1Start
In his hometown synagogue, Jesus stood up, found a passage in Isaiah, and read it aloud (Luke 4:16–17).
2Read Together
Jesus had grown up in Nazareth and went to the synagogue on the Sabbath, “as his custom was” (Luke 4:16). The passage he chose was the prophecy we read in October (Isaiah 61:1–2).
Luke 4:18–21 · King James Version
18The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. 20And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
3What It Teaches
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor” (Luke 4:18). Messiah and Christ both mean anointed. Jesus was reading a description of himself.
The passage lists what the Anointed One would do. He would heal the brokenhearted, preach deliverance to the captives, give sight to the blind, and set the bruised at liberty (Luke 4:18). He did these things during his ministry, and he still does them today.
Then he closed the book, sat down, and said, “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears” (Luke 4:20–21). Every eye in the synagogue was on him.
Jesus stopped reading in the middle of Isaiah’s verse. The next words speak of “the day of vengeance of our God” (Isaiah 61:2). That day belongs to his Second Coming (Doctrine and Covenants 133:51). His first coming was for healing and mercy.
4Talk About It
Jesus came to heal the brokenhearted and set captives free. Which part of his mission means the most to you, and why?