The Savior’s Work Brings Healing & Freedom
Isaiah 61:1–3
1“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;
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
3 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.”
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for your Word that we might know the work of our Savior, the Christ. Grant us humble repentance and comfort in his preaching, consoling, and proclaiming of liberty to us who were once held captive by sin and death but are no longer. Amen.
In Christ, who comes with good tidings, healing, and freedom, dear fellow redeemed,
In the Bible we learn that God anointed certain positions to identify and equip people for their particular task or role. The Lord anointed prophets, priests, and kings. For example, when the Lord chose David as the next King of Israel, he was anointed by the Prophet Samuel and Scripture states, “and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David.”
It’s interesting that the name “Christ” and its Old Testament equivalent, “Messiah,” means: “anointed one.” All the prophets, priests, and kings in the Old Testament pointed to the Christ—the “anointed one.” The Savior of the world would be set apart from the Lord for a very special work. Our Lord Jesus was anointed or set apart for his special work at his Baptism in the Jordan river which began his Public Ministry. When Jesus asked John to baptize him, John didn’t want to. John said, “I need to be baptized by you.” But Jesus responded, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15).
Jesus Christ was anointed by the Lord for the special work of accomplishing our salvation—fulfilling all righteousness. Jesus is the one who was foretold in our lesson from Isaiah. Jesus himself says so, when on one occasion he stood up in the synagogue and read these very verses from Isaiah, and when he had finished said, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21). Jesus was the One whom Isaiah foretold, the One anointed by the Lord, who would bring healing and freedom to his people.
All people need to hear about our Savior’s work. We need to not only know who he is, when he was born, but why Jesus changes everything. Without a knowledge of what Christ has come to do, our consciences will be troubled. And when we have a bad conscience, it makes us afraid of everything.
I once heard of a few friends who went camping in Colorado. One night after they had finished their supper and began to settle in their tents, they heard a bear outside. They were not prepared to handle any bear and so they were terrified. The friends huddled in fear and in complete silence as they heard the bear rummage through their campsite, digging through their left-over food, and at one point, even pawing at the back side of their tent. After sitting in terror for almost an hour, the bear finally left. The next morning, when they got out of their tent, did you know what they found? Racoon tracks all over their campsite. There was no bear at all. It was just a racoon.
When we have a bad conscience, it makes us afraid of everything. A bad conscience amplifies everything! Like the campers, it makes racoons into bears. Those who do not know Christ, his work, and what he has done, have bad consciences because they sit in darkness. The Law of God, which is imprinted on our hearts, condemns us. Paul explains that unbelievers, “show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them)” (Romans 2:15). Because we know we have not done what we should have—our conscience accuses us or else we try to make excuses for why we do certain things.
This is why many have a difficult time entering a church. They feel guilty. They think God is only upset with them. They think they are beyond help. They know the things they have done in secret or in the past that no one else knows. Even Christians can start to feel this way. I’ve heard numerous Christians express their concern over judgement day, over their sin, and feeling perpetual guilt and shame.
Of course, these thoughts are not all completely wrong. God is upset with our sin. God hates sin. It is rebellion against God and his perfect order. Sin deserves punishment. God will punish unbelievers in the day of vengeance—those unwilling to repent. But God doesn’t want it to be this way—he wants all people to be saved. It’s for this very reason that God sent his only begotten Son to redeem us. The Lord sent him to perform the very special work of our salvation! Isaiah foretold that our Savior would come, “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.”
Our Lord came to bring the Gospel to poor sinners. He came to announce the joyful message, the glorious news of salvation, to all men. To the poor—that is, to those who know their sin and their need of mercy—Christ offers pardon and peace. He comes to those who are troubled and burdened by their sin, that he has taken it away by his death on the cross. To those who have sinned and been sinned against—Jesus comes to heal them like a physician. Jesus said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” (Mark 2:17).
To those who have been held captive by sin and Satan, who have been told that they have no hope—that there is a bear outside their tent ready to rip them to shreds—Jesus tells them they are free. Jesus says, “Do not fear the devil any longer. I have crushed his head. His arrows now lie broken. His kingdom is conquered and his power is gone. Your sins are forgiven!”
That’s why the birth of Christ is such a special wonder. The Lord wanted us to see our Savior, not as some cruel and harsh judge, but as a newborn babe. What could be less frightening than a baby?
When we think of this Holy Child we stand in awe with the shepherds. We wonder at his marvelous birth—that God has become man. We find comfort in this Child, born for me, born for you. We sing and pray,
Be near me, Lord Jesus; I ask Thee to stay
Close by me forever and love me, I pray.
Without this Child we would have no hope. We would not be facing a mere racoon, but the threat and punishment of the Law for our sins. But with Christ, our Savior, who has done the work for our salvation, who heals, consoles, and frees us from sin and devil—we have hope and peace.
Isaiah preached this message to the people of Israel who would be taken away into the Babylonian Captivity. Their homeland would be destroyed, and they would be living in a foreign land with a foreign people who worshiped false gods. Outwardly, everything seemed lost. Yet, they had God’s Word. He promised that he would free them from their captors. They would be comforted.
During this time of year there can be a lot of sadness. We have tragedies at home and abroad. Our family gatherings may look different because of the changes in our lives or in the lives of others. It can be troubling and saddening. But it’s to you, who mourn, who feel the trouble your sin and the sin of this world, that Christ speaks peace. He gives the oil of joy to those who mourn; the garment of praise to those with the spirit of heaviness. The trouble that you are facing now is why he came in the first place. He didn’t come to just give you a Band-Aid or nice distraction. He came to give you a new heaven and a new earth. Where there are no more tears, no more sadness, no more sin. He came to establish a peace that will never fade away. He gives you a peace that surpasses all understanding.
May the knowledge of our Savior’s work—his preaching of good tiding, healing, and proclamation of freedom give you joy and peace, even in these dark days of winter. Amen.