Beautiful News
Bible verses: Isaiah 61: 1-3 1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, 3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.
A Christian writer and pastor, Max Lucado, said this about human life: “You weren't an accident. You weren't mass produced. You aren't an assembly-line product. You were deliberately planned, specifically gifted, and lovingly positioned on the earth by the Master Craftsman.”
God created us deliberately, specifically and lovingly. There may be look-alikes but no one is exactly the same. If you look closely at the twins, you will notice that their appearance and disposition are quite different. That is why no life is worthless. We are ranked by function and ability, and we often feel worthless and helpless. In such a world we need to restore a healthy self-image because every life is precious and beautiful in God's creation. At times, the busyness of the world, the difficulties and trials of life may prevent us from having a healthy self in God, and from realizing the value of life. So were the lives of the Israelites in today's passage. It was difficult to feel the value of their lives during the captivity and oppression by the Gentiles. They needed true recovery and healing. Let us look at how God speaks and guides the restoration of the Israelites in today's text.
First, let's look briefly at the background of the text. Israel was exhausted by continued captivity and was discouraged at the appearance of Jerusalem, completely ruined by Babylon. The message of God's freedom is being proclaimed among them. In other words, God declares the end of their helpless and arduous life in captivity and proclaims the recovery and new freedom. Biblically speaking, the more fundamental meaning of this text is Isaiah's prophetic message of the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. This means that the souls bound by sin and death will be saved to enjoy complete freedom and joy. This can be found in Luke 4 as well as in today's text. Luke 4: 17-21 quotes Isaiah as follows: and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: 18 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, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. 20 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. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
Jesus quoted the prophecy of Isaiah here. Today’s text proclaims the freedom and the end of Israel's captivity. In addition, it describes the coming of Jesus Christ the Messiah prophesied by Isaiah. And it describes the glory that God's people will enjoy as a result of His ministry. Let me share with you the prophetic message in this text. First, the healing and freedom come when the Spirit of the Lord comes.
Let's look at verse 1: The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.
First of all, the text mentions anointing. The anointing of the oil is called ‘masah’ in Hebrew, through which the word Messiah is connected. In the Old Testament, the anointing of oil was an expression used to distinguish the priests, prophets, and kings God called to serve. So the word anointing is used here to prophetically suggest that God will distinguish the Messiah.
The poor is represented in Hebrew by the word ‘Anawim.’ This means more like a person who suffers from wounds or oppression rather than merely talking about material poverty. The poor in the text thus represent the exhausted captive Israel. It also means a person who lives in hope for Jesus Christ. This is expressed in Matthew's Beatitudes as the poor in spirit. In other words, it is a state of poor mind that needs a new hope. Text also shows the healing and freedom of the brokenhearted, the captives, and the prisoners. The release from the darkness in the text can be interpreted as opening the prison door. This is primarily a description of freedom from Babylonian captivity, but it is also foretelling the complete liberation from sin and death through the coming of Jesus Christ. Healing and freedom will come and be experienced through the event of anointing in an oppressed and hopeless situation. Second, comfort and recovery come to those who mourn.
Let's see verse 2: to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn. We see the year of the Lord's favor. This is the year of God's delight, the time of God's joy. The year of freedom was proclaimed in Israel, which was called Jubilee in the Old Testament. The jubilee comes in 50 years after seven Sabbatical cycles.
It can be understood as a concept like today's pardon or freedom. Jubilee is when the homes are regained, the debts are repaid and the slaves are freed. Thus, the jubilee is a year of grace for the Israelites who were sad and tormented by their own problems and difficulties. Leviticus 25:10 mentions the jubilee year: Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each of you is to return to your family property and to your own clan. It speaks of the grace without repayment. It is a wonderful grace given to us regardless of our sins and shortcomings. This reminds us of the grace of Jesus Christ. When Jesus Christ comes to our lives, he can wipe our tears of sorrow and provide comfort and recovery. Third, the beautiful message of salvation turns sorrow into joyful songs and reveals the glory of God. That is the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Let's look at verse 3: and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.
Verse 3 says that ashes are replaced with a crown of beauty. The beauty here is the word Perre, which refers to a colorful crown worn by women at the time, a gorgeous hair decoration. And the garments of praise in the text are bright colored clothes that are reminiscent of the festival. When we hear and accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ, our souls that are spiritually dry and dead like ash restore vitality, joy and beauty.
Finally, the tree of righteousness appears. The tree here refers to an oak that was often found in Palestine at that time. At that time, oak was so thick and strong that it was considered a symbol of power. This speaks of the importance of firm and solid faith. Those who have strong, firm faith can glorify God. We must remember that this new, firm faith can be planted in us by Jesus Christ, who delivered us from sin and death. We should live a life of God's righteousness. Joy will be restored in our lives and God will be glorified in His wonderful work of restoration and healing.
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