Then Jesus returned to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath he went as usual to the synagogue. He stood up to read the Scriptures and was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it is written,

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has chosen me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed and announce that the time has come when the Lord will save his people."

Jesus rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. All the people in the synagogue had their eyes fixed on him, as he said to them, "This passage of scripture has come true today, as you hear it being read."

Luke 4:16-21

Do we know the nature of God? Of course not, except that He is a loving, forgiving God. We know that God rescues us from our sin and guilt, and we know that He rejoices in the salvation He gives us as a gift. We know that we need to obey the Lord gladly, live confidently, and serve Him gratefully. Jesus came to deliver us from the helplessness of our spiritual poverty, to release us from the shackles of our guilt, to heal our sin-caused blindness, and to set us free from sin’s enslaving power. Trust Him and obey Him. This is the path to a grateful, joyous, and hope-filled life. The answers can wait.

Christ did not come to satisfy our curiosity but to save our souls.

Our Daily Bread – April 22, 2003