Are you the type of person God saves?

Jesus sent most of His life in Nazareth. Nazareth was a small village of 200 to 500 people. Jesus lived a perfect life in His hometown for about three decades. Every one knew Him. Yet, His hometown rejected Him not once but twice!

Jesus returned to His hometown and read from the Book of Isaiah. Luke 4:18-19 quotes Isaiah 61:1-2. Jesus read, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and discovery of sight to the blind. To set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.” Jesus described the type of person God saves. Luke 4:18-19 uses four metaphors to describe the type of person God saves.

First, God saves the spiritually poor. Jesus said, “He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor.” The good news is for the poor. It is not the economically poor but the spiritually poor. The word poor means “to cower, to cringe, to shrink back.” It describes a beggar who is ashamed.

The Bible is clear that we are all spiritually destitute before God. Romans 3:23 says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Isaiah 64:6 says, “All of our good works are like filthy rags in God’s eyes.” There is nothing we can do to impress God. We are sinners separated from God.

Second, God saves the spiritual prisoners. Jesus continued, “He has sent Me to proclaim release (freedom) to the captives….” This is not a physical prison but a spiritual prison. We are in bondage to sin and the penalty of the law. We have broken God’s law and deserve punishment. We are in bondage to Satan and the fear of death.

Third, God saves the spiritually blind. Jesus said, “…and discovery of sight to the blind…” Every person is blinded by Satan. 2 Corinthians 4:4 reminds us, “The god of this age (the devil) has blinded the minds of the unbelieving.” In John 3:19 Jesus told Nicodemus, “The Light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.”

People today are blind. Even the smartest people in the world do not know where we came from or where we are going!

Fourth, God saves the spiritually oppressed. Jesus continued, “To set free those who are oppressed….” This is the person who is overwhelmed by life. The difficulties and troubles of life are crushing. The weight of sin and the burden of the law are overwhelming. Jesus said, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest… For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

Why is the gospel good news? Through the gospel the poor become rich, the prisoner is freed, the blind receive sight and the oppressed find rest. This is all possible because Jesus died for our sins on the cross! However, we must admit our need. There must be repentance. The people of Nazareth said, “We are not poor. We are not prisoners. We are not blind. We are not oppressed.” Their pride and self righteousness prevented them from seeing the truth.

In Luke 4 Jesus ended his sermon by reminding them of a Gentile widow and a Gentile leper (Luke 4:25-27). Jesus said, “Unless you understand that you are no better than a Gentile widow and a Gentile leper you cannot be saved.” Needless to say, this did not go over well! The result was rage and violence. They tried to murder Jesus by throwing Him off a cliff.

What type of person does God save? God saves the poor, the prisoners, the blind and the oppressed- people who see their overwhelming need and run to the cross and find riches and freedom and sight and rest. May we run to Jesus for salvation today!

Ethan Hansen is a pastor at Faith Bible Fellowship in Big Lake.