3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)

Sunday 26 January 2025
Lk 1:1-4, 4:14-21

““The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”
And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.””
(Lk 4: 18-21)

The passage that Jesus proclaims in the synagogue of Nazareth is from chapter 61 of the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, which, contains a prophecy referring to Israel’s Messiah. The Messiah is the Anointed One who is sent to announce and proclaim freedom to prisoners and the oppressed, sight to the blind… In the end, the Messiah’s entire mission is summarised in one phrase: “to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour”.

Jesus declares that this prophecy is fulfilled “today”. This marked a decisive moment in history, with Jesus affirming to His people that He is the Messiah.

But what is meant by the ‘year of the Lord’s favour’? To understand this, we need to look back to Chapter 25 of Leviticus, which explicitly mentions the year of Jubilee. The Lord commands His people to count: seven times seven years—7 x 7 + 1 = 50! That “1” represents the new creation. In ancient Israel, the fiftieth year was a moment of liberation. Everyone would have what they had lost restored to them—whether it be property or, for those in slavery, their freedom.

The fact that Jesus applies this messianic prophecy from Isaiah to Himself signifies that, through Him, an eschatological year of Jubilee has begun. Israel’s Messiah has come, and will come again to reclaim everything the devil has stolen from God through sin! Jesus has come to rescue us from the hands of one stronger than us, one who seeks to enslave and oppress us, and to place us in the hands of the Father. This is why the Apostle Paul says: “You were bought at a price!” (1 Cor. 6:20; 7:23). Sin sells us off to the devil; God’s grace in Jesus Christ, however, redeems us and restores us to the spirit of sonship! If you’ve not yet experienced this, it’s time to say to the Lord: “Father, I need You! In the name of Jesus, bring me back to You!”

p. Giuseppe