Isaiah 61
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me,
Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
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 may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified” (Isaiah 61:1-3).
Application of this Messianic prophecy
Jesus Christ applied Isaiah 61 to Himself in His home town of Nazareth (Luke 4:16–21). Ancient Jewish expositors were familiar with the Messianic significance of this and many other passages in Isaiah. This passage presents a vivid picture of what the Messiah was to do for the nation of Israel. But because of the nation’s rejection of Jesus as the Messiah, it lost the blessings of the Messiah.
Christ’s anointment
Christ was to be anointed by God the Father (Psalms 45:7) through the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:38) at the time of His baptism (Mark 1:10; Luke 3:21, 22). He was anointed to carry on the work of redemption. He came to proclaim the “good tidings,” or “good news,” of salvation to His people (Mark 1:1).
After His anointing, the Son of God went about spreading the truths of repentance, forgiveness and adoption by God (Luke 4:14, 15, 21, 31, 43; 5:32). Christ’s message was for the poor and the meek in spirit (Matthew 5:3, 5). He was the supreme example for He Himself was “meek and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29). And those who came to Him were to resemble His character (1 John 3:1–3).
The Great deliverer
The Son of God came to comfort the sufferers who are weak and mourning. He came to take away their burden of sin (Matthew 5:3; 11:28–30; Luke 4:18). In this, He was the Great Physician, that mends the broken hearts and heals the souls.
People who submit to sin become its prisoners (John 8:34; Romans 6:16). Christ came to liberate these people. He came to give sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf (Isaiah 35:5; 42:7; etc.). He worked to free men from the slavery of sin (John 8:36; Romans 6:1–23). This concept of liberation is taken from the declaration made in the year of jubilee (Leviticus 25:10; Jeremiah 34:8; Ezekiel 46:17). Christ’s ministry shows the Father’s grace to fallen humanity (Luke 4:19).
In His service,
BibleAsk Team
