Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lk 4:14-21
The previous passages speak of Jesus’ baptism and temptation. Jesu after his baptism being filled with the Holy Spirit was taken to the desert to be tempted for forty days and forty nights. V.14 suggests that Jesus was well accepted in Galilee for his teaching received praises from the audience at the synagogues. This reminds us of what Jesus would say in the later part of the passage (v.24) that no prophet is acc epted in his hometown. Nazareth is Jesus’ hometown. In the later part of the passage we will see how he would be rejected in his own town whereas accepted in other towns like Galilee and Capernaum.

Verses from 18 to 19 summarize the complete mission of Christ on earth.
Verse 18 speaks of Messiah’s ministry of preaching and healing. The phrase “Spirit of the Lord is upon me” recalls his baptism scene. Lk 3:22 says that Jesus was baptized the Holy Spirit descended on him in the bodily form of a dove. It is with this Spirit he was led to the desert to be tempted and after the temptation driven by this Spirit he did his ministry in Capernaum. Now in the Synagogue at Nazareth Jesus says that The Spirit of the Lord which descended on him during his baptism is on him for he has been anointed not with the holy oil but with the Holy Spirit. Why? In order to bring good news to the poor. What is the good news? It is the good news of God’s kingdom, good news of salvation. And ultimately Jesus himself is the good news.

Secondly, to proclaim freedom to prisoners? Who are the prisoners? All those who live in the imprisonment of sin are prisoners. And all of them need freedom from their imprisonment of sin. That is why Jesus came so that we may have life and life in abundance (John 10:10), a life free of sin, a life free of worldliness, a life full of joy, peace and happiness. Thirdly, to recover sight to the blind. Who are blind people? Anyone who does not live in God but still thinks that he does is a blind person. It is the spiritual blindness Jesus is talking about. In Mk 8:22-26, though Jesus heals the blind man physically still it is a healing of the spiritual blindness of his disciples who were spiritually blind and lacking in faith. In the Gospel according to Mark, Jesus does many physical miracles in order to heal the spiritual blindness of his disciples in order to help them to grow in their faith. In nutshell, Jesus has been anointed with the Holy Spirit to meet every human need.

Fourthly, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. This is not to be understood as a calendar year but as a period when salvation will be proclaimed. This is the Messianic age. This quotation from Isiah 62:1-2 alludes to the year of Jubilee (Lev25:8-5), when once every fifty years slaves were freed, debts were canceled and ancestral property was returned to the original family. Isiah predicted the primary liberation of the Israel from Babylonian exile. But here, Jesus proclaims the liberation from sin and all its consequences.

Verse 21 says, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” This is the fulfillment of the Old Testament Prophesy. Here Jesus is the fulfillment of Old Testament Prophesy for He is the long awaited Messiah. Luke presents Jesus: his life, ministry, death and resurrection as the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophesy. In other words Jesus’ presence on earth opens the era of God’s reign on earth.