Why We Believe
4. Jesus and the Spirit (Page 2)
4. Jesus and the Spirit (Page 2)
“To heal (or bind up) the brokenhearted” is not in the Luke text but is in the Masoretic text and LXX. Jesus may be combining this with "to set the oppressed free". It is clear from Luke 4:21 that Jesus saw Himself as the fulfillment of the Isaiah passage. His ministry is described in terms of the anointing he experienced to do a particular task:
(a) to preach good news to the poor ==> proclamation of the New Covenant cf. Jeremiah 31:31; Hebrews 8:13; 9:15; 12:24
(b) to liberate the captives (prisoners) to loose the oppressed ==> cf. Psalm 68:18; Ephesians 4:9
(c) to bring recovery of sight to the blind ==> physical healing
(d) to release the oppressed7 ==> spiritual healing
(e) to proclaim the year of Jubilee ==>year of Jubilee (cf. Leviticus 25:10-15; 27:17, 28). A proclamation of liberty (emancipation from slavery) and restoration of inheritance (Numbers 36:4; Ezekiel 46:17)
Jesus sought to do the will of His Father (John 4:34). Indeed, the gospel of John abounds with instances testifying of Jesus’ submission to the Father (John 5:26; 13:27, 49). The driving force in all that He did was the Holy Spirit, particularly so in His fulfillment of the specifics of the prophesy in Isaiah 61. It is interesting that in Matthew 12:22-32 the Pharisees are said to claim that Beelzebub (Lord of the flies) is the driving force behind Jesus’ healing of the demon possessed, blind and dumb man. The people who saw the work of Christ saw it as demonstrating Jesus as the Messiah. Jesus had already said the same in answer to John’s inquiry concerning His messianic credentials (Matthew 11:5). Jesus’ reply to the Pharisees was that He casts out devils by the Spirit of God (Matthew 12:28) and this is evidential that the Kingdom of God is come upon them. This is precisely why Isaiah’s prophesy ends where Jesus is quoted in Luke 4:19 saying “to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." This is a reference to the Year of Jubilee,8 but also in a spiritualized manner, a reference to the Kingdom of God.9
It is important to note that Jesus stopped the reading of the text just before the passage says “the day of the Lord’s vengeance” which was deliberate. His coming is two comings, not one as was expected by Jews of His day. He was going to come again, at some time in the future, as the conquering King. His refusal to accept the role of the conquering king at His first coming is why many Jews became disenchanted with Him after His entrance into Jerusalem on a donkey. He was not going to fulfill (at this time) their expectation of delivering the Jews from their oppressors.
The coming of the Kingdom is seen as a new era of liberty and marked by the coming upon (epi) of the Spirit. Jesus is giving us an example to be followed. Just as He is anointed by the coming upon (epi) of the Holy Spirit, so also must we be anointed for our own ministry. In the New Testament, the noun dunamis, often translated "power" and from which we get the English word “dynamite,” is associated with the coming upon (epi) of the Spirit (Acts 1:8, Col. 1:11, Eph. 1:19, 3:16). Could it be that Jesus was referring to the need for the power of the Spirit in order for one to be his disciple? Jesus has said that He can do (dunameoo) nothing by Himself, but only what He sees his father doing (John 5:19, 30). The same goes for Jesus' disciples, "without me, you can do nothing" (John 15:5). Indeed, Jesus in reference to his “works” said that His followers (disciples) would be able to do greater works than Himself (John 14:12). Why greater? Because in Jesus the power is confined to one person but after the coming upon of the Spirit that power will be with many!
Just as Jesus was dependent on the Holy Spirit in the conduct of His ministry, so must we. Note the messianic character of the prophecy of Isaiah 42:1-9. That it is messianic is confirmed in Matthew 11:7 concerning Jesus’ reference to a “bruised reed.” Also, note the similarity between Isaiah 42:7 and Isaiah 61:1. The Spirit is mentioned as having a part in this era of liberty (Isaiah 42:1, 5; 2 Corinthians 3:17).
As Christians we recognize that we have the Spirit within us, but we must also have the Spirt upon (epi) us. This is no different from the way the prophets and others in the Old Testament went about their service to the Lord. The mark of the prophet was the anointing or coming upon of the Spirit. The Hebrew word cl, means that an action will take place on that object10 and is translated epi in the LXX. In 1 Samuel 10, Samuel the seer anoints Saul as king and tells him to go to Gibeah where he will meet a “school of prophets.” He was told that the Spirit of God would come upon him in power11 and he would become a different person (in Hebrew, literally, “he will be overturned”).12
In Acts 2, when the believers were gathered in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came on (epi) them appearing as “tongues of fire”. Again, in Acts 10:44-45, the Spirit of God came upon (epi) Gentile believers and they began speaking in tongues as a sign of the Spirit’s coming. This is to be the norm for the followers of Christ in this era of the coming of the Kingdom of God.
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Mat 11:28-30 NIV)