Proclaiming Good News to the Poor

Luke 4:17-19 (ESV)
And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,

[18] "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
[19] to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

To proclaim good news to the poor. This is what Jesus came to do. This is what Jesus comes to do. The church can’t lose sight of that. If we aren’t preaching good news to the poor, then we aren’t preaching Christ. Christ comes in our preaching when the poor the oppressed, the blind and the captives are forgiven their sins, when they are pointed to Christ on the cross. Christ is not preached when we try to preach moralism in his name, tell people what they should and shouldn’t be doing as if it was their behavior that makes them Christian. It isn’t. Christ makes people Christians, his death and resurrection is what makes us Christians. He died for you, because you can’t live the perfect life he lived. Trying to live his life therefore does not make you Christian, because you fail at it. His forgiveness, that is what makes you a Christian.