Jesus Fulfilled, Then What?
Luke 4:16-19 and Isaiah 61:4-11
Isaiah 61 is a powerful chapter in Scripture. Jesus makes direct reference to it in his hometown of Nazareth, but he stops short of reading the entire passage. Why?
Isaiah 61:1-3 (Tree of Life Bible) The Spirit of Adonai Elohim is on me, because Adonai has anointed me to proclaim Good News to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound, (2) to proclaim the year of Adonai’s favor and the day of our God’s vengeance, to comfort all who mourn (3) to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that they might be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of Adonai, that He may be glorified
Many English Translation do not paint as beautiful a picture when compared to the wording of the ancient texts, but the Tree of Life Version uses 72 Jewish Messianic scholars to translate a more understandable translation that reveals Jewish heritage and culture. Since the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hammadi cache of scripture, we now have more ancient records of different books that were not available in the 1611 King James Translation. Some verses of scripture have been therefore omitted since they are found nowhere in the more ancient documents. But this translation helps us in several areas. Instead of LORD, the more proper names are used.
· Adonai- is the plural form of adon (“Lord”) along with the first-person singular pronoun enclitic. As with Elohim, Adonai’s grammatical form is usually explained as a plural of majesty. In the Hebrew Bible, it is nearly always used to refer to God.
· Elohim- singular Eloah, (Hebrew: God), the God of Israel in the Old Testament. … When referring to Yahweh, elohim very often is accompanied by the article ha-, to mean, in combination, “the God,” and sometimes with a further identification Elohim ḥayyim, meaning “the living God.”
· Thusly, Adonai Elohim means the “entire majesty of the living God”.
Notice the plurality in the words used pointing towards the Trinity. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit. Three separate individuals functioning as God, unified and together. That is the statement made in Isaiah 61:1. When Jesus says that this has been fulfilled, he is saying I complete this Trinity. But notice in verse two they become separated.
· “to proclaim the year of Adonai’s favor and the day of our God’s(Elohim) vengeance. That is a powerful picture of Jesus leaving the Trinity to be born and live amongst us on this planet. What Jesus was saying was “I am here now with the backing of my Father and the Holy Spirit to save you from destruction. When Jesus read this to his hometown, he stopped at the end of our verse 3. Why?
Well, that is because there is a huge transition made after verse 3. It goes from what he was going to do to what we are supposed to be doing and experiencing. Isaiah 61:4-11 (see inside bulletin cover)
· Let us see the checklist then, shall we?
1. Rebuild the ancient ruins (Re-establish our relationship with God)
2. Be ministers of God (kohanim = priest) 1 Peter 2:4-5
3. The Good News spreads throughout the world. Matthew 24:9-14, 28:18-20
a. Notice the personal terms of you or your
and they or them.
i. Your shame (past sins) turned into a
double blessing of those who have
their own disgraces (sins) and find
Jesus (joy)
4. Faith n God alone because only God is Good and Just. Mark 10:17-30
5. Being the bride of Christ, the church, leads to
salvation. Revelation 19:6-10; 1 Peter 3:1-13
We cannot stay put on just the work of Jesus! Isaiah 61 makes the plan quite clear. Jesus provides the Way, we are responsible in finis