Mission Statement

Reading: Luke 4:16-21

16 When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. 17 The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written: 18 “The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, 19 and that the time of the LORD’s favor has come.” 20 He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently. 21 Then he began to speak to them. “The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!” (Luke 4:16-21 NLT)

Jesus went, as he had for twenty-plus years, into the synagogue in his home town Nazareth that Sabbath day. It wasn’t unusual that someone handed him the scroll to read the day’s scripture reading. It was customary for good and godly young men to be asked to take part in the service. What was different this time was that, because news travels fast, his neighbors and acquaintances who were there that day had heard stories about what had happened in Judea a couple of months earlier when John baptized Jesus. They had heard that Jesus had been back in Galilee for a while and had been causing quite a stir a few miles away in the towns around the Lake with his teachings in their synagogues. Matthew and Mark tell us that Jesus had done miraculous healings and cast out tormenting demons in the lakeside towns. Everyone was waiting to see what Jesus would do and say!

Jesus took the scroll of Isaiah and read from Isaiah 61:1-2: The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the LORD’s favor has come.

Then he said, “This scripture is about me, and has come true today before your very eyes!” Jesus declared his Mission Statement that day and it hasn’t changed: Good news for the poor, release for the captives, healing for the sick, freedom from oppression for the weak and powerless, and God’s favor to all who will receive it!

Prayer:

Father, I wonder if our Mission Statement and the actions that we do to fulfill it is still as simple and clear as it was when Jesus made this declaration. And I wonder if it’s still as clear as Isaiah saw it when he prophesied it so long ago. Please help us make your Mission Statement our Mission Statement and do the things that fulfill it. Amen!