“He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:”
– Luke 4:16,17
 Yesterday I shared that every synagogue was centered around the reading of the Torah and the Haftarah, which is a series of selections from the books of “Prophets” of the Hebrew Bible. The Jewish lectionary outlined the order of the Torah readings over a year’s time, and the reader was a community member which could be chosen as many as three years in advance. Consequently, Jesus was chosen for a special reading in His hometown’s synagogue in Nazareth.
Prior to Jesus’ moment of reading in the temple, He was baptized by John the Baptist, went into the wilderness where Satan tempted him, and afterward, He preached in different areas around Galilee. He became famous as he was teaching and performing miracles. He walked 25 miles home to Nazareth, where he was now a hero. When the scroll was handed to Jesus, he read from the prophet Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Friend, Luke Chapter 4 continues with: “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. He began by saying to them, ‘Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’ ” Jesus confirmed His call to proclaim that He was the Messiah! Today, that is good news for you and I! |
Prayer
Father, I receive the good news that Jesus is the Messiah!
Reflection
Do you know that Jesus still performs miracles today?
If you’re unable to attend your local church or need some additional weekly inspiration, be sure to tune into Hour of Power every Sunday morning at 11:00 a.m. PT on TBN or watch online at hourofpower.org/episode.
