Luke 4:19 - Printer Friendly

ESV: to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

NIV: to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.'

NASB: TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE Lord.'

CSB: to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.

NLT: and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come. '

KJV: To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

NKJV: To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

On a visit to His hometown, Jesus is reading aloud from the prophet Isaiah (Luke 4:16–18). The passage in question (Isaiah 61:1–2) predicts the earthly ministry of the "Anointed One," also known as the Messiah. The prophecy speaks of care for the downcast (Matthew 5:3–12; Luke 14:13–14), freedom (John 10:10; Matthew 11:30), healing (Matthew 12:22–23; Luke 18:35), and rescue (Matthew 8:16). The phrase recorded here speaks of a celebratory announcement: that the time of God's salvation has arrived.

Jesus stops reading after the first phrase of Isaiah 61:2. This relates to His interpretation: that this part of the prophecy is being fulfilled at that very moment (Luke 4:20–21). Isaiah's prediction also speaks of Messiah bringing God's righteous vengeance—but those prophecies will wait until Christ's second coming (Revelation 19:11–16).

At first, the crowd will receive Jesus' teaching with optimism (Luke 4:22). However, as He speaks of God extending grace to Gentiles, they will turn violent (Luke 4:28–30).

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.

Accessed 4/28/2024 6:15:54 PM