Coming Out

January 24

(Luke 4:16-21 NIV) “He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. {17} The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: {18} "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, {19} to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." {20} Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, {21} and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

(Isaiah 61:1-3 NIV) “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, {2} to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, {3} and provide for those who grieve in Zion-- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.”

Jesus returned to His hometown of Nazareth, went to the synagogue, and was asked to read from Isaiah 61. The verses speak of Israel’s coming Messiah and what He would do when He came. When Jesus had finished reading, He declared that Isaiah’s prophecy had just been fulfilled. He was the one spoken of in Isaiah. Jesus “came out” as the Messiah of Israel. It was a holy moment. He proclaimed through the prophet’s words that He had not come for the rich, the powerful, and the religious, but for the poor, the prisoners, the oppressed, and the blind. For a brief moment, the crowd was amazed and spoke well of Him, but then the tide turned. This is how it will be when we “come out” as Christians. We’ll get lots of “likes” on our Facebook page, until people realize that we represent radical change and a threat to their way of life. “Come out” anyway. It’s a God thing. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day