Our Redeemer

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:18-19).
The entire world is in need of a redeemer. From every quarter, the soul of man is crying for a healing. Even nature seems to cry for a deliverance. No wonder, for man’s sins have brought the whole universe into a crisis. The soul of man senses that he is doomed unless a Savior comes to his rescue. Nature is imperfect and out of balance and will someday be consumed by its own fury by the order of its Creator.
The above scripture is hope given by a loving God. These very words, first spoken by Isaiah the prophet, were reiterated by Jesus. The Lord had recently returned from the wilderness where He had defeated the devil. That defeat was a very important step toward fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah. The time was right for a Savior to do His optimum work of saving. The world was ripe for a spiritual change, and Israel was at a decisive place of accepting or rejecting a Messiah. We are reminded of the words of the apostle Paul, “But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons” (Gal. 4:4-5). Soon many in Israel would turn to the Lord to be saved. And many, many more in the gentile world would receive Christ as their Savior.
These Scriptures are all inclusive. There is none who can claim that he is not to be found in these words. The small, the great, the rich, the poor, the famous, and the lowly—all are included in the great saving plan of God. However, Scripture does seem to have an inclination toward the lowly, the poor, and the feeble. Jesus seemed to have special compassion for these. He brought hope of healing, deliverance, sight, and liberty. The preaching of the gospel would now be to all mankind.
Jesus is able to heal as no physician can heal. To bring sight to the blind is a healing of the eyes. To cause the cripple to walk is a healing of the bones. To cast out devils is a healing of the emotions and the mind. To heal the brokenhearted is a healing of the heart. To save from sin is a healing of the soul.
Jesus is able to heal the differences of nature and temperament. Often the differences of nature and attitude leave broken hearts. These differences are sometimes difficult to understand. Christ can heal the brokenhearted in home, in family, in community, in the church, and even in nations.
Even today Christ, by His Spirit, preaches the acceptable year. Now is the time to accept the Lord. God comes with new terms of reconciliation. Not the old terms of ritual and law, but the new terms of repentance, grace, and forgiveness. These are terms made affordable to everyone. These new terms will heal and set at liberty those that are bruised by sin and misfortune.
102 Devotional Sermonettes, used by permission