Jesus strolled into the church in his hometown and was welcomed to come up front and read. He chose this passage, which is a quote from Isaiah:
Lk 4: 18, 19
“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,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”
"...and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Paul, the great preacher who had to be struck blind for awhile in order for the Lord to get his attention, later expands on this theme, reminding us that we are all enslaved, whether to personal comfort, political or business power, work or play or whatever... which is not exactly focusing on eternity, Paul would say.
Ouch.
Jesus spread his arms wide and said, "Come unto me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." That offer is still good for today...we can join with Paul and all those who have gone on before us, and be set free. The chains that bind us, like those unfortunate souls in Texas up 'til 1865, have been formally broken and only wait for us to step out of them into God's glorious freedom!
May I suggest reading the short book of The Gospel of John. Read it as a chapter a day or all in one sitting. Either way, let me know, and I will be happy to read along with you and discuss.
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I enjoyed reading this Davi!
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