The Four People to Reach
Luke 4:18–19 (ESV) “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Christians have been given one main task, to declare the gospel to the ends of the earth. But, who exactly are these people to whom we are declare the grace, mercy, and gift of God? In Luke 4:18-19, we see that there are four main groupings of people who are in desperate need of hearing the proclaimed word.
Before recognizing the people to whom we are to declare the righteousness of God, let’s first notice that the messenger is one who is anointed by the Holy Spirit. This anointing indicates that as followers of Christ, we have been set apart for a task, which is the proclamation of Good News. Fortunately, we are not to find the words or strength for the task in ourselves, but the Spirit himself will be the one who will give the power to perform the task and the words to declare. Thus, as each Christian has been called to proclaim the message of Christ, he or she does not do it without the aiding and leading of the spirit.
The first people to proclaim the good news to are the poor. The poor in this passage indicates to arenas of people. It can mean that we are to declare the righteousness of Christ to those who are both materially without and in the place of spiritual bankruptcy. As we look throughout the history of the church, we notice that great revivals have often sprung up out of those who are without and in the position of spiritual bankruptcy. This is evident in the ministry of John Wesley as he proclaimed to the masses in the mine fields of England.
The second people group that is in desperate need to hear the proclaimed message of hope are the captives. To the captives the message is simply one of liberty. Sin binds and carries off individuals into exile away from God. As a result, there is a need for liberty if one is going to escape the snare of sin and its condition. The message to these is simply the full release and deliverance that is offered in Christ.
The third group of people to hear the Word of the Lord is the ones who are blind. The condition of those who are blind is a state in which the individual is unable to recognize his or her own spiritual condition and as a result are walking unknowingly toward eternal, spiritual death. The only hope for them is the restoration of sight that leads to an awakening of the soul. This only comes through a relationship with Christ, which must be declared to them by those who are called to be the witnesses of God.
The fourth group we must declare God’s good news to are the ones who are oppressed. In thinking of oppression, we need to understand that sin sneaks in and oppresses the individual by trapping them and removing the joy of life from them. Sin does not allow authentic joy, found in Christ, to take hold in the life of the one who is oppressed. As a result, the message to the oppressed is one of relief and forgiveness. To the oppressed, this is what the gospel offers.
Ultimately, the message is one that is simple. We are to offer the “year of Jubilee.” This speaks of an event that happens once every fifty years within the Jewish culture where all debts were forgiven. The amazing part is that when we declare the message of Christ we are declaring that our sin debt is so great that it cannot be paid by us. As a result, Christ has paid that debt and the Father offers sinners Jubilee through a relationship with His son. Have you experienced the realness of Jubilee? If so, are you sharing the joy of Jubilee with the poor, the captives, the blind, and the oppressed?
