Luke 4:14–30

Note: The English devotional appears below the original Spanish devotional

Texto Base: Lucas 4:14-30 Nueva Versión Internacional

Tema Devocional: ¿Ungidos y para qué?

¿De qué manera te convences de algo que debes y puedes hacer?, creo que en muchos momentos de nuestro caminar diario se nos presenta este tipo de preguntas que ponen a prueba nuestra manera de seguir a Cristo. Y es que la verdad, ser un genuino seguidor de Jesús no es fácil, no solo por el acoso y persecución que existe a nuestro alrededor al evidenciar ser discípulos de Jesucristo, sino también las luchas internas que como seres imperfectos y mortales debemos enfrentar a diario. Jesús constantemente mencionó este tipo de escenarios (Mateo 24:8-9), que no podemos verlo de una manera natural, sino que es aquí donde debemos aplicar el Poder de lo Alto con que Dios siempre provee a Su Pueblo.

La porción bíblica que Hoy nos lleva a leer con detenimiento, nos arroja un paralelo de situaciones lógicas y espirituales, las cuales se nos manda a revisar bajo la cosmovisión del Reino de Dios. Jesucristo cada vez que deseaba ilustrar y dar una enseñanza sobre el Reino de Dios, no dudaba siempre en utilizar su contexto social o cultural, y con base a dicho escenario, menciona algo muy profundo y relevante sobre el Padre Eterno. En este caso Jesucristo se presenta como el Ungido de Dios y no casualmente le dan la posibilidad de argumentarlo a través de la Palabra misma de Dios, referenciando en la lectura a uno de los profetas que mas habló de Él y es el Profeta Isaías:

• Primer Paralelo, El cumplimiento Profético: ésta misma lectura que se relata en el evangelio de Lucas es basada en la Palabra profética que Isaías menciona ante un pueblo devastado por Su pecado (Isaías 61:1-2), recordemos que Dios ha permitido esta situación difícil en Su pueblo por causa de desecharlo a Él y no atender al mandato de Su Palabra. Y el escenario es de falta de esperanza, pobreza espiritual y afectación física, y es en ese escenario que Dios a través del profeta envía una palabra de aliento, esperanza y poder, con el propósito de recordarle a Su Pueblo que a pesar de que le hayan dado la espalda a Su Dios, Su Dios nunca les daría la espalda, y es el momento perfecto para que Dios refleje la obra redentora a través de Su Hijo Jesucristo.

• Segundo Paralelo, El Propósito de la Unción de Dios: el profeta Isaías fue uno de los siervos del Señor que más detalló el propósito del Mesías, pues no se reservó en lujos de detalles que, a través de Jesucristo, el mundo caído por el pecado pudiera ser restaurado y salvado por el poder del amor de Dios en Cristo Jesús. Jesucristo es el único que tiene el suficiente poder para Salvar, Sanar, Santificar y Reinar para siempre, y tanto en el libro de Isaías como el evangelio de Lucas Jesucristo lo testifica y lo cumple. Jesucristo evidencia el toque sobrenatural de Su Reino por la unción delegada por Su Padre y así cumplir el propósito por el cual fue enviado al mundo.

• Tercer Paralelo, El Rechazo al Ungido: si revisamos con detalle tanto lo que Isaías y Lucas mencionan de Jesús a pesar de los trasfondos sociales y de tiempos diferentes, el hilo conductor hacia Jesús no se pierde y es la de desarrollar la condición que nunca Él desechó, la de ser el Siervo del Señor (Isaías 52:13-15; 53:1-12). Jesucristo a lo largo de Su Ministerio siempre dejaba en alto y en claro el propósito de venir a este mundo, pues el vino a servir y a no ser servido, vino a cumplir en obediencia el mandato del Padre eterno por amor a la humanidad (Juan 3:16), pero lamentablemente, aunque el mundo necesitaba de su Salvación y Sanidad, por la ceguera espiritual, prefirieron desecharlo y crucificarlo, llevándolo así a una agonía y muerte física.

Aplicación de estos Paralelos a nuestra vida Espiritual

• Primer Paralelo, El cumplimiento Profético: cuando hemos aceptado a Jesucristo como el autor y consumador de nuestra Fe, no debe existir duda alguna de que hacemos parte de un plan Divino orquestado por Dios a través de Su Espíritu Santo. Recordemos que siempre Jesucristo les recordaba a sus discípulos que aún cosas mayores podrían hacer en Su nombre (Juan 14:12-13) y esta promesa o profecía aún es vigente y nos corresponde atesorarla en nuestro corazón y ponerla en practica bajo la dinámica de la Fe.

• Segundo Paralelo, El Propósito de la Unción de Dios: la biblia nos enseña que, en nuestra vida espiritual, nos parecemos como a una vasija que constantemente desea ser llena de la presencia y la unción de Dios (2 Corintios 4), y cuyo objetivo es ser las manos poderosas en Dios para la sanidad que necesita su Pueblo en este mundo. Cada persona que ha considerado obedecer a Dios, tiene la responsabilidad de modelar el poder y la unción de Dios que desde Su Reino celestial quiere equipar a quien desea servirle. En un mundo tan incierto y donde escasea la esperanza, se debe de levantar la iglesia para proclamarla Libertad a los cautivos.

• Tercer Paralelo, El rechazo al Ungido: la unción es sinónimo de entrega total sin esperar nada a cambio, sin sacrificio no hay victoria, y para aquellos que deseamos cumplir el Plan divino de Dios, debemos considerar esta realidad tan cruel pero que a la vez es necesaria pasar, y es entender que entre más comunión tenemos con Jesús, más Su Santidad nos equipará para decir las verdades radicales en un mundo tan relativo, y por ser íntegros y no negociar nuestra fe nos van a desechar, a perseguir y hasta matar por causa de Cristo. Y es en esos escenarios donde debemos contestar correctamente la pregunta ¿Ungidos y para qué?

Preguntas de aplicación:

¿Has dudado del Plan que Dios ha delegado a tu vida? ¿Entiendes la posición de ser Ungido para Ungir a otros? ¿Cómo procuras estar Ungido por Dios?  

Autor:

Pastor Andrés Piedrahita. Pastor Principal de las iglesias Hispanas “Nace” (Newmarket Alliance Church en Español) e Iglesia “La Casa de la Misericordia Eterna” en las ciudades de Newmarket y Toronto de la Provincia de Ontario respectivamente.  

Luke 4:14–30

¹⁴ Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. ¹⁵ He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.

¹⁶ He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, ¹⁷ and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

¹⁸ “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, ¹⁹  to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

²⁰ Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. ²¹ He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

²² All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked.

²³ Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ And you will tell me, ‘Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.’”

²⁴ “Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown. ²⁵ I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. ²⁶ Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. ²⁷ And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.”

²⁸ All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. ²⁹ They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. ³⁰ But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.

Anointed and for What?

How do you convince yourself of something you should and can do? In many moments of our daily walk we are presented with questions that test our way of following Christ. The truth is that being a genuine follower of Jesus is not easy, not only because of the harassment and persecution that exists around us when we are disciples of Jesus Christ, but also because of the internal struggles that we must face daily as imperfect and mortal beings. Jesus constantly mentioned these types of scenarios (Matthew 24:8-9), which we cannot see in a natural way. We must apply the power from above that God always provides for his people.

This passage of scripture uses a parallel of logical and spiritual situations, which we should consider from the worldview of the Kingdom of God. Whenever Jesus wanted to illustrate and give a teaching about the Kingdom of God, he used his socio-cultural context to teach something profound and relevant about the Eternal Father. In this case, Jesus presents himself as the Anointed One of God, referencing the Prophet Isaiah.

The first parallel has to do with prophetic fulfillment. The reference in Luke's gospel is based on the prophetic word that Isaiah brought to a people devastated by sin (Isaiah 61:1-2). God had allowed this difficult situation in his people because of their rejection of him, and because they did not attend to the command of his Word. In the midst of hopelessness, spiritual poverty, and physical affectation, God sends a word of encouragement, hope, and power, to remind his people that even though they have turned their backs on their God, their God would never turn his back on them. This is a perfect reflection of the redemptive work through his Son, Jesus Christ.

When we have accepted Jesus Christ as the author and finisher of our Faith, there should be no doubt that we are part of a Divine plan, orchestrated by God through his Holy Spirit. Jesus reminded his disciples that even greater things could be done in his name through them (John 14:12-13), and this promise or prophecy is still valid. It is up to us to treasure it in our hearts and put it into practice under the dynamics of Faith.

The second parallel involves the purpose of God's Anointing. The prophet Isaiah was one of the Lord's servants who most detailed the purpose of the Messiah. He detailed that, through Jesus Christ, the sin-fallen world could be restored and saved by the power of God's love in Christ Jesus. Jesus is the only one who has enough power to save, heal, sanctify, and reign forever. In the book of Isaiah and the gospel of Luke, Jesus testifies and fulfills it. Jesus evidences the supernatural touch of his Kingdom by the anointing delegated by his Father, and thus fulfills the purpose for which he was sent into the world.

The Bible teaches us that, in our spiritual life, we resemble a vessel that constantly desires to be filled with God's presence and anointing (2 Corinthians 4), and whose goal is to be the powerful hands of God for the healing needed by his People in this world. Obedient Christians have the responsibility to model the power and anointing of God, who from his heavenly Kingdom wants to equip those who wish to serve him. In such an uncertain world where hope is scarce, the church must be raised to proclaim Freedom to the captives.

The third parallel relates to the rejection of the Anointed One. If we review in detail what Isaiah and Luke mention about Jesus, despite the social backgrounds and different times, a common thread between the passages suggests that he never rejected his anointing as the Servant of the Lord (Isaiah 52:13-15; 53:1-12). Throughout his ministry, Jesus always made his purpose for coming to this world clear: he came to serve, and not to be served; he came to fulfill in obedience the mandate of the eternal Father, out of love for humanity (John 3:16). Unfortunately, although the world needed his Salvation and healing, because of spiritual blindness, they preferred to discard and crucify him, leading to his agony and physical death.

Christ's anointing is synonymous with total surrender, without expecting anything in return. Without sacrifice there is no victory, and for those of us who wish to fulfill God's divine plan, we must consider this challenging reality. At the same time, suffering will pass, and it can lead to even more communion with Jesus. His Holiness will equip us to speak the radical truths, and give us power to live upright in our faith. Like Jesus, we might be discarded, persecuted, and even killed for Christ's sake. Perhaps amid these difficult situations we will be able to answer the question: Anointed and for what?

Application Questions:

Have you doubted the Plan that God has delegated to your life? Do you understand the position of being Anointed to Anoint others? How do you seek to be Anointed by God?  

Author Bio:

Pastor Andrés Piedrahita. Senior Pastor of the Hispanic churches "Nace" (Newmarket Alliance Church in Spanish) and "La Casa de la Misericordia Eterna" Church in the cities of Newmarket and Toronto in the Province of Ontario respectively.

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Luke and Acts taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used with permission. All rights reserved worldwide. The “NIV”, “New International Version”, “Biblica”, “International Bible Society” and the Biblica Logo are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc. Used with permission.