"To Proclaim the Acceptable Year of the Lord," Luke 4:19, Isaiah 61:2

Luke 4:19(15-30), Isaiah 61:2

In the the book of Luke, the Savior proclaims His divine sonship and he is rejected by those of his hometown. The verse of scripture that he chooses to quote from Isaiah compels me to consider just how merciful our God really is with us.

I cross-referenced the Spanish translation of "acceptable year of the Lord." In Spanish, it is literally translated as the "year of the good will of Jehovah." I had wondered what this might have meant. Then there is a footnote from the reference in Luke that confirms what Christ is saying: "And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world." (John 12:47)

There it is. Christ is come to redeem us. Judgment is not the purpose of our existence. Why do we feel the need to condemn, to criticize, and to destroy?

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