Messenger and Message

Synoptic Gospels 1: Messenger of the Covenant (2)

Pray Psalm 22.27, 28.
All the ends of the world
Shall remember and turn to the LORD,
And all the families of the nations
Shall worship before You.
For the kingdom is the LORD’s,
And He rules over the nations.

Sing Psalm 22.27, 28.
(Darwall: Rejoice, the Lord is King)
All nations shall repent and hasten to the LORD.
All those to whom His truth is sent shall praise His Word.
The LORD is King! 
His sovereign rule on high now we His people sing!

Read Mark 6.1-6; Luke 4.16-30; meditate on Luke 4.16-21.

Preparation
1. How did Jesus serve as the Messenger of the covenant here?

2. What was His message?

Meditation
People in the synagogue at Nazareth were used to hearing the Word of God read by various people. When one of their own, a “home grown” prophet—as they perhaps liked to regard Jesus—showed up, it was only natural to invite Him to offer a word or two, especially when, by standing up, He indicated His desire to do so.

Many of those present would have recognized the text Jesus chose to read as a Messianic prophecy. They might even have harbored the hope that God’s Messiah would come in their lifetime to overthrow their Roman occupiers and bring the full blessings of God to the land of promise. We can see them, eyes closed and nodding agreeably as Jesus read through the text of Isaiah 61.1, 2. 

When He finished the reading, Jesus closed the scroll and gave it to attendant to put back in its case. Then He sat down and waited in silence while “the eyes of all who were in the synagogue” fixed with anticipation on Him, concerning the message He might proclaim.

The Messenger had only a brief Message: “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Lk. 16.21). A little elaboration would follow (vv. 23-27) but only after He had let that announcement sink in: The Messenger Who had read God’s Word to them was Himself the Message of that Word.

No wonder they marveled (v. 22). At least for a while, until the further elaboration of His words outraged them so much that they sought to throw Him off the cliff (vv. 28-30). They found the Messenger’s Message offensive, as many still do today. 

What is our Message to the world? It’s Jesus—nothing more and nothing less.

Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
David wrote this Psalm about himself; but since all the Psalms are Messianic in nature, the pronouns will be changed to reflect Jesus. It is an apt description of this venture into the synagogue (Lk. 4.16-30).

“Then I said, ‘Behold, I come;
In the scroll of the book it is written of Me.
I delight to do Your will, O My God, and
Your law is within My heart.’
I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness
In the great assembly; indeed,
I do not restrain My lips, 
O LORD, You Yourself know.
I have not hidden Your righteousness within My heart;
I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation;
I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth
From the great assembly” (Ps. 40.7-10).

“Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of Him Who sent Me,
and to finish His work’” (Jn. 4.34).

“I have come that they may have life, 
and that they may have it more abundantly” (Jn. 10.10).

The Messenger and The Message for all time. 

Reflection
1. Since Jesus is the Message, how should we convey Him by our lives?

2. What do we want to say to people about Jesus?

3. How can believers encourage one another to live as witnesses for Jesus?

Jesus proclaimed the fulfillment of God’s plan and promise in Himself, since He is the figure described in the passage. Earl Radmacher (1933-2014), NKJV Study Bible Note on Luke 4.16-21

Pray Psalm 22.29-31.
Jesus is the Message of the Kingdom. Pray for grace to grow in Jesus, that His Kingdom might increase in and through you. 

Sing Psalm 22.29-31.
(Dix: For the Beauty of the Earth)
All the prosp’rous of the earth shall before His mercy fall;
bending low before His worth, hear them humbly on Him call.
Even those low in the grave He will by His mercy save.

Let the generations all witness to His saving grace;
let them to all nations call, “Bow before His holy face!”
Let the children of the earth hear of Jesus’ saving worth!

T. M. and Susie Moore

If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).

Other columns of interest this week: Our Read Moore podcast is concentrating on praying the psalms to seek revival—why we should and what we might expect. Do you ever wonder about what God’s will for you is? Patrick—echoing Paul—makes it clear, as you can see in last week’s Crosfigell. Our current ReVision series, “Pray for Your Church”, teaches us how to pray for the ministries of our church, beginning with worship. And new in our bookstore, our book, The Ongoing Work of Christ shows us how the book of Acts provides a template and footprint for all who take up the work of building Jesus’ Church.

And please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe with your prayers and gifts. You can contribute online, via PayPal or Anedot, or by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.

Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.