He [Jesus] went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias (Isaiah). And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.a And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. . . . And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
Beloved, from that day until the end of His earthly ministry, Jesus indeed was the fulfillment of that scripture and much more. Today, He still is. Only today, His Mission and Purpose are continuing in and through the hearts and lives of His willing and obedient vessels of Faith, who are now His body. Through them, He will show His Spirit to the world, touching hearts and changing lives. His Light will shine through them, piercing the darkness of any sin, and breaking any bondage someone may find themselves in.
Because Jesus’ compassion knows no limits for those who are tied up from various incarcerated circumstances–I picture Jesus with tears of agonizing grief for souls living behind invisible bars or inside of a physical prison, feeling trapped, unworthy and unloved. I believe the tears of Jesus still flows freely from, both, tears of grief because they are in captivity, and tears of joy, because He has paid the debt to set them free.
As Jesus’ seeds of compassion and purpose continues to grow in the hearts of each one of His faithful vessels, His love Light to the world shines brighter and brighter each day. As followers of Jesus, our hearts should beat with the same passion and purpose that filled His heart and cushioned His steps, which ultimately led Him to the cross. His spirit that lives in us, will empower us to continue in His footsteps, pick up the “Torch” and carry on. Jesus is not physically walking the face of the earth today, yet His Message, His Mission, and His Purpose are still moving on strong. He is still working in and through the hearts and lives of yielded vessels who are willing to put self aside and die to pride – clearing the way so that Jesus can work in and through their lives to enlighten, strengthen, change, and save lives.
My hope and prayer for you today, Beloved, is for you to see the real Jesus, that many just can’t see. The Jesus who truly is a friend but is so much more: Savior, Redeemer, Shepherd, Lord, and again, a forever friend, “that sticketh closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24).
Jesus puts no condemnation on what you have done but urges you to make amends and turn away from your sins. The only requirement to experience this Jesus is faith. The faith of a mustard seed, or faith of a little child that is truly from the heart and repented in nature, so Jesus will see your sincere, contrite heart that is open to receive His blessings and a new start. For one day, you may become a fruitful vessel for others to see the living Jesus who changes lives and sets people free.
a Isaiah 61:1-3.