Jesus' Mission Statement

The scriptures referred to are Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11.

As we said last week prophets both comforted the afflicted and afflicted the comfortable. The later came in the form of God's judgment on the sins of the people. The sins in question were against God and their fellow human beings. With regards to God, either they were not worshiping him in the proper spirit or not worshiping him at all or worshiping other gods. With regards to humans, they were guilty of mistreatment and/or neglect of the least powerful in society: the poor, widows, the fatherless and aliens. The judgment usually came in the form of an enemy who would oppress or conquer and take into exile the people. In today's passage Isaiah is speaking about the Babylonian exile.

The comfort comes in their liberation by Cyrus the Great, the Persian king who let the Jews return to their homeland and practice their religion. That is what Isaiah is celebrating here. And he is using the language of the Jubilee year, laid out in Leviticus 25, that says that every 50 years all who were enslaved to pay off debts were freed. In addition, lands that had be leased to pay off debts revert to the original family. This is because God, not the people, owns the land and its original apportionment to tribes, clans and families is meant to stand. In essence the land of Judah had been taken from them by the Babylonians and was being returned to the Jews. They are getting their homeland back. No wonder they are rejoicing.

The passage from Leviticus also gives us the idea of the redeemer. This was a kinsman who would buy back property that an impoverished family member sold. The redeemer would restore an inheritance that would otherwise be lost. Now you know the origin of that word and concept.

Jesus kicked off his ministry by reading the first verse and part of the second from our Old Testament passage. You might say it was his mission statement. His ministry was to be a jubilee, a buying back of what was lost. Let's look at it in detail.

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me...”

All true prophets were anointed with God's Spirit to carry out their mission. This is especially true of Jesus, which we see at his baptism. In fact, Messiah and its Greek equivalent, Christ, simply mean “Anointed.” Jesus also fulfills the roles of two other classes of people who were anointed: priests and kings. But for purposes of this passage we are just looking at the Messiah's role as a prophet. He has a message to give.

“He has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed...”

I like the way the Tanakh translation renders this verse: “He has sent me as a herald of joy to the humble.” The Hebrew word translated “oppressed” in the NRSV can also mean “humble, meek, poor.” It is related to the word for “afflicted.” It designated people so vulnerable that they are often oppressed. And the Anointed One is bringing them "glad or cheerful" news. One wonders if this is where Jesus got the idea for calling his message the euangellion, the evangel. It's the Greek equivalent of our word “gospel,” which is simply old English for “good news.” What is central to the Messiah's mission is this message of hope.

“...to bind up the brokenhearted...”

I find this a touching confirmation that God cares about our emotional well-being. It recalls 1 Peter 5:7, which speaks of “casting all your cares on him, for he cares for you.” And of course there is the promise in Revelation that in the new creation, that God “will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (Revelation 21:4) God made us with emotions and cares about them as much as he does about our bodies and spirits. Indeed all three are intertwined and what affects one affects the others. It's hard to heal a patient physically if they are depressed and it's hard not to be depressed if you are in pain. Jesus healed mind, body and spirit.

“...to proclaim liberty to the captives...”

Isaiah is speaking of the release of the Jews from Babylon but the language recalls the Jubilee year when debt-slaves were free. For Jesus this meant something different. I have always wondered about his word choice in the Lord's Prayer, specifically where he says, “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors” (Matthew 6:12) The Aramaic word he probably used could mean both “debts” and “sins.” From this perspective sins are violations of our obligations to God and to each other. We are to love, trust and obey God. We are to love our neighbor and treat others as we would like to be treated. We owe that to the God who created us and gave us this planet as our home. Obviously, we have not met these basic obligations which put us in debt to God and to each other. Jesus illustrates this vividly in his parable of the unforgiving slave, who begs his master to forgive him a huge debt and then turns around and comes down hard on a fellow slave who owes him much less. (Matthew 18:21-35) Jesus is proclaiming the release of the people from the huge debt they owe God for their past sins.

“...and release to the prisoners...”

Again, when Middle Eastern monarchs took their thrones, they usually released inmates from debtors' prison as a show of magnanimity. Jesus is in a sense announcing the inauguration of the kingdom or royal reign of God. He is starting off with a show of goodwill by forgiving his people for their moral debts to him.

“...to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor...”

Another reference to the Jubilee year. But “favor” is one meaning of the word “grace,” God's undeserved goodness towards us. I cannot help but think Jesus also got the connection between the year of God's favor and the grace of God revealed in him and his mission. Christ is coming to announce God's reign which is seen in how he is freeing people from their slavery to sin and death.

“...and the day of vengeance of our God...”

When reading this passage from the scroll in the synagogue, Jesus stops just before this phrase. His first coming is about grace and forgiveness. Vengeance is left for later, his second coming. As it says in verse 8, “For I the Lord love justice, I hate robbery and wrongdoing.” Oddly enough, the Hebrew word for wrongdoing or injustice is pronounced evel, though we don't get the word English word “evil” from it. (The Hebrew word for evil is ra.) But the point is that Yahweh is simultaneously a God of justice and a God of grace; he is righteous and yet merciful. Which is interesting. Justice is getting what you deserve. Mercy is not getting all that you deserve. Grace is getting what you could not possibly deserve. That's a tricky balance and, thankfully, one we can leave to God. He know when to be just, when to be merciful and when to extend the gift of his grace.

Notice however that what is proclaimed is a whole year of the Lord's favor and only a day of vengeance. God is not going to draw things out; he will make short work of dispensing justice. The idea that God is all about judging and sending people to hell is an unbalanced view of God and his priorities. He says in Ezekiel, “I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God, so turn and live!” (Ezekiel 18:32) A doctor doesn't spend his time dealing with disease because he loves it but because he wants to make people better. God is the same way.

As we in Advent await the coming of Jesus, we find ourselves busy with buying presents, going to office parties, making cookies, traveling to see family or preparing to receive visiting family. What we should not neglect is letting people know about the most gracious gift of all, Jesus Christ, our redeemer and king. He comes with good news to the poor and vulnerable, to heal those with wounded and broken hearts, to free those enslaved to destructive and self-destructive thoughts, words and behaviors. We recommend movies we like. We recommend doctors who have helped us. We should recommend Jesus, who helps us and heals us and guides us and loves us.

We are all going to give and get gifts this year. Will we remember most of them next year? Do you remember what you got last year? 5 years ago?

Now do you remember when you accepted Jesus, when you decided to become a Christian? Why? Because, unlike most of gifts we receive, he has made a lasting change in your life. Wouldn't you like to do that for someone you know and love? What's holding you back?