Thursday January 9th: Jesus and the Spirit

With the Power of the Spirit in Him….

Luke 4:14-22

This passage tells of the relationship between Jesus and the Spirit. ‘With the power of the Spirit in him,’ Jesus had decisions to make, actions to take; He ‘returned to Galilee;’ He ‘went into the synagogue;’ He ‘stood up;’ He ‘read;’ He came to Nazara.
‘With the power of the Spirit in him,’ God’s favour rested on Jesus and his ‘reputation spread’; ‘everyone praised him.’ This is what happens when you speak the ‘gracious words’ led by the Spirit.
The Spirit calls us to enter the familiar places of our lives, as we ‘usually do’ and to try to make a difference – to shake up the familiar – to stand, to read, to act. The Spirit calls us to bring good news, proclaim liberty to those we hold captive, give new sight – even to ourselves; set the downtrodden free and to proclaim the Lord’s year of favour. In this Jubilee year therefore, we can mirror the words of the Gospel and say, ‘this text is being fulfilled today, even as we listen’!