The Spirit of the Lord is upon me
Luke 4: 14-22
Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit,
and news of him spread throughout the whole region.
He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all.
He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up,
and went according to his custom
into the synagogue on the sabbath day.
He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah.
He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.
Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down,
and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him.
He said to them,
“Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”
And all spoke highly of him
and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.
Ang Espiritu ng Panginoon ay sumasaakin
Lucas 4: 14-22
Si Jesus ay bumalik sa Galilea sa kapangyarihan ng Espiritu. Kumalat sa buong lupain ang balita patungkol sa kaniya.15 Nagturo siya sa kanilang mga sinagoga na niluluwalhati ng lahat.
16 Siya ay pumunta sa Nazaret, ang lugar na kinalakihan niya. Ayon sa kaniyang kinaugalian, siya ay pumasok sa sinagoga sa araw ng Sabat. Siya ay tumayo upang bumasa. 17 Ibinigay sa kaniya ang nakabalumbong aklat ni Isaias na propeta. Nang mailadlad ang aklat, natagpuan niya ang bahagi na ganito ang nasusulat:
18 Ang Espiritu ng Panginoon ay sumasaakin
dahil pinahiran niya ako upang ipahayag ang
ebanghelyo sa mga dukha. Sinugo niya ako
upang pagalingin ang mga sugatang puso.
Sinugo niya ako upang ipangaral ang kalayaan
sa mga bihag at ang pananauli ng paningin sa
mga bulag. Sinugo niya ako upang palayain ang
mga inapi. 19 Sinugo niya ako upang ipangaral
ang katanggap-tanggap na taon ng Panginoon.
20 Nang mabalumbon na ang aklat, ibinigay ito ni Jesus sa tagapaglingkod sa templo at umupo. Ang mga mata ng lahat ng mga nasa loob ng sinagoga ay nakatuon sa kaniya. 21 Sinimulan niyang sabihin sa kanila: Sa araw na ito, habang kayo ay nakikinig, ang kasulatang ito ay naganap.
22 Ang lahat ay nagpatotoo sa kaniya. Namangha sila sa mga mabiyayang salita na lumabas sa kaniyang bibig. Sinabi nila: Hindi ba ito ang anak ni Jose?
In Jesus we see the grace of God in action. His gracious words brought hope, joy, and favor to those who were ready to receive him. Where did Jesus began his public ministry? In his own land of Galilee where he was reared. His proclamation of the fulfillment of the Messianic prophecy of Isaiah brought wonder to his kin and townsfolk. Isaiah had prophesied that the Messiah would come in the power of the Holy Spirit to bring freedom to those oppressed by sin and evil (see Isaiah 61:1-2). Jesus awakened their hope in the promises of God. They, in turn, received his words favorably and wondered what would become of “Joseph’s son”. Their hearts were hungry for the word of life and they looked to Jesus with anticipation and wonder. Do you look to Jesus with confidence and hope in the fulfillment of all God’s promises?
What did Jesus come to do for us? He came to set us free from the worst tyranny possible — slavery to sin and the fear of death, and the eternal destruction of both body and soul. God’s power alone can save us from emptiness and poverty of spirit, from confusion and error, and from hopelessness and the fear of annihilation. The gospel of salvation is “good news” for us today. Do you know the joy and freedom of the gospel?
“Lord Jesus, you are the fulfillment of all our hopes and dreams. Through the gift of your Holy Spirit you bring us grace, truth, life, and freedom. Fill me with the joy of the gospel and and inflame my heart with love and zeal for you and your will”.
God bless you always!