This Blog -
Moved To:
http://professor-howdy.blogspot.com/

*UNC is the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
Specializing in a wide range of degree programs including:
B.A. A.H.F.(Advanced Hamburger Flipping), N.U.T., A.P.E., B.R.C.
(Bar Room Conversations), etc. Institution was founded in 1898
for sons/daughters of local Chapel Still politicians that were
unable to qualify for the more prestigious institutions of higher
learning such as Duke, Wake Forest, and N.C. State.
  .comment-link {margin-left:.6em;}

.
Howdy's Motto:

Procrastinate Now!


  .comment-link {margin-left:.6em;}

Sent to the Broken
Jill Carattini

The picture painted in the sixty-first chapter of Isaiah is a depiction of
realized hope, redemption, and reconciliation. It is a stirring picture
of wholeness:

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;
to grant to those who mourn in Zion--
to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified (61:1-3).

The prophet's words mark one of the most beloved passages of Scripture.
Isaiah outlines God's plan for restoration, putting into words the hopeful
cry of justice and liberty, marking the end of mourning and ashes. It was
no doubt a passage that sustained the Israelites through exile and
desperation. I imagine that in Babylon the imagery in this chapter was
often longingly upon their hearts, the promise of God's comfort and grace
treasured words upon their lips. Likewise, I imagine that in Jerusalem
congregations delighted to hear Isaiah 61 proclaimed from the scrolls in
worship.

Consequently, I imagine faces of utter shock, when after reading these
familiar words before a synagogue in Nazareth, Jesus commented: "Today
this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing" (See Luke 4:14-30).

According to New Testament scholar Darrell Bock, the Gospel of Luke has
often been the neglected gospel in the life of the Church. Yet more so
than any of the other gospel accounts, Luke depicts in detail how a small
part of history in a small part of the world reveals the plan of God for
the nations. Luke writes the story of Christ across the pages of human
history, showing the tension between that which blinds us to the work of
God and that which points us to our desperate need of Him. Luke's
portrait of Jesus shows God's continued work among the oppressed and
downtrodden, the captives and the blind. As he carefully places the
parables and teachings of Christ before his readers, Luke forces us to see
that whether we deliberately make a choice to receive him or not, a choice
is always made.

At the synagogue visit where Isaiah 61 was read aloud, Jesus reveals
himself as the fulfillment of a story set in motion long before his time
on earth. His words put both the hearer of that day and the reader of the
present in the position of having to make a choice. All of the promises of
God stand before us in the person of Christ. He is the fulfillment of
God's plan. He brings liberation to the captives. He brings sight to the
blind. He binds the brokenhearted. He brings salvation--or he does not.
In this particular synagogue, the people ran him out of town.

Scottish theologian James Stewart once noted, "Christianity is not for the
well-meaning; it is for the desperate." In Christ we encounter the story
of God among us, the certainty of our captivity and the hope of our
release. He comes to bind the broken. The invitation to receive him is a
startling invitation to wholeness.


Jill Carattini is senior associate writer at Ravi Zacharias
International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia

---------------------
Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM)
"A Slice of Infinity" is aimed at reaching into the culture with words of
challenge, words of truth, and words of hope. If you know of others who
would enjoy receiving "A Slice of Infinity" in their email box each day,
tell them they can sign up on our website at
http://www.rzim.org/publications/slice.php. If they do not have access to
the World Wide Web, please call 1-877-88SLICE (1-877-887-5423).
  .comment-link {margin-left:.6em;}