Chapter 40 through 66 in Isaiah is climaxed in chapter 61 talking about the “Year of the Lord’s Favor” the true and final Jubilee. Jesus reads from Isaiah 61:1-2 in Luke 4:18-19 which says, “The Spirit of Yahweh is on me because Yahweh has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from the darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of Yahweh’s favor.” Luke 4:20 Jesus says after reading Isaiah 61:1-2 “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Meaning that Jesus is the Messiah who will bring freedom to Israel and to all humanity.
However, Israel thought this was meaning that Israel would be freed from their captors and become their own kingdom again. Therefore, when Jesus came He was not what they were expecting which is why they opposed Him. Why I discussed this is because for Israel their hope was that the Messiah would free them from Babylon for the original audience and then by Jesus time it was that the Messiah would free them from Rome.
Jesus then brought the message of the Gospel that Isaiah 61 was not just for Israel but for all humanity. Jesus came and broadened the thinking of the Jews and included all humanity into the family of God. The hope is that we are freed from the powers of Sin and Death forever, we are given new life in King Jesus. We are freed and restored to God’s original design. Many promises of the New Testament are grounded in Isaiah 61 the freedom that we are promised in the New Testament through Jesus most of the time the New Testament authors are aluding to this chapter.
Jesus came to install a new Jubilee where all humanity would be restored and set free. Another vital part of this section is the suffering servant. The Jews looked at these two passages along with others and came to the conclusion that there would be two different people sent by God one that would suffer and one that would rule. That was Israels hope but Jesus came as both—the one who would suffer in order to rule.
Isaiah 53:7-8,10-11"He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities."
The favor of Yahweh is fulfilled in the person of Jesus. When we proclaim our allegiance to King Jesus we will live a life of complete, peace, freedom, and fulfillment. Jesus took the punishment for our sins in order for us to expierence life. Humanity was cursed and hopeless more seperated from God than ever before (and that's really saying something). Until God wrapped Himself in flesh and lived the life we never could and then died the death that we deserved. Now those who follow Jesus can participate in God's new reality.
Sources used
Mackie, Tim, and Jon Collins, eds. “Watch: Isaiah 40-66 Bible Book Overview Video: BibleProject™.” BibleProject. Last modified 2016. Accessed July 17, 2021. https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/isaiah-40-66.
Zodhiates, S. (2008). Hebrew-Greek key word study Bible: key insights into God's word: Nasb, New American Standard Bible. AMG Publishers.
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