.He has sent meto proclaim release to the captivesand recovery of sight to the blind,to set free the oppressed,

NLT: 'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free,

KJV: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

NKJV: “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;

This verse records Jesus reciting a part of the prophet Isaiah. When first written, Scriptures did not have chapter or verse divisions. When Jesus "finds" this portion of Scripture, He locates the passage by memory. As was custom, Jesus stands to read the text, then sits to give His interpretation (Luke 4:16, 20). Despite this being His hometown synagogue, the experience will not go as well as it has in other towns (Luke 4:14–15).

In this part of Isaiah (Isaiah 61:1–2), the "Anointed One" is said to come bringing good news, healing, and liberation (Matthew 9:35; John 8:34–36). Jesus reads only what we would consider verse 1 of Isaiah chapter 61, along with the first sentence of what we consider verse 2. As soon as He sits, Jesus declares that the part of the prophecy He has just read is being fulfilled (Luke 4:21). Those aspects of Messiah's mission are the purpose of his "first advent," meaning His earthly ministry (Luke 9:2; John 3:16–18; Matthew 11:2–5). God's completed judgment will happen at Christ's "second advent," as part of the end times (Revelation 19:11–16).

The themes of this prophecy are clearly seen in Jesus' earthly ministry. He greatly emphasized His love for the poor and hurting (Matthew 5:3–12; Luke 14:13–14). He spoke of freedom from sin which only He could offer (John 10:10; Matthew 11:30). Only Jesus miraculously healed blindness (Matthew 12:22–23; Luke 18:35). Those oppressed by demons were rescued (Matthew 8:16).

Luke 4:14–30 records the earliest days of Jesus' public ministry. He begins teaching in synagogues before returning to His hometown of Nazareth. There, He reads a prophecy from Isaiah and claims that He has fulfilled it. When those familiar with Him imply that Jesus has no place making such claims, Jesus implies that God will send signs to Gentiles if Israel refuses to believe. This results in an uproar, though Jesus makes what seems to be a miraculous escape.

Jesus is taken into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit. While fasting there, He is tempted by Satan. These temptations share an element of ignoring God in favor of what seems easier or quicker. Jesus resists all of these, citing Scripture as He does. When Jesus returns, He preaches and heals to great publicity in Judea and Galilee. While His hometown responds with stubborn skepticism, others are eager to hear His teaching and experience His miraculous power.

Chapter 3 explained how John the Baptist preached to prepare others to receive Jesus Christ. Luke then provided Jesus' earthly ancestry. Chapter 4 begins with Jesus in the wilderness being tempted by Satan. He returns to preach and perform healing miracles in Judea and Galilee. Chapter 5 shows Him calling disciples and demonstrating further proofs of His authority.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.