First, the Spirit of the Lord is on me (14-21). After overcoming the devil's temptation, Jesus returned to Galilee full of the power of the Spirit. He worked as an itinerant preacher mainly in the Jewish synagogues. While in his hometown of Nazareth, he read from the scroll of Isaiah about the Messiah who would have the Spirit of the Lord on him to proclaim good news to the poor and to free prisoners and release those who are oppressed. Jesus' coming was truly the year of the Lord's favor. Jesus fulfilled the scriptures; he is the promised Messiah that everyone was waiting for (18-19, 21). Second, no prophet is accepted in his hometown (22-30). Strangely, at just that moment when the people should welcome Jesus as Messiah, they got all hung up on his human background. Jesus said to them that no prophet is welcome in his own hometown. Both Elijah and Elisha were sent to help a Gentile who welcomed them rather than a Jew. This made them furious and they tried to push him off a cliff but Jesus walked right through the crowd and went on his way. Jesus was not harmed because it wasn't God's time yet for him to die.
Application: Lord Jesus, I welcome you as the Messiah. Fill me with your Spirit to proclaim the good news to the poor and to set the oppressed free.
One Word: The Spirit of the Lord is on me