Luke 4:14-20

Today I'm interlining a one sentence observation on each verse:

Luke 4:14 Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country.

Jesus is filled in his ministry with the power of the Spirit, so that we see that the ministry (Christ's ministry) to which we are called is not something we do of ourselves, but only in the Spirit.

Luke 4:15 He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.

How did Jesus become a teacher? By virtue of his education, or based on the praiseworthiness of his teaching, or something else?

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,

It is difficult to go home and preaching, but it was his custom always to go to synagogue on the Sabbath, thus showing that even Jesus, who is often enlisted as spiritual but not religious, had a regular habit of worshipping with others.

Luke 4:17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:

This text was given to him to read. He does not select the reading on his own.

Luke 4:18 “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,

The Spirit is re-emphasized, now in the reading of Isaiah, and the Spirit annoints for a very specific purpose (pay attention) to bring good news to the poor, relesae to captives, to set free, and to heal.

Luke 4:19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

And even more radically, to declare total debt relief, something our culture and world can scarcely imagine- not to mention the rich would never let it happen, even if it was imagined.

Luke 4:20 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.

What is he going to do or say now?