Peter Misselbrook's Blog

Jan 8 2020 - Luke 4:1-30 – Good news for the poor

Jesus' mission in this world required him to wrestle with the subtle temptations of the devil and, by defeating him, loosen his stranglehold over the world which God has created for his own glory. Jesus identified himself fully with us and was tempted just as we are, but he never gave way to temptation. The devil tempted him to use his powers as the Son of God for his own benefit and to adopt the methods of this fallen world to gain the favour of the crowds. Jesus will not reach an accommodation with the devil; he is determined to devote himself entirely to doing God his Father's work in God's way. In this he sets us an example that we can follow only by his strength and in his power. This is only the beginning of the great battle between Christ and Satan.

Jesus begins his public ministry in Nazareth with a reading from the prophet Isaiah:

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. (Luke 4:18-19)

Having read these words to the synagogue congregation, Jesus concludes, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." Jesus adopts this passage of Scripture as his manifesto. It is a declaration of what he, the anointed one, the Christ of God, has come to do.

The passage has echoes of the Jubilee legislation of Leviticus 25. In the year of Jubilee, Jewish bond-slaves were to be released and returned to their own family lands; debts were to be cancelled and each person was to enjoy the inheritance which God had given to his people. These laws were designed to prevent some in society accumulating great riches while others became poor. Jesus came to proclaim a great year of Jubilee. He came to proclaim good news to the poor and freedom for the captives.

This theme is taken up in a stirring, if somewhat quaint, hymn by Charles Wesley:

Blow ye the trumpet, blow!
The gladly solemn sound
Let all the nations know,
To earth’s remotest bound:
  The year of jubilee is come!
  The year of jubilee is come!
  Return, ye ransomed sinners, home.

Ye slaves of sin and hell,
Your liberty receive,
And safe in Jesus dwell,
And blest in Jesus live:
  The year of jubilee is come!
  The year of jubilee is come!
  Return, ye ransomed sinners, home.

Ye who have sold for naught
Your heritage above
Shall have it back unbought,
The gift of Jesus’ love:
  The year of jubilee is come!
  The year of jubilee is come!
  Return, ye ransomed sinners, home.

Our captive world still needs to hear the liberating message of the gospel: Jesus gives freedom to the captives and sight to the blind.

But this message of liberation is not simply about the hereafter; it must also affect the way we live here and now. This was recognised by the Wesleys and by Wilberforce. They believed that the gospel was not only to give hope for the future to the few, but hope now for the many who live in despair. It must bring freedom to the oppressed and, quite literally, freedom to those held in slavery. It must transform the way we live in this world that we might transform the lives of others.

We need to look carefully at our own lives to examine those areas where we may be lending support to systems of oppression and to structures which maintain our own riches at the expense of others – which result in their enslavement. Our embrace of the gospel must involve our adoption of this same gospel manifesto – an adoption that must be more than mere words. We are to become good news for the poor. Our lives, shaped by the Spirit of the risen Saviour, are to be lived in a way that anticipates that great day when all of creation will be liberated from bondage and will enjoy the freedom of the children of God. It's quite a calling!

Find out more this week about the evils of human trafficking and what you can do to join the fight against it.

Father God, thank you that through Jesus you have freed me from bondage to sin and death and made me your child. Open my eyes and make me sensitive to the many ways in which people are oppressed and enslaved in your world. Help me not to perpetuate such slavery through my own self-centred living but to do all I can to campaign and work for its alleviation. May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Jan 8 2019 - Genesis 4:1-16 – My brother's keeper

Cain and Abel were Adam and Eve's first children. Abel was a shepherd and his brother Cain was an arable farmer. Both seem to have been aware that the good things they gained from their daily toil were evidence of God's continuing goodness and mercy. So they brought offerings to God from the fruit of their labour as an expression of thankfulness to him. We do not know why God was pleased with Abel's offering but not with that of Cain. Maybe Cain resented having to part with some of the hard won produce of his labour while Abel gave his willingly and gladly. God looks on the heart. Whatever the reason, Cain certainly resented the fact that God found favour with his brother's offering but rejected what he had brought. This resentment poisoned Cain's heart and before long he seized on the opportunity to murder his brother.

In Genesis one and two we noted that God made us for fellowship with himself and to be a blessing to one another and to all that God has made. In Genesis three we saw that rebellion against God brought with it a dislocation not only in our relationship with him but in human relationships also. Cain and Abel provide us with a tragic illustration of relationships which should be characterised by love and mutual support degenerating into resentment, hatred and murder.

When God challenged Cain asking, "Where is your brother Abel?" Cain replied, "Am I my brother's keeper?" Cain was probably not expecting a direct answer, but perhaps we could venture one. Yes, we were created to be those who care for, protect and provide for one another. We were created to be our brother's keeper. The tragedy is that we now live in a world where so many are intent upon looking after themselves and their own interests, even at the expense of others. None of us is entirely innocent of such tendencies and conduct, even if we may have stopped short of murder.

God told Cain that his brother's blood cried out to him from the ground – cried out for God to exact justice. God then declared his punishment upon Cain.

But I want to shift the focus for a moment. We, like Adam and Eve, have ignored God and chosen to go our own way. But God did not act in vengeance; he loved us so much that he sent his Son into the world for us. Jesus identified himself with us, taking upon himself our humanity and not being ashamed to call us his brothers and sisters (see Hebrews 2:11). Instead of coming down in judgment, he came to die for us, to shed his blood for us upon the cross. His blood does not cry out to God for vengeance, it pleads with God for our forgiveness. Hebrews 12:24 says that we who have come to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ have come "to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel." This truth is beautifully expressed in an old hymn by Friedrich Filitz:

Abel’s blood for vengeance
Pleaded to the skies;
But the blood of Jesus
For our pardon cries.

Praise God for Jesus who answer's Cain's question "Am I my brother's keeper?" with a resounding "Yes I am!" We who follow this wonderful Saviour must answer Cain's question in the same way.

What does it mean for us to live in this world thankful for all God gives us and determined to "be our brother's keeper", to care for one another? What will that mean for you this week?

Father God, thank you so much for Jesus my brother who shed his blood for me that I might be reconciled with you and know the embrace of your love. Help me to tell others of your amazing love.

Peter Misselbrook