The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my mind and heart in Luke 4:43,
"I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent."
When the folks of Capernaum looked for Jesus and found him in a "solitary place" they attempted to persuade him from leaving. He had healed many who had "various kinds of sicknesses" and relieved many from the spiritual oppression of demons and so they wanted him to stay. His response to them was he needed to be about the mission he was sent to accomplish.
The mission Jesus was sent to accomplish was to announce the coming kingdom of God. On the mount of transfiguration the Father speaks: "This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him." Luke 9:35. While here Jesus would procure our admission to the kingdom of God and offer it to Israel, and through Israel to the world. In John 14:6 Jesus claimed, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." In sacrificing himself on a cross, he provided atonement for all our sins, making our entrance into God's kingdom possible. In Luke 19:10 Jesus said, "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." This is why he came. This was his mission when he arrived on Christmas two millenia ago. As he prepared to leave planet earth to take his place at the right hand of God, he passed on the responsibility to continue the mission to his followers, "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20.
Having achieved his part of the mission, as Luke's gospel will tell, Jesus left in place a movement that would change forever the course of human history. Mankind now has the option of embracing God in faith and entering into his kingdom, or rejecting God, going their own way and eventually falling under the consequences of sin, an eternity in a fiery lake of burning sulfur.
Here in Luke's gospel I am struck by the many things I see in Jesus Christ. His kindness and compassion, his transcendent wisdom and power, his perfection and impeccable character. In this verse I see him as mission focused. He was sent with a specific purpose and he pursued that purpose with a passion.
How wonderful he did!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment