Luke 4.17-19 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
Mankind is broken. Seriously broken. One of the things that we must keep in mind as we read God’s Word is that some things about mankind never change. Cultures change. Even on the earth today you can travel around the globe and find fascinating races of people and cultural distinctions. But at the core of humanity lies a creature made in the the image of God. No matter what the language, no matter how they dress or what they eat. Mankind universally bears the incredible hurt and pain of the fall. Women in any culture give birth with pain. Men in any culture provide for their family by the sweat of their brow. We all have “term limits” here on earth. Only God knows the “expiration date.”
What Jesus declared in the synagogue are the day to day, practical marching orders for the church. Hurting people need The Master’s touch. Pain is universal. Broken hearts are no respecter of persons. Millions of people are slaves to sinful addictions. The Answer? Jesus Christ and His gospel. Jesus told the disciples, as The Father has sent Me, so send I you. I realize the uniqueness of their apostolic calling. But I suggest to you that the observing Great Commission can never be separated from living out the Great Commandments.
Matthew 22.37-39 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
May we live out the gospel in a way that truly brings glory to The Father. When we stop caring, people stop listening.
