They will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God....

“Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside.  He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.

 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 favor.’

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.” (Luke 4:14-20)

We’ve all had one of those ahha moments where we hear God was so clearly speaking to us about something.   The words leap off the page and speak to our heart.  As Jesus read the scroll, God was speaking to Him about it’s fulfillment through Him (Jesus).  Jesus clearly fulfilled this Scripture by His actions. 

A significant part of His purpose while He was on earth was to proclaim the good news, give sight to the blind, heal the lame, set the prisoners free, and release those who were oppressed.   But there is more to it than this.  The word fulfilled here is the Greek word pléroó , Strongs #4137.  It means to fill to the full, amply supply and/or accomplished.     .
 

The scripture in Isaiah 61 that Jesus was reading from in the scroll goes on to say,

“…to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
    and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
  and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
    instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
    instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
    instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
    a planting of the Lord
    for the display of his splendor.

They will rebuild the ancient ruins
    and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
    that have been devastated for generations.
 Strangers will shepherd your flocks;
    foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
 And you will be called priests of the Lord,
    you will be named ministers of our God.

(Isaiah 61:2-6)

Notice that the verse moves from "me" to they. Those who have been given so much by Jesus (amply supplied) will carry on the works of the Lord forward.   They will be the ones who rebuild the devastated places around them for the display of His splendor. 

We have been anointed with all we need by the power of the Holy Spirit to carry forward His purposes through our lives.  We are His ministers.   His purpose becomes our purpose.  And in living out this purpose, we display His splendor.  We glorify Him.

John 14:12 Jesus says, “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”

Jesus "fulfilled" this scripture in a way that amply supplies the Spirit to those who receive Him to perform this work through-out time.   He accomplished this for us.  It is part of our inheritance from Him. 

"Forgiven, beloved, Hidden in Christ
Made in the image of the Giver of Life
Righteous and holy, reborn and remade
Accepted and worthy, this is our new name
This is who we are now"

I often feel so helpless in the face of someone going through significant struggles to comfort them or actually make any kind of difference in their lives.   I pray but sometimes because I don’t believe I can make a difference, I don’t even try.   However, here Jesus is saying that we as His people are anointed to do this work through Him and glorify Him by doing it. 

 

1 John 2:20 says, "But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and  you all have knowledge."

“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!” (Isaiah 52:7)

Lord, let us display Your splendor by glorifying You in all we do.   Let our lives be filled with Your purposes of bringing Your kingdom and not our own.  Free us from doubts about who we are in You.