The Planting of the Lord
Those in exile in Babylon grieved that their city and the temple sat in ruins. It had not yet been rebuilt, and it was hard to imagine that it would be after decades continued to pass them by. Waiting and hoping for something to change can lead us to a place of discouragement and even depression. In chapter 61, Isaiah brought a clear and strong vision of hope and renewal.
Early in Luke’s gospel we find this same promise delivered to the Jewish community in Nazareth as they lived under the oppression of Rome and also under the leadership of their faith, who focused more on control and legalism. It was the Sabbath, and Jesus walked into his hometown synagogue, opened the scroll of Isaiah, and read the opening lines of chapter 61. Luke leads us to believe that Jesus didn’t read the whole passage from this chapter. And Jesus wouldn’t have needed to read the whole passage because this prophetic word was so familiar. It is like the verses we hear in church when the preacher begins reading and we can fill in the blanks—“The Lord is my shepherd”—we know the next line.
We have the advantage of seeing the wide angle of the narrative and can connect the dots that Jesus is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. When we read these lines, we know that Jesus fulfilled every word during his first century ministry.
-Anointed me to bring good news to the poor
-Sent me to bind up the brokenhearted
-To proclaim liberty to the captives
-And 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 those who mourn
-To give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes
But we would do well to remember what Isaiah said and what Jesus did. As the anointed one brought good news, he established a new covenant and birthed a new community, which Isaiah described as “oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord.” Doesn’t that remind us of what John recorded in his gospel? In John 15 we read:
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches…”
The clear indication of this prophecy and of the teachings of Jesus is that we are the planting of the Lord who are to continue the work of Jesus until he comes again. When we affirm that Jesus is our Lord and King and surrender our lives to him, he anoints us to continue his ministry. The same list of things that Isaiah said that Jesus would do are the things that we are to continue as his “oaks of righteousness.”
The reaction of the congregation in Nazareth when Jesus said, “Today this prophecy is fulfilled,” might be the same words our neighbors utter when they see us doing the work of Jesus instead of following the ways and motives of our culture. Jesus came to do more than just forgive our sins, though we should be ecstatic that he did. Jesus came to complete the work that he began in Genesis that fell about due to man’s sin and rebellion. As children of the king, our job is not to build our own little kingdoms but rather to fulfill the plans of the kingdom that God planned from the beginning.
Today, Father, we realize that all too often we are satisfied with simply enjoying what you did for us through Christ but fail to obey his call for us to participate with him in spreading this good news. Forgive us. Today we are awakened to our role in participating with you in bringing the good news to the poor and to binding up the brokenhearted. Open our eyes to see those both near and far who need your healing touch. Use us today to bring comfort and joy to those who are hopeless and lost. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Your Time with God’s Word
Isaiah 61:1-11; Luke 4:14-22; John 15:1-8 ESV
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