Devotion:
Read Luke 4:14-19.
Notice that Jesus intentionally unrolled the scroll of Isaiah until he found this particular passage. After reading it, he sat down to teach and announced that “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Jesus was declaring his mission and that he had come as Isaiah had prophesied…the Messiah or Christ who would champion those on the margins of society.
I sat teaching twenty pastors one afternoon in South Sudan in a small mud brick building with a grass roof, called a tukul. It was the rainy season, and it was pouring rain. Water swirled around the tukul, as we studied this passage from Luke. “Jesus came for all people,” I said. One of the pastors politely responded, “No, Jesus actually came for us.” He went on to explain that Jesus came for the poor and the least of these. I asked whether Jesus had not come for me as well. Another pastor responded, “No, you are from America, a rich nation. We are poor people living in a poor country. He came for us.”
Heads nodded, and I suddenly felt excluded. “Then will you share him with me?” I asked. They laughed and applauded, assuring me that Christ loves me too even if he did not come for me.
Personal Worship Option:
Reflect on verses 18 and 19. These seem to be Christ’s mission statement. As a follower of Christ, how do you live out this mission in your own life? Keep these verses in your heart as you look for opportunities to serve the poor and others marginalized by our society.
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