Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus. the founder and perfecter of our faith. In a Nazareth synagogue, Jesus opened a scroll of Isaiah the prophet. He began to read of good news for the poor, freedom for prisoners, sight for the blind, and liberty for the oppressed, ending by saying, Today this scripture is fulfilled in your ears. Only the Son of God could say that.
From the Moody Church in Chicago, this is Running to Win with Dr. Erwin Lutzer, whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line. Pastor Lutzer, I'll bet the ears of Jewish leaders burned when Jesus said, Today this scripture is fulfilled in your ears. Tell us about your teaching on Christ the Deliverer. Dave, you're absolutely right.
It would have been wonderful to be there and see the reaction when Jesus read from that scroll. And I know that you have been along with me in Israel and we've been to that synagogue, the rebuilt synagogue, and we're reminded of what Jesus Christ did for us.
Well, my friend, it is near the end of the year. and many of you are praying and contemplating about making gifts to various ministries, we hope that you will consider Moody Church Media. We deeply appreciate your support because even as we enter the new year, we want to do so with strength. To advance the gospel, you've heard me say it before, 50 different countries, 7 different languages. Thank you so much in advance for your support.
and your prayers. But now let us listen to God's word. Um Let me begin today by asking you a question. What would it be like if Jesus were to come to the city of Chicago? If Jesus were to come, where would he go?
Would he begin by the great media center of this city, NBC? CBS, okay. Tribune. Is that where he would go? Or would he go to city hall where there's power?
Where there's a great deal of influence and where things get done? Is that where Jesus would go? Would he go to the commercial centers? Would he go to the banks along La Salle Street or the great commercial center? Thinking about Michigan Avenue with all of its world-famous stores, where would Jesus go?
I suspect. And I have good reason to believe it. That Jesus would bypass all of those centers and he would go into his churches and talk to his people. about their personal lives and doing his work. on earth.
I think Jesus would come to his own people. And the reason I believe that is because that's what he did in the Bible when he was here on earth, as we shall see in a moment. This happens to be number four of a series of messages titled Christ Before Bethlehem. In every one of the messages, we've looked at the book of Isaiah to see a prophecy that the prophet gave under the inspiration of the Spirit about Jesus 700 years before he came. at what we call Christmas time.
First of all, we looked at Jesus Christ the Son. For unto us a child is born, a Son is given. Jesus the King was message number two. Jesus the servant, today, Jesus the deliverer. This message is a little bit different because not only do we have the prediction of the Old Testament, but we begin at least to see the fulfillment of it in the New Testament.
And that's why I'm going to invite you actually to turn first of all to Isaiah chapter 61. Isaiah 61, a critical passage, and then we shall zero in on Luke chapter 4. Yes, this is Christ before Bethlehem. But it's just like we look back to Christmas time and we look to the future in the very same way our passage looks back to the time when Isaiah gave it, but also at a future time. when Jesus began the process of fulfilling it.
Isaiah 61, it's important to read it. Here, and then we shall see it also in the Gospel of Luke. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives. The opening of the prison to those who are bound to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.
And the day of vengeance of our God. to comfort all who mourn. Just that far. Jewish scholars always interpreted this as a messianic promise. the coming Redeemer.
Now with that background, let's take our Bibles and turn to Luke chapter 4. Luke chapter 4. We pick up the text in verse 16. Luke 4, 16. I'm giving you time to find it in your Bible.
Jesus has been anointed by the Spirit. He's been baptized by John. The Spirit has come upon him. And then we read in verse 16, and he came to Nazareth where he had been brought up. Jesus is born in Bethlehem.
But he lives in Nazareth. That's where Joseph had his carpentry business, was Nazareth. This was the hometown where Mary and Joseph raised Jesus. and their other children.
So Jesus goes back now to Nazareth, and where does he go? It says, as his custom was, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day. Jesus comes to town, and where does he go? He goes where the religious people gathered. where the Torah was available.
And he goes where the center of activity should have been for God and for his glory. And that's where our Lord enters this picture. Why didn't he go to a church?
Well, of course in those days there was no church. The idea of Jew and Gentile being united into one body through the coming of Jesus. was an unthinkable concept back here.
So Jesus goes to his people, the chosen people, the one who had all the promises, the ones whom God had especially blessed and given marvelous privileges to, and he goes to be among them and he enters into the synagogue. And that's where the drama opens.
Now, as Jesus went into the synagogue, the synagogue service went something like this. First of all, it opened with the Shema. Shemai Yesrael adanai Elechenu adanai echad. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord. That's the way the service opened.
Following that, there would be eulogies, and people would have the opportunity of saying amen in response to them. And then there was always the reading of the law. Usually some from Moses, the first five books of the Bible, but then also from the prophets. And if a person were qualified and recognized to be qualified to read and to give an interpretation, they were allowed to do so. And Jesus was famous at this time.
The scripture says in verse 14, He returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went throughout all the surrounding country, and he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.
So when Jesus goes into this synagogue, There is no question but that he is allowed to participate and he is given the scroll by the attendant. In those days, there was an attendant who had many different responsibilities, basically, taking care of the synagogue. possibly also the maintenance of it. And it was his responsibility to take the scroll, to give it to a teacher qualified to teach. And then there was often also an interpreter present who'd be able to take the Hebrew and translate it into Aramaic, which is the language that most of the people understood in those days.
So we read these words, verse 17. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him, and he unrolled the scroll, keep that phrase in mind, and found the place where it was written. And now let's just zero in for a moment on the mission that Jesus began to accomplish. Here it is. It's a quotation, of course.
from the passage of Isaiah. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. Jesus was bringing here good news, not of the gospel. that he was crucified, dead, and buried, because that hadn't even happened yet. It was really the gospel of the kingdom.
It was the establishment of a kingdom on earth where there would be righteousness and justice and an end to all oppression.
So he brought some good news to the poor. He says, your fortunes are going to change under my direction and under my leadership.
Now, what he had to say was important also for the rich, but the rich are not often interested in what Jesus has to say. Just yesterday, I was speaking to a man who said that someone in his particular business, who's his boss, Has no interest in the gospel or very little because he is successful, he's young, he's in good health. Everything is going well. He doesn't need God right now.
So You can understand that oftentimes the poor were a part of Jesus Christ's ministry because they knew that they had needs and they were more open to what God was able to do in them and for them.
So Jesus says, I'm bringing good news to the poor. Things are going to change for you. I'm bringing freedom for the prisoners. Proclaim liberty to the captives. That doesn't mean that all the jails are going to be emptied.
Because there are some people who are in jail who ought to be there, but it means that spiritually speaking there are those who bring upon themselves a captivity and a sense of confinement and oppression that is absolutely overwhelming.
So Jesus says, I have some good news for you too. You're going to be delivered. No longer are you going to have this sense of alienation from God. You're a prisoner in your own mind and in your own heart because of what you've done and because of what you've believed, or because of what others have done to you, and I'm here to deliver you. And then Jesus says to give sight to the blind, yes, physically, he did that in a few instances in the New Testament, but also those who are spiritually blind.
Those who are groping, finding their way to God or desiring to and not knowing how to do it, I have hope for you, Jesus is saying. And then this remarkable statement. To proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. What is that a reference to? It's a reference to the year of Jubilee.
Jesus says, I'm here to proclaim something. that will bring universal deliverance across the land. In the Old Testament, the year of Jubilee, was celebrated only every fifty years. It came at the end of a cycle, seven cycles of seven years.
So you have 49 years, and then the 50th year was the year of Jubilee. That was the year when those who had sold their land. They were going through difficulty. They had to eat. They took their land and they sold it to someone.
And perhaps they even became slaves to the person to whom they sold the land. And in order to make sure that that would not be perpetuated generation to generation at the 50th year, the year of Jubilee, all of this was reversed and the land went back to its original owners. And all slaves went free. Free. This was a remarkable plan to kind of level the playing ground in Israel.
You see, rather than some people owning a lot of land and the rich become richer and the poor become poorer. What God says is every 50 years it's going to be all leveled out, and the poor are going to get land that maybe their father or their grandfather had sold. And that's why genealogies and family lines were so important because you are going to be brought back. and given what your family originally owned.
So perpetual slavery and the possibility Of no end to those who are rich exploiting the poor. Would always be held in check. That was the year of Jubilee. Did people look forward to the year of Jubilee?
Well, it depends who you were. If you were rich and you had lots of land and you had slaves under your command, you disdained the year of jubilee because you'd have to give it all up. But if you were poor and if you were a slave, You could hardly wait. for the year to come. Jesus is saying here that to all these captives To all of this oppression and this injustice, The day has come When I am able to put an end to this, If you receive me as your Messiah and as your king.
Now notice what happened. Jesus read up to verse 19 in the Gospel of Luke, it says, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. The reason that I read Isaiah chapter 61 first was this. Jesus stopped. In the middle of a sentence.
If you recall, In verse 3, of Isaiah 61. The text goes on to say, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God. But Jesus says, I'm not here yet. I'm not here yet to proclaim vengeance. That's a future time.
And so Jesus stops right in the middle of a sentence. He gives the scroll back to the attendant. Who puts it in its place, and in those days in the synagogue, as I'm sure today. You stood to read the scripture, but you sat down to teach. At least that's the way it was then.
You'll notice it says in verse 20, he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed upon him. And he began to say to them, Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing. And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. Imagine.
Jesus Reading. A passage known to be messianic. and saying today this scripture has been fulfilled. Because I'm here.
Now, of course, you say, well, did all of this happen? No, not all of this happened, because remember now, Jesus is not saying that I fulfilled all of this, but he is saying that I'm the one who is going to fulfill all of this. and it will be fulfilled in the coming kingdom. If you've been a part of this series, you know that I explained the song that we sing, He Rules the World with Peace and Joy. That hasn't happened yet, but the day is going to come.
And Jesus is presenting himself to the nation as the great liberator, as the one who is able to deliver them. and bring about this kingdom.
Now, of course, they rejected him. And so the kingdom is still future. But let's look at the text again. How did they respond to what Jesus had to say? What was their response?
Did they say, This is wonderful?
Well, They marveled at the gracious words that came out of his mouth. And by the way, when it says in verse 21, he began to say to them, that means that he probably went on a piece. It was probably a long speech that he gave, but we have only. That phrase, the beginning of it, And then they said, he said in verse 23, doubtless you will quote me this proverb: physician, heal yourself. What you have done in Capernaum, do in your hometown as well.
You see, he had done some miracles in Capernaum. And now they were saying, well, if you did it there, why don't you do it in your hometown? And Jesus gives a remarkable response. He says that a prophet is not accepted in his own country. Because you know, if you read the text, you know, they were saying, Who is this, Joseph's son?
I mean, we grew up with this guy. We knew him before he was famous. Remember, he was the boy who used to run to the edge of the hill. If you've ever been to Nazareth, you know that you can run through the city and you can go right to the cliff. and you look over the cliff.
and you can see the valley of Jezreel. The Valley of Armageddon. When I was there many years ago, I thought how often Jesus as a boy must have done that because. Boys love to run. They love to look.
They love to stand on hills. And they knew him and they said, we can't believe that this is the one that we grew up with. And yet at the same time they could not controvert what he had said. Then Jesus goes on to say, in effect, you know that you can't manipulate me. You can't think of me as somebody who's going to come here and I'm going to perform for you and you say, oh yeah, do what you did at Capernaum.
And so I come and I say, yeah, I'm going to prove I can do even greater things in my hometown than I did at Capernaum. No, no, no, no. No one has a claim on me. Yeah. My friend, this is Pastor Lutzer and I want to just share a word that is on my heart.
I'm not sure exactly how things are going to be in heaven. But I'd love to be able to talk with Mary and say, what was it like? to raise Jesus along with the other children. That would be a very interesting conversation.
Well, my friend, the new year is just around the corner, and we have a very special resource for you. D.L. Moody wrote a devotional, 365 devotions. I took that material and I responded to it, I expanded it, and we have this devotional available, and this certainly is one of the last days that we're making it available for you. Here's what you can do, and I hope that you have a pen or pencil handy.
You can go to rtwoffer.com. I'm going to be giving you that contact info again. rtwoffer.com or pick up the phone and call us at 1-888. two one eight ninety three thirty seven. The title of the devotional is Running to Win.
And even as you connect with us, I hope that you will remember that during this time of yours you are contemplating some gifts to ministries. Always remember Moody Church Media. Let me give you that contact info again and let me thank you in advance for helping us. Very quickly, go to rtwoffer.com. or call us at 1-888-218.
ninety three thirty seven. It's time now for you to ask Pastor Lutzer a question about the Bible or the Christian life. The Temple Mount in ancient Jerusalem was the site where thousands of animals were slaughtered every year. This causes a conflict in Bev's mind. She contacted us with this question Why did God command the slaughter of innocent animals in the Bible for sacrifice?
Doesn't this constitute cruelty to animals?
Well, Bev, just a couple of comments. First of all, the Bible makes a sharp distinction between animals and people. You know, that's part of the problem that we have in today's society, where some of the environmentalists want to tell us that. We are a part of a continuum that we came up through the animal world. Our ancestors were monkeys, and therefore we should give the same kind of respect to animals as we do to human beings.
So I'm sure that that's not a part of your thinking, but I needed to clarify that. The other thing is killing an animal maybe cruelty. In some regard, but remember that nature itself is very cruel. If you watch the Animal Channel you can see as they kill one another, and as they lie in wait as lions do for the deer that seems to be unsuspecting, In the Fallen World we find death And yes we find cruelty. Yes, of course, I'm sure that animals feel pain.
but when you stop to think of it it is rather momentary, especially if they are going to be slaughtered. I think what is far worse in today's society is the way in which human beings treat others. other human beings. And what we need to do is to realize that the world as it is fallen is some day going to be redeemed. What God was saying in the Old Testament was, Kill these animals, because someday my son will be killed.
and he will endure great cruelty. persecution, and prolonged agony for your sin. And God needed a demonstration of that, and that's one of the roles that those Old Testament sacrifices played. Thanks for your question, Bev. God bless you.
Keep thinking about this and I know that the Lord is with you.
Some wise counsel, as always, from doctor Erwin Lutzer. If you'd like to hear your question answered, you can. Just go to our website at rtwoffer dot com and click on Ask Pastor Lutzer, or call us at one eight eight eight two one eight ninety three thirty seven. That's one eight eight eight two one eight ninety three thirty seven.
Okay. You can write to us at Running2Win 1635 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois, 60614. Running to win is all about helping you understand God's roadmap for your race of life. The people of Jesus' day were ruled by the Roman Empire.
Some saw in Jesus the deliverer that had been foretold. But Jesus had a larger deliverance to make, a deliverance from the power of sin.
Next time on Running to Win, Pastor Lutzer concludes his Christmas series on Christ before Bethlehem as he wraps up this message on Christ the Deliverer, taken from Isaiah chapter 61. Thanks for listening. For Pastor Erwin Lutzer, this is Dave McAllister. Running to Win is sponsored by the Moody Church.
