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Luke 4:16: And he
came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up; and he went to the
synagogue, as his custom was, on the Sabbath day. And he stood up to
read;
17: and there was given to him the book of the prophet Isaiah.
He opened the book and found the place where it was written,
18: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has
anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to
proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
19: to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."
20: And he closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant,
and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.
21: And he began to say to them, "Today this scripture has
been fulfilled in your hearing."
It’s notable that Jesus
didn’t read from Isaiah 53, the passage referring to the Suffering
Servant, but instead chose to read from chapter
61.
Which
reads on in very glorious and hopeful terms,,
4:
They shall build up the ancient ruins, they shall raise up the former
devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of
many generations.
5: Aliens shall stand and feed your flocks, foreigners shall be
your plowmen and vinedressers;
6: but you shall be called the priests of the LORD, men shall
speak of you as the ministers of our God; you shall eat the wealth of
the nations, and in their riches you shall glory.
7: Instead of your shame you shall have a double portion,
instead of dishonor you shall rejoice in your lot; therefore in your
land you shall possess a double portion; yours shall be everlasting
joy.
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In
the mind of Jesus, and in the heart of God, that time was to be the
fulfillment of Isaiah 61, and all the
other passages in Hebrew scripture that articulate the promises of a
glorious Kingdom in Israel. Dual
Messianic prophesy, as it’s been understood, has explained that
the Glorious Israel, and the Glorious Kingdom prophesies are meant
for the Second Coming, and that the Suffering Servant prophesies
were meant to be fulfilled first in Jesus’ time 2000 years ago.
But according to Jesus own words, Isaiah 61 was meant to be
fulfilled in that time, in Nazareth and throughout Israel.
There is no conflict in dual prophecy if you understand the
context, and the position of mankind, in possessing his own portion
of responsibility. The
Law Covenant always spoke of two possibilities based on the response
of faith, or of no faith. Blessings and glory, or suffering Curses.
So the fate of Messianic providence is likewise determined by
the extent of human participation, or the lack of it.
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