Good day dear friends.
We continue our week of the theme, "I Was Blind, But Now I See." We find these words about Jesus in Luke 4:
16 When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isai'ah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: 18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." 20 And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 Then he began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."
There are several sermons in this passage, the first one bein in verse 16 about Jesus "going to church." It was his custom to be in the synagogue on the sabbath day. I heard a "comedian" just tearing away at Jesus and faith and he and the audience thought it was hilarious to say, "Jesus never went to church, why should I?" Uh, look again.
On that occasion of worship Jesus read. He read from Isaiah. It must have been a different version from the one included in our Bibles for Jesus has added, "recovery of sight to the blind." Not in Isaiah. It may have been Luke who added those words as to what the prophet Isaish said. The point is, for someone, that Jesus could bring sight back to the blind is a big deal. Mark 8 records Jesus as being upset with the disciples and asking them, "Do you still not perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Do you have eyes , and fail to see ? Do you have ears, and fail to hear? And do you not remember?"
Even today it is a big deal to have your spiritual sight restored. That means being able to finally "see" what God may have been trying to show you all along. Sometimes it simply because what God wants to show us does not go along with what we think we want or is best for us. Surrendering completely to the Lord brings with it our sight restoration. Jesus' message to his home crowd was that God wants us to be spiritually whole. God shares good news, freedom, sight, liberation from oppression. It's ours. If we just believe and accept.
PRAYER: Come, Holy Spirit and share with us the wholeness God intended. Let us surrender completely to you to receive the wholeness that is ours. Open our eyes and our minds to fully understand all that you are sharing. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Have a blessed and wonderful day!
e.v.
