Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Luke 4:21
One day I will literally sit at the feet of Jesus and be taught by Him. As I read certain passages, I love to use a biblical imagination to try to place myself in the moment. This is one of those moments that I would love to have watched unfold in person. I get a glimpse into how services happened in the synagogue. Jesus is handed the scroll and opens and reads the passage and hands the scroll back to the attendant. A hush comes over the room as everyone waits for him to teach on the text. Perhaps there is a reason he stopped in the middle of the text. Of course, there is. Jesus tells them that this prophecy of Isaiah, given some 700 years earlier, was now finding fulfillment in himself. Jesus tells them that he is the fulfillment of the prophecy! He is saying that he is the Messiah because it is the Messiah’s role to set the captives free. I remember when John the Baptist sent men to ask Jesus if he was the one to come. Jesus used the truths of this passage to let John know that he indeed was the one who was to come. The Spirit has come on Jesus (3:22). He is proclaiming freedom and healing the sick. The Messiah has come, and in that synagogue, on that day, the people were let in on the secret. They missed it because all they saw was the son of a carpenter.
Dear Father, thank you for teaching. Thank you for inspiring the word and then for illuminating the word. Thank you that as I keep my heart open before you, you will teach me your truths through your Holy Spirit living in me. Amen.