Yesterday my Bible reading included part of Luke 4. Nothing odd about that I hear you say except it included these words:
He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”
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. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
Again there is nothing exceptional about that except I was going to spend the evening at church with the local branch of Amnesty doing the IT bit so they could watch the film Burma VJ. This set me thinking; Jesus clearly says he came to “proclaim freedom for the prisoners” and so is Amnesty, not in itself a Christian organisation, doing Jesus’s work of bringing about the Kingdom of God? After all Jesus himself said “whoever is not against you is for you.”
2 comments:
Just out of interest, what makes you think that Jesus was talking about criminals and political prisoners that have been locked-up?
Isn't it possible that Jesus was speaking allegorically, as he did when he said "destroy this temple and I will rebuild it in three days"?
Battersea Boy, The simple answer is I don't know whether Jesus was talking literally or allegorically when he spoke these words but I believe that the Holy Spirit can use them in both ways as he opens up the scriptures to us.
Post a Comment