BibleProject | Upside-Down Kingdom / Part 1 - LukeSample

As we come to the next chapters of Luke, let’s keep in mind Jesus’ words after he read from the scroll of Isaiah. Jesus is the one to whom Isaiah was referring all along. He is the anointed one who will bring good news to the poor, heal the brokenhearted, and liberate captives.

“Today this Scripture has been fulfilled,” Jesus said. The stories that follow this declaration show what Jesus’ good news looks like. In this section of Luke, good news looks like Jesus miraculously providing for tired fishermen, healing a man with leprosy, forgiving a paralytic, and recruiting a socially despised tax collector into his mission. This all causes quite a stir within the religious groups, and to top it off, Jesus heals a withered hand on the Sabbath, the day of rest. Now the religious leaders have had it. They just can’t understand why Jesus is breaking their Jewish Sabbath laws and freely hanging out with people who have made such poor choices.

But Jesus stands up for the afflicted and explains to the religious leaders the heart of the Jewish law and the nature of his upside-down Kingdom. He tells them that he is like a doctor who cares for the sick, not the healthy. He clarifies that the day of rest is all about restoration for the hurting. Jesus is the restorer. He doesn’t recruit the elite in society; rather, he restores the afflicted. And when the afflicted follow him, they are restored and join him in his mission.

Read, Reflect, and Respond:

• Those who receive the Messiah’s restoring freedom (Isaiah 61:1-3) are the same ones who share their freedom to restore others (Isaiah 61:4). How is Jesus fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy in Luke’s account?
• How have you experienced Jesus’ restorative freedom? What is one way you can share that freedom this week?
• How did Simon, James, John, the crowds, the leper, the paralytic and his friends, and the scribes and Pharisees respond to Jesus’ good news? What is your response today?
• Let your reading and reflection prompt a prayer. Thank God for his heart to restore. Talk to him about where you sense the need for restoration in your own life and community. He’s listening.