Catching The Vision

In Isaiah 61:1 (NKJV) Isaiah says, "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound…"

Though these are words spoken by God's servant Isaiah, the words take on greater meaning when Jesus, in Luke chapter four, reads from this section during His visit to the synagogue in Nazareth and closes His reading with the statement, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing" (Luke 4:21). Thus, He applies the verses to Himself.

I propose for your consideration that this was Jesus’ mission to reach humanity and we as Christians can adopt it as our own vision from the Master.

Jesus says in Luke 4:18, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me…" --Well, God has given us His Spirit:

(John 14:16 NKJV) "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever;

(John 14:17 NKJV) "the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

Jesus also says: "…because He has anointed Me …" God has also given us His anointing

(1 John 2:20 NKJV) But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things.

(1 John 2:21 NKJV) I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth.

The anointing refers to the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer (cf. John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13). You need not ask God for His anointing--if you are a Christian you already have this anointing.

Why did God give us His anointing? Why did God give us His Spirit? Six reasons:

(1) Jesus said that God has anointed Him to "…preach the Gospel…" God has also called us to preach the Gospel:

(Mat 28:19-20 NKJV) "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.

(2) God has indwelled us and filled us with His Spirit and sent us out to preach the Gospel to the poor. These aren't those who are financially poor. Jesus said, "Blessed are those who are poor in spirit" Jesus is referring to those who are spiritually bankrupt and need the Lord.

(3) We like Jesus are also sent for the healing of the brokenhearted. “Brokenhearted” comes from the Greek word that means: to crush completely, i.e. to shatter--break (in pieces), broken to shivers; to bruise.

Because of personal sin and the circumstances that come as a result of living in a sin-cursed world, people are crushed; their lives are shattered; they are in pieces and bruised. Our mission is to present Jesus as the Potter of Jeremiah 18:4 who desires to put one’s life together again.

(4) Like Jesus, we are sent to proclaim liberty to the captives…

People without Jesus Christ are held captive by sin. They are held captive by the devil. Like Jesus we are charged with proclaiming liberty to the captives. Paul writes to Timothy telling him:

(2 Tim 2:24 NKJV) …a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient,

(2 Tim 2:25 NKJV) in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth,

(2 Tim 2:26 NKJV) and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.

(5) We are also sent to proclaim recovery of sight to the blind…

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4:

(2 Cor 4:3 NKJV) But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,

(2 Cor 4:4 NKJV) whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

People are blind because of sin. They are blind because Satan has blinded their minds.

They know nothing of the forgiveness of God

They know nothing of the love of God

They know nothing of the peace of God

They know nothing of the power of God

They cannot see, they are blind—God has called us to proclaim recovery of sight to the blind.