John Stott writes, ‘Truth becomes hard if it is not softened by love; love becomes soft if it is not strengthened by truth.’
Jesus went into the synagogue in Nazareth and was handed the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Unrolling it, he found the place in today’s passage where it is written, ‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour’ (Isaiah 61:1–2; Luke 4:18–19).
He said to those there, ‘Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing’ (v.21). What does Jesus’ manifesto involve?
Transforming lives
When you encounter Jesus, a great exchange takes place in your life. He takes your sin and gives you his righteousness. He gives freedom to the prisoners, sight to the blind and release for the oppressed (Isaiah 61:1–3). He bestows on you ‘a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair’ (v.3).Transforming relationships
Jesus uses the analogy of marriage: ‘As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you’ (62:5b). Marriage is meant to point people to the close, intimate and loving relationship God desires to have with us. A strong society is built on strong families. Strong families are built on strong marriages.Transforming culture
Cities tend to be the source of culture. Isaiah declares, ‘They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations’ (61:4). The manifesto of Jesus involves the transformation of the mountains of influence: the market place, government, education, media, arts and entertainment.Transforming society
A transformed society will involve dealing with issues of poverty. Jesus came to preach good news to the poor (v.1b). It will also involve issues of justice. So much of the world’s suffering is caused by injustice. ‘For I, the Lord, love justice; I hate robbery and iniquity’ (v.8a).Transforming leadership
Leadership is key in any society: ‘You’ll have the title “Priests of God,” honoured as ministers of our God’ (v.6, MSG).
No comments:
Post a Comment