Luke 4:18-21

4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed¹ me to proclaim good news² to the poor.³

He has sent me⁴ to proclaim release⁵ to the captives

and the regaining of sight⁶ to the blind,

to set free⁷ those who are oppressed,⁸

4:19 to proclaim the year⁹ of the Lord’s favor.”¹⁰

4:20 Then¹¹ he rolled up¹² the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on¹³ him. 4:21 Then¹⁴ he began to tell them, “Today¹⁵ this scripture has been fulfilled even as you heard it being read.”¹⁶

¹sn The phrase he has anointed me is an allusion back to Jesus’ baptism in Luke 3:21-22.

²tn Grk “to evangelize,” “to preach the gospel.”

³sn The poor is a key term in Luke. It refers to the pious poor and indicates Jesus’ desire to reach out to those the world tends to forget or mistreat. It is like 1:52 in force and also will be echoed in 6:20 (also 1 Pet 2:11-25). Jesus is commissioned to do this.

⁴tc The majority of mss, especially the later Byzantines, include the phrase “to heal the brokenhearted” at this point (A Θ Ψ 0102 Ë¹ Ï). The phrase is lacking in several weighty mss (א B D L W Ξ Ë¹³ 33 579 700 892* pc lat sy^s co), including representatives from both the Alexandrian and Western texttypes. From the standpoint of external evidence, the omission of the phrase is more likely original. When internal evidence is considered, the shorter reading becomes almost certain. Scribes would be much more prone to add the phrase here to align the text with Isa 61:1, the source of the quotation, than to remove it from the original.

⁵sn The release in view here is comprehensive, both at a physical level and a spiritual one, as the entire ministry of Jesus makes clear (Luke 1:77-79; 7:47; 24:47; Acts 2:38; 5:31; 10:43).

⁶sn Again, as with the previous phrase, regaining of sight may well mean more than simply miraculously restoring physical sight, which itself pictures a deeper reality (Luke 1:77-79; 18:35-43).

⁷sn The essence of Jesus’ messianic work is expressed in the phrase to set free. This line from Isa 58 says that Jesus will do what the nation had failed to do. It makes the proclamation messianic, not merely prophetic, because Jesus doesn’t just proclaim the message – he brings the deliverance. The word translated set free is the same Greek word (ἄφεσις, afesi") translated release earlier in the verse.

⁸sn Again, as with the previous phrases, oppressed may well mean more than simply political or economic oppression, but a deeper reality of oppression by sin (Luke 1:77-79; 18:35-43).

⁹sn The year of the Lord’s favor (Grk “the acceptable year of the Lord”) is a description of the year of Jubilee (Lev 25:10). The year of the total forgiveness of debt is now turned into a metaphor for salvation. Jesus had come to proclaim that God was ready to forgive sin totally.

¹⁰sn A quotation from Isa 61:1-2a. Within the citation is a line from Isa 58:6, with its reference to setting the oppressed free.

¹¹tn Grk “And closing.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

¹²tn Grk “closing,” but a scroll of this period would have to be rolled up. The participle πτύξας (ptuxas) has been translated as a finite verb due to the requirements of contemporary English style.

¹³tn Or “gazing at,” “staring at.”

¹⁴tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

¹⁵sn See the note on today in 2:11.

¹⁶tn Grk “in your hearing.”