Word@Work Luke54 - Luke 4:20-22
Published: Mon, 03/08/10
Word@Work from BeaconLight
CENTRE OF ATTENTION
Luke 4:20-22 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, and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. "Isn't this Joseph's son?" they asked. (NIV)
Jesus had started His ministry in Nazareth by reading two verses from Isaiah: "The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD'S favour (Isaiah 61:1-2a). Rabbis stood to read the Scriptures as a mark of honour, but sat to explain it (as a sign that their comments were inferior to those of God's).
However, when Jesus sat down, His opening words - that He was the person Isaiah was writing about - riveted their attention. For those who merely think of Jesus as a good teacher, His statement is either true and Jesus was the Messiah; or else He was wickedly self-promoting, or foolishly deluded. The one thing He could not be is 'just a good teacher'. But as the rest of Luke's Gospel proves: He was indeed God the Son, who Isaiah had prophesied.
What surprised the synagogue congregation was that a mere carpenter could speak so that everybody knew He loved them: God's grace flowed out of His mouth into their hearts. That is still the case. Whenever people are willing to receive God's Word as from Jesus, they are amazed how powerfully it touches their hearts. Scripture is not just yesterday's literature; it is today's message from Jesus. Indeed the whole Bible is centred on Jesus, who is God's Saviour for a broken world (see www.crosscheck.org.uk). When Jesus becomes the true centre of your life, the Bible comes alive; and when your friends read the Bible with an open heart, they will start to understand what a wonderful person Jesus is.
For those who are seeking, the Bible has the answers, because it enables people to find Jesus. When you talk to friends and colleagues about Jesus, show them what the Bible says, and let the conversation be anchored in the gracious words of God. Then your testimony will have an objective context: it is not only what you say about your own experience, but they will start to understand why Jesus has become the centre of your attention. Workplace Bible groups are not only for believers, because receiving God's Word is the route to becoming a believer. So let God speak for Himself as you share the Scriptures wherever you live and work.
Prayer: Dear Lord. Thank You for helping me to understand more about Jesus through reading the Scriptures. Please forgive me when I ignore Your Word, or think that my testimony alone is sufficient to bring others to Christ. Help me to have the courage to read the Bible with my friends, so that Jesus will speak to them in His wonderfully gracious way, and they can discover how much You love them. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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You can read the verses around this Bible passage from the Internet Bible: - in English, and many other languages
Jesus had started His ministry in Nazareth by reading two verses from Isaiah: "The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD'S favour (Isaiah 61:1-2a). Rabbis stood to read the Scriptures as a mark of honour, but sat to explain it (as a sign that their comments were inferior to those of God's).
However, when Jesus sat down, His opening words - that He was the person Isaiah was writing about - riveted their attention. For those who merely think of Jesus as a good teacher, His statement is either true and Jesus was the Messiah; or else He was wickedly self-promoting, or foolishly deluded. The one thing He could not be is 'just a good teacher'. But as the rest of Luke's Gospel proves: He was indeed God the Son, who Isaiah had prophesied.
What surprised the synagogue congregation was that a mere carpenter could speak so that everybody knew He loved them: God's grace flowed out of His mouth into their hearts. That is still the case. Whenever people are willing to receive God's Word as from Jesus, they are amazed how powerfully it touches their hearts. Scripture is not just yesterday's literature; it is today's message from Jesus. Indeed the whole Bible is centred on Jesus, who is God's Saviour for a broken world (see www.crosscheck.org.uk). When Jesus becomes the true centre of your life, the Bible comes alive; and when your friends read the Bible with an open heart, they will start to understand what a wonderful person Jesus is.
For those who are seeking, the Bible has the answers, because it enables people to find Jesus. When you talk to friends and colleagues about Jesus, show them what the Bible says, and let the conversation be anchored in the gracious words of God. Then your testimony will have an objective context: it is not only what you say about your own experience, but they will start to understand why Jesus has become the centre of your attention. Workplace Bible groups are not only for believers, because receiving God's Word is the route to becoming a believer. So let God speak for Himself as you share the Scriptures wherever you live and work.
Prayer: Dear Lord. Thank You for helping me to understand more about Jesus through reading the Scriptures. Please forgive me when I ignore Your Word, or think that my testimony alone is sufficient to bring others to Christ. Help me to have the courage to read the Bible with my friends, so that Jesus will speak to them in His wonderfully gracious way, and they can discover how much You love them. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
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