Luke 4:21

“And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.”

Certainly! Let’s dive into a Bible study on Luke 4:21, using the King James Version (KJV) of the passage. Luke 4:21 says:

This verse is part of a larger passage that describes an incident that took place in the synagogue in Nazareth, where Jesus, after being tempted by the devil in the wilderness, returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit (Luke 4:14). He entered the synagogue in Nazareth, where He had been brought up, and was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah (Luke 4:17). Jesus unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, which is a reference to the book of Isaiah:

“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).

After reading this passage, Jesus rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes were fixed on Him as He began to speak, saying, “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears” (Luke 4:21). With these words, Jesus declared that the prophecy in Isaiah was being fulfilled in His person.

This statement by Jesus carries profound significance. It reveals His identity as the Anointed One, the Messiah who was prophesied to come. He was anointed by the Holy Spirit to carry out a specific mission, which included preaching the gospel to the poor, healing the brokenhearted, delivering the captives, restoring sight to the blind, and setting the oppressed free. In essence, Jesus declared Himself to be the fulfillment of the messianic prophecy.

By making this statement, Jesus proclaimed that the long-awaited Messiah had arrived, and the era of redemption and salvation was dawning. The “acceptable year of the Lord” mentioned in Isaiah’s prophecy signifies the time of divine favor and grace when God’s salvation would be offered to all who would believe in Him.

It’s important to note the reaction of the people to Jesus’ proclamation. Initially, they marveled at the gracious words that came from His mouth (Luke 4:22). However, as Jesus continued to speak, pointing out their lack of faith and giving examples of how God had previously reached out to Gentiles instead of the people of Israel, the mood quickly turned against Him (Luke 4:23-30).

This passage in Luke 4:21 serves as a pivotal moment in Jesus’ ministry, where He openly declared His divine mission and purpose. It reminds us of the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies in Christ and the significance of His coming for the salvation of humanity. It also highlights the importance of responding to Jesus’ message with faith and belief, recognizing Him as the promised Messiah and receiving the grace and salvation He offers.