Today's Scripture:

Isaiah 61:1-3 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.

Read: Reflect on a story in your life that pertains to this scripture.
This prophecy from Isaiah is quoted directly by Jesus in Luke 4:18-19, when He was rejected by his own hometown, Nazareth. What is interesting about this passage in particular is that Jesus only reads the first half of this passage above. He stops after the phrase “to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,” then he says that this prophecy was fulfilled in that very moment! These words from Isaiah show us two very important things. First, it shows us exactly what Jesus came here on Earth to do. Christ came to sit with and care for the brokenhearted, free people trapped in a cycle of sin and shame, and proclaim the good news of God’s kingdom coming down to us in the form of His Son. But that’s not all. Secondly, this passage from Isaiah shows us that Jesus is coming back to finish that work for good. We know confidently that Christ finished the work of conquering over sin and death on the cross… After all, he said it himself! But this passage shows us that one day Jesus will return for good, and when He does He will bring about perfect justice and perfect joy. All of the mourning and sorrow we see in this world will one day turn into praise for how good and incredible our amazing God is!

Reflect: What is this scripture telling you during this season?
I have certainly found myself looking like each of the people Jesus came to save in this passage. I have found myself poor in spirit and in desperate need of good news. I have days where I have been brokenhearted and in desperate need of someone to bind up my hurt. I have been trapped in cycles of sin and shame and had days where I felt captive to worldly desires and thoughts from which only Christ could save me. In each of these ways and so many more, Jesus perfectly fills that desperate need that we all have, and he offers a far greater fix than any temporary one that the world has to offer. Jesus truly was and is the perfect fulfillment of the Savior this prophecy predicts!

Respond: How is this scripture calling you to respond?
While we wait for Jesus to one day come back and fulfill the ending of this passage, we can also live confidently into the truths of this passage right now. Christ has conquered over the brokenness of sin and this world, and we do not need to let it have any authority or control over us anymore. We can live into this new life with Jesus and eternity right now! This can look like patiently trusting in God’s perfect justice when we see the brokenness around us today, loving and caring for the hurting and the brokenhearted the way that Christ has modeled for us, and sharing the good news of what Christ has done with those around us.

About Daniel Baudin:
God has graciously given me an abundance of family and has shown me how good He is through them! I am blessed to be the husband (for almost two years now) of my lovely wife, Kaylie. She has consistently shown me just how good and gracious our God is through the way she cares for me. I am the son of Traci and Earl Baudin, who both model to me the incredible and sacrificial love of Jesus. I am the brother of Joshua Baudin, who models God’s generosity and love constantly to me. On top of that, I am blessed to serve about 50 or so students here at Grace who help me learn daily about God’s patience (kidding!) and show me how His Spirit is alive and at work in the lives of so many today! When I’m not at Grace, I’m hopefully spending lots of time with my family, especially mine and Kaylie’s amazing 3 nieces, or doing homework! I am just past the halfway mark in my journey through Fuller Theological Seminary in the hopes of becoming a pastor one day.
I have had the blessing of calling Grace my home for my entire life… so 27 years now! I grew up here and have been cared for by so many incredible people here. After graduating from Baylor in 2020, I have spent the last 5 years (almost!) serving Grace as a Student Ministries Associate. I also have the blessing of getting to help out Ivy and our amazing worship team on Sundays!