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Jesus has come: Isaiah’s prophecies of the Lord’s ministry
Isaiah chapter 61 proclaims the good news of Jesus who came to fulfill all righteousness.
Isaiah chapter 61 is the first smell of spring after a long winter. It is the hearty laughter that a friend brings after a challenging time. It is towering strength for those who feel like broken sticks. It is liberation for exiles in Babylon. It is rejoicing for psalmists who took up songs of lament. It is a melody for musicians who hung up their harps. It is God’s favor to those who fear they have lost it. It is a return to home. It is more than just a reversal of fortune; it is good news.
Saying that it is good news can almost seem like an understatement. Maybe that is because what we usually call good news is often neither good nor news. While a report of an animal’s antics at the end of the nightly news might bring a smile to your face, it isn’t really good news. Isaiah explicitly calls his proclamation “good news” (v. 1). Notice the quality of this good news. It is an event that speaks directly to the problem in which people find themselves. It is news that will change listeners’ lives for good.
More important than proclaiming good news is the news-bringer’s ability to deliver on that good news, which is why verse 1 is so important. Not only is this proclaimer the Servant of God, but he also is the Lord’s Anointed. He is the Messiah. This news-bringer has been hand-selected and sent by the Lord not only to deliver the good news but also to deliver on it.
A threefold movement in the gospels clearly illustrates how Jesus Christ is the one sent by God to proclaim and deliver on the good news. The beginning and end of this movement serve as bookends for the fulfillment of Isaiah chapter 61. The middle illustrates his ability to deliver on good news.
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.
The first movement: Jesus’ baptism
At the beginning of his ministry, Jesus went to the Jordan River to be baptized by John (Matthew 3:13-17). Matthew says that John tried to deter Jesus because John knew he should be baptized by Jesus. He understood that a great reversal was occurring in this moment. Jesus confirmed as much when he replied, “It is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness” (v. 15).
John, you, and I are all beggars before the Lord. He is our Creator; we are his creation. We think that we can make demands of him, but we cannot. We think that we have rights before him, but we have none. He is our Sovereign, and in our sin we have betrayed him. But there Jesus is, reversing roles and becoming a beggar so that all righteousness might be fulfilled. He is stepping into the great rift between God and us so that we are brought to him and will lack nothing before him.
How do we know this is true? Because once Jesus was baptized, he went out of the water and heaven was opened. The Spirit of God descended on him like a dove. He was chosen—more than that, he was anointed—for this office to proclaim and heal and free. As Isaiah said, “The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me” (Isaiah 61:1).
The second movement: Jesus’ temptation
Right after Jesus’ baptism. Matthew says that Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1-11). After Jesus had fasted for 40 days, Satan came to him to tempt him. Satan used all his craft and cunning to implant fears about God’s goodness, provoke doubt about God’s providence, and undermine Jesus’ office as the Anointed One.
I wouldn’t have stood a chance. I know this because even when I am in full health, I still fall for Satan’s temptations. I know this because ever since the day Satan caused Adam and Eve to doubt God’s goodness and disobey him, humans can’t help themselves but to do the same. It’s disgusting, really. And Satan piles it on, “How can you grieve your Maker in such ways? You call yourself a pastor? You call yourself a Christian?” Yes, the very thing that holds us captive causes us heartbreak.
If our hearts are going to be healed and we are going to be set free from the captivity of Satan and the prison of sin, then we need someone who has been tempted just as we are but is without sin (Hebrews 4:15). Even when Jesus was in a barren wilderness, alone with his own thoughts and physically depleted, he would have none of Satan’s temptations. The Spirit was upon Jesus as he brought him into the wilderness to meet and defeat Satan at every turn. Jesus proves to us that he delivers the spiritual freedom and healing we have been seeking.
The third movement: Jesus’ teachings
After his baptism and overcoming Satan’s temptations, Luke says that Jesus returned to Galilee “in the power of the Spirit” to teach and preach (Luke 4:14-21). On one Sabbath, he went to the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth. He stood up and unrolled a scroll to Isaiah chapter 61. Before the people who were gathered there, he read verses 1 and 2. Then he rolled up the scroll and sat down to teach.
The Lord’s teachings are what people have always needed. When the Israelites were in deep mourning, whether it was over their own sin or a tragedy, they would put on coarsely woven clothes, sit in ashes, and cover themselves with the ashes. It was a reminder of human frailty and mortality. Tragedy and sin are killing us. There would seem to be little reason to rejoice, that is, until Jesus spoke these words.
Here he is telling you, “Give me your ashes, give me your grief, and in place of them I will give you every reason to rejoice.” The crown of beauty, the oil of joy, and a garment of praise are all things needed for a celebration in the ancient Near East. Isaiah is giving us the picture of a celebration for those who found celebration difficult. We can rejoice because the one about whom Isaiah spoke has broken into the world. Jesus began his synagogue sermon without equivocation, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21).
All this is good news because it changes your life for good. This is true even when Isaiah said that Jesus was sent to proclaim “the day of vengeance of our God” (Isaiah 61:2). God has made all things right. He has meted out justice upon our enemies. Satan and his lies have been defeated. The death that would devour you has been destroyed.
Good news changes your life and picks you up. Good news makes you strong. You are a mighty oak standing strong in the One who delivers and delivers on good news. You are strong and righteous in him who stepped out of the water, into the wilderness, and on to Galilee to fulfill all righteousness.
This is the fourth article in a series on Isaiah’s prophecies. Read the first, second, and third articles.
Author: Aaron Goetzinger
Volume 112, Number 02
Issue: February 2025
- Isaiah’s prophecies: Part 4
- Isaiah’s prophecies: Part 3
- Isaiah’s prophecies: Part 2
- Isaiah’s prophecies: Part 1