Jesus' To-Do List

Luke 4:17-21

And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."

...............

This passage is one of many purpose statements found in the Gospels which summarize Jesus' mission on earth. These summary statements deserve our attention because they keep us focused on primary matters and put peripheral topics in their proper context. These mission statements are often synonymous with the gospel message. Here are some other examples:

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. (Matthew 5:17 ESV)

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45 ESV)

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. (Luke 19:10 ESV)

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. (John 3:17 ESV)

I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. (John 12:46 ESV)

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. (John 10:10 ESV)

And within Luke 4 itself there is yet another rephrasing of Jesus' purpose:

but he said to them, "I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose." (Luke 4:43 ESV)

There are many other verses as well, especially Jesus' prayer in John 17 and the various self-referential parables. But, these few verses listed above are sufficient to convey a comprehensive sense of why Jesus came and what he meant to accomplish. Taken together, we see that Jesus came to bring a message and a miracle.

A Message. Luke 4 describes Jesus as a teacher, taking the seat of authority in the synagogues and sharing a prophetic word from God. He boldly declares that the Isaiah passage has been fulfilled in himself - that he himself is the message. He speaks of proclaiming "good news" and the "year of the Lord's favor." The message from God has arrived: the offer of freedom and a restored relationship with our Creator.

A Miracle. It is not enough to simply hear this message - Christ came for more than that. First I'll list the action phrases that describe the miraculous things Jesus came to do; then, I'll list the type of people he describes as the recipients of these miracles.

Actions:

Recover
Release
Fulfill the law
Serve
Give his life as a ransom
Seek
Save (x2)
Give abundant life
Enlighten
Preach/proclaim good news

Recipients:

The poor
The captives
The blind
The oppressed
The lost
The many
The world
Whoever believes, among those in darkness
The other towns (besides Capernaum, where he was welcome)

This to-do list would be sufficiently miraculous on its own, but is even more so when we consider the utterly undeserving condition of its recipients. I'll close with some questions for further reflection:

Have I envisioned Jesus as concerned with something other than these core purposes?
Do I truly see myself as poor, blind, captive, lost....?
Do I treasure the Savior who was sent for me?
Have I made my life's purpose to match the purposes of my Savior?