Let me start with two questions: Who are the captives that are bound? And what is the nature of their captivity? I would like to consider with you four types of captivity. First is the captivity of physical death that comes to all as a result of the Fall of Adam (see 1 Corinthians 15:21–22). The second is the captivity we experience because of the actions of others or social circumstances. The third is the captivity of physical infirmities. Finally, there is the captivity we bring upon ourselves by our own choices and attitudes.
Liberty comes through deliverance and holiness. Get ready to discover how to receive all that God has provided for you—not through your own strength or wiles, but through the path outlined in Scripture. Jesus of Nazareth took himself from the wilderness of Judea to his boyhood home in Nazareth. There, “as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read” (Luke 4:16). He was given the scrolls containing the book of Isaiah and read from the sixty-first chapter, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord” (Isaiah 61:1–2; see also Luke 4:18–19).
Everyone in the room knew that this scripture referred to the eagerly anticipated Messiah. They also knew that when Jesus sat down after reading the scripture, he signaled that he was now going to give commentary on the passage he had read. [1] His next words stunned them: “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears” (Luke 4:21). In this brief moment in a small, inconspicuous synagogue in the dusty rural hamlet of Nazareth, Jesus calmly and succinctly announced who he was and what he had been sent by his Father to do.
Isaiah foretold the great sacrifice of the Atonement, prophesying, “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way. Heavenly choirs of angels announced at his birth, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:14).
Christ’s invitation to all was “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28–30).
