Luke 4:18

Spirit of the Lord. For the role of the Holy Spirit in the earthly ministry of Jesus see on Matt. 3:16; 4:1.

Is upon me. The Holy Spirit came upon Jesus at the time of His baptism to empower Him for His earthly ministry (see Luke 3:21, 22; John 1:32; Acts 10:38).

Anointed. Gr. chrid, from which the title Christ, the Anointed (one), is derived (see on Matt. 1:1). In its Messianic setting, this passage might be freely translated thus: “He hath made me the Christ,” or, “He hath made me the Messiah” (see on Isa. 61:1).

The gospel. See on Mark 1:1.

The poor. The poor were usually at the mercy of unscrupulous officials, businessmen, and neighbors. Further, it was generally supposed that the suffering of poverty was due to the curse of God — that their unfortunate state was their own fault. Few felt sympathetic toward them in their unhappy plight. Jesus’ marked love for the poor was one of the great evidences of His Messiahship to which He called the attention of John the Baptist when the latter was languishing in prison (see Matt. 11:5). Those who have little of this world’s goods are frequently conscious of their needs and of their reliance upon God, and thus frequently susceptible to the preaching of the gospel. The gospel of Jesus means relief for the poor, light for the ignorant, alleviation of distress for the suffering, and emancipation for the slaves of sin.

Any person who took an interest in relieving the poor was thought to be particularly righteous, and almsgiving became synonymous with righteousness (see on Acts 10:2-4; etc.). It was often the case that almsgiving was practiced, not out of sympathetic interest in helping the poor, but from a desire to earn righteousness (see on Matt. 6:1–4; John 12:5). However, genuine, sympathetic concern for the feelings and needs of our fellow men is one of the best evidences of “pure religion” (see James 1:27), of sincere conversion (1 John 3:10, 14), of love for God (see 1 John 3:17-19; 4:21), and of readiness for entrance into the kingdom of heaven (see Matt. 25:34-46).

Perhaps Jesus was thinking also of the “poor in spirit” (see on Matt. 5:3) — those in need of spiritual things rather than material things. It is the “poor in spirit,” those who sense their spiritual need, to whom Christ promised the infinite resources of the kingdom of heaven. In fact, there is little use in preaching the gospel to any but those who feel their need of something more than this world has to offer (cf. Rev. 3:17, 18). It is those who are rich in faith, who hear and heed the gospel message (see on Matt. 7:24), who are to be “heirs of the kingdom” (see James 2:5). It is “treasure in heaven” that counts (see Luke 12:21, 33; 18:22).

The brokenhearted. Including, of course, those who are suffering bitter disappointment, but referring particularly to those who are “brokenhearted” and repentant over sin. The “brokenhearted” here referred to may be compared with those who “mourn” over sin, that is, those who are contrite of heart (see on Matt. 5:4; cf. Rom. 7:24). Jesus came to mend broken hearts.

Captives. This does not refer to literal captives, but to those who have been captives of Satan in body, mind, and spirit (see Rom. 6:16). Jesus did not release John the Baptist from prison. These “captives” are “spirits” that languish in the “prison” house of Satan (see 1 Peter 3:19), caught in “the snare of the devil” and “taken captive by him at his will” (see 2 Tim. 2:26).

Blind. Not only the literally blind, but also those spiritually blind (see Matt. 15:14; 23:16-19, 26; John 9:39-41).

To set at liberty. A paraphrase of the words of Isa. 58:6 (see on Luke 4:17). In the reading of the Prophets, but not the Law, it was permissible to skip from one passage to another.

Them that are bruised. The scripture quoted speaks of letting “the oppressed go free,” again essentially in the spiritual sense. The same Hebrew word translated “oppressed” in Isa. 58:6 is given as “bruised” in Isa. 42:3, where it is prophesied of Christ that “a bruised reed shall he not break.” In Isa. 42:4 the word is translated “discouraged.” Jesus came to free men from the heavy burdens of sin, and from the oppressive rabbinical restrictions placed upon the Jews (see Matt. 23:4; cf. ch. 11:28-30).