Jesus' Mission and Ours

In his reading from the prophet Isaiah in the synagogue Jesus summarized His mission and ours.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me 
to bring glad tidings to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.”

Our individual mission, of course, varies in the specifics. For anyone of us, the “captives,” the “blind,” and the “oppressed” are those in our immediate surroundings at home, in our circle of friends, and at work who need our attention and help.

Additionally, there are political and social ills in our city, state, and nation and around the globe that bring suffering to many whose cry for justice demands our participation in civic organizations and the electoral process in order to bring about systemic change.

And our attempt to serve others can bring us reprisals and condemnation, and we may be ostracized as happened to Jesus when he accepted the charge given to him.

Nonetheless, His concluding words must in some way also be ours: “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”