Jesus' Earthly Ministry

We return to Luke 4 this morning and consider Jesus’ earthly ministry.  Last Sunday, Bro. Ronnie showed Jesus’ temptation from the devil in the wilderness. 

 

In one sense, you could say that Jesus’ baptism started His earthly ministry.  His temptation then prepared Him for His earthly ministry.  Today’s text then shows us the beginning.

 

 

1. Jesus’ earthly ministry was furthered by the Holy Spirit, Luke 4:14-15.

14 Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. 15 And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. 

 

Verse 14 says that Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit.  This was the Holy Spirit furthering or empowering His earthly ministry that included a strong teaching/preaching component. 

 

Dr. Luke often highlights the presence and work of the Holy Spirit more so than the other gospels.  So far, we have seen that to be true specifically in Jesus’ life.

 

Luke 1:35, 35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.

 

Luke 3:22, 22 And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”

 

Luke 4:1, 1 Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.

 

Also, in these first two verses, we see that Jesus had returned home to minister.  That home was Galilee.

 

And, He gave His initial attention to the Jews.  We know that because He taught in their synagogues.  His ministry first to the Jews and then to the Gentiles is very important for today, and we will come back to that in just a minute. 

 

BTW…If my ministry and our ministry at Emory Baptist Church is not furthered and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we are wasting our time.  Consequently, you will hear me pray for the Holy Spirit to be at work in our worship service.  We need to ask the Lord to fill us with His Spirit when we evangelize our coworkers and classmates.  We need to pray for the Holy Spirit to guide and direct our community ministries.

 

 

2. Jesus’ earthly ministry favored the outcast, Luke 4:16-19, 23-27.

16 So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. 17 And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; 19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

 

In verse 16, Jesus came home, and He went to the local synagogue on Saturday to preach.  In verse 17, He took the scroll of Isaiah and read from Isaiah 61. 

 

In verse 18, Luke again highlights the Holy Spirit furthering and empowering Jesus’ ministry.  He then spoke of 5 different groups of people that His ministry would include, and they all could be considered to be outcasts of society.

 

First, Jesus would preach the gospel to the poor.  Second, He would heal the brokenhearted.  Third, He would proclaim freedom to the captives or prisoners free.  Fourth, He would help the blind see, and fifth, He would set free those who were oppressed. 

 

In conservative Baptist circles, we like to think Jesus was talking spiritually about these groups: the spiritually poor and the spiritually broken and the spiritually addicted and the spiritually blind and the spiritually oppressed.  And He was.

 

However, brothers and sisters, Jesus’ earthly ministry favored the literal poor and literal broken and the literal prisoner and the literal blind and the literal oppressed.  Why?  Because they knew they needed a Savior. 

 

Consequently, if Jesus’ ministry favored these outcasts, our must too.  We can’t be like Jesus and shy away from these messy, different, groups that are in desperate need.

 

Yes, it will take time.  Yes, it will be messy, and yes, it will require patience.  And that is exactly what Jesus did and wants from us. 

Jesus’ earthly ministry favored the socially outcast and also the ethnically outcast.  That is the reason for verses 25-27.

 

25 But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; 26 but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” 

 

In verse 25-26, Jesus reminded His hometown folks that God sent Elijah to one widow in Israel.  Do you know what was unique about her?  She was a Gentile.

 

In verse 27, what was unique about Naaman the Syrian who was a leper being cleansed and healed?  He also was a Gentile. 

 

Brothers and sisters, if we are going to ministry to this community, we have got embrace who our community is.  If you want to minister to those in Allen or Frisco or Lewisville, then you should go to church there.

 

Now I want to make a very specific application, and that is to immigrants.  Our country has an immigration problem.  Our immigration system is woefully broken, and the greatest nation in the world, in my opinion, needs comprehensive immigration reform. 

 

First, we need to secure our borders.  Second, all of those who are here illegally need to go to the end of the line for naturalization.  Third, they need to undergo a criminal background check.  Fourth, they need to pay some type of monetary fine for coming or staying illegally.  Fifth, they need to learn our primary language of English. 

 

However, what about those who are here?  Do we give them amnesty?  We do not.  Do we deport them?  We do not. 

 

As a church, we must welcome them, love them, and minister to them.  Jesus’ earthly ministry favors them, and ours should too.

 

 

3. Jesus’ earthly ministry fulfilled prophecy, Luke 4:20-22.

20 Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, “Is this not Joseph’s son?”

 

After Jesus read from Isaiah, notice what He said in verse 21.  He said that He was fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah 61.  In other words, He was the promised Messiah, and He was the central figure or character in God’s plan. 

 

We have seen these in recent Sundays, but it is so paramount that we must proclaim it again and again.  Jesus is promised Messiah.  He is the Savior of the Jews and the Gentiles.  Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the world.

 

Consequently, that is the message that God planned for Jesus to share with hometown first.  And that is the message that we are to share with our families first. 

 

However, family ministry is hard.  It was hard for Jesus, and it will be hard for us. 

 

23 He said to them, “You will surely say this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.’” 24 Then He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country.

 

In verse 23, the Nazarenes wanted to see some miracle to validate Jesus’ message.  Jesus then rebuked them with verse 24.  No prophet is accepted in his own country. 

 

Family and community ministry is hard.  However, family and community ministry is worth it.

 

Some will be amazed like those in verse 15 and verse 22.  Others will be angry like those in verses 28-30.

 

15 And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.

 

22 So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth.

 

28 So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, 29 and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff. 30 Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.

Conclusion

Our ministry should follow Jesus’ ministry: furthered by the Holy Spirit, favoring to the outcasts who recognize their need, and fulfilling the plan of God specifically to our families and community.

 

Also, if you don’t receive the message God has shared with you, eventually, His mercy will move.  That is what we see in these Nazarenes being so upset with Jesus that they wanted to kill Him.  My invitation is to receive Him today.