Isaiah 61:1-3

The Lord Will Rejuvenate His People

61:1 The spirit of the sovereign Lord is upon me,

because the Lord has chosen ¹  me. ² 

He has commissioned ³  me to encourage ⁴  the poor,

to help ⁵  the brokenhearted,

to decree the release of captives,

and the freeing of prisoners,

61:2 to announce the year when the Lord will show his favor,

the day when our God will seek vengeance, ⁶ 

to console all who mourn,

61:3 to strengthen those who mourn in Zion,

by giving them a turban, instead of ashes,

oil symbolizing joy, ⁷  instead of mourning,

a garment symbolizing praise, ⁸  instead of discouragement. ⁹ 

They will be called oaks of righteousness, ¹⁰ 

trees planted by the Lord to reveal his splendor. ¹¹ 

Psalms 147:3

147:3 He heals ¹²  the brokenhearted,

and bandages their wounds.

Matthew 5:4

5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. ¹³ 

Luke 4:18

4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed ¹⁴  me to proclaim good news ¹⁵  to the poor. ¹⁶ 

He has sent me ¹⁷  to proclaim release ¹⁸  to the captives

and the regaining of sight ¹⁹  to the blind,

to set free ²⁰  those who are oppressed, ²¹ 

Luke 15:20-24

15:20 So ²²  he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way from home ²³  his father saw him, and his heart went out to him; ²⁴  he ran and hugged ²⁵  his son ²⁶  and kissed him. 15:21 Then ²⁷  his son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven ²⁸  and against you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ ²⁹  15:22 But the father said to his slaves, ³⁰  ‘Hurry! Bring the best robe, ³¹  and put it on him! Put a ring on his finger ³²  and sandals ³³  on his feet! 15:23 Bring ³⁴  the fattened calf ³⁵  and kill it! Let us eat ³⁶  and celebrate, 15:24 because this son of mine was dead, and is alive again – he was lost and is found!’ ³⁷  So ³⁸  they began to celebrate.

Luke 15:2

15:2 But ³⁹  the Pharisees ⁴⁰  and the experts in the law ⁴¹  were complaining, ⁴²  “This man welcomes ⁴³  sinners and eats with them.”

Colossians 1:4

1:4 since ⁴⁴  we heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints.

Colossians 2:7

2:7 rooted ⁴⁵  and built up in him and firm ⁴⁶  in your ⁴⁷  faith just as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

Colossians 1:6

1:6 that has come to you. Just as in the entire world this gospel ⁴⁸  is bearing fruit and growing, so it has also been bearing fruit and growing ⁴⁹  among you from the first day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth.

[61:1]  ¹ tn Heb “anointed,” i.e., designated to carry out an assigned task.

[61:1]  ² sn The speaker is not identified, but he is distinct from the Lord and from Zion’s suffering people. He possesses the divine spirit, is God’s spokesman, and is sent to release prisoners from bondage. The evidence suggests he is the Lord’s special servant, described earlier in the servant songs (see 42:1-4, 7; 49:2, 9; 50:4; see also 51:16).

[61:1]  ³ tn Or “sent” (NAB); NCV “has appointed me.”

[61:1]  ⁴ tn Or “proclaim good news to.”

[61:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “to bind up [the wounds of].”

[61:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “to announce the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of our God’s vengeance.

[61:3]  ¹¹ tn Heb “oil of joy” (KJV, ASV); NASB, NIV, NRSV “the oil of gladness.”

[61:3]  ¹² tn Heb “garment of praise.”

[61:3]  ¹³ tn Heb “a faint spirit” (so NRSV); KJV, ASV “the spirit of heaviness”; NASB “a spirit of fainting.”

[61:3]  ¹⁴ tn Rather than referring to the character of the people, צֶדֶק (tsedeq) may carry the nuance “vindication” here, suggesting that God’s restored people are a testimony to his justice. See v. 2, which alludes to the fact that God will take vengeance against the enemies of his people. Cf. NAB “oaks of justice.”

[61:3]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “a planting of the Lord to reveal splendor.”

[147:3]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “the one who heals.”

[5:4]  ²¹ sn The promise they will be comforted is the first of several “reversals” noted in these promises. The beatitudes and the reversals that accompany them serve in the sermon as an invitation to enter into God’s care, because one can know God cares for those who turn to him.

[4:18]  ²⁶ sn The phrase he has anointed me is an allusion back to Jesus’ baptism in Luke 3:21-22.

[4:18]  ²⁷ tn Grk “to evangelize,” “to preach the gospel.”

[4:18]  ²⁸ sn The poor is a key term in Luke. It refers to the pious poor and indicates Jesus’ desire to reach out to those the world tends to forget or mistreat. It is like 1:52 in force and also will be echoed in 6:20 (also 1 Pet 2:11-25). Jesus is commissioned to do this.

[4:18]  ²⁹ tc The majority of mss, especially the later Byzantines, include the phrase “to heal the brokenhearted” at this point (A Θ Ψ 0102 ˹ Ï). The phrase is lacking in several weighty mss (א B D L W Ξ Ë¹³ 33 579 700 892* pc lat sy^s co), including representatives from both the Alexandrian and Western texttypes. From the standpoint of external evidence, the omission of the phrase is more likely original. When internal evidence is considered, the shorter reading becomes almost certain. Scribes would be much more prone to add the phrase here to align the text with Isa 61:1, the source of the quotation, than to remove it from the original.

[4:18]  ³⁰ sn The release in view here is comprehensive, both at a physical level and a spiritual one, as the entire ministry of Jesus makes clear (Luke 1:77-79; 7:47; 24:47; Acts 2:38; 5:31; 10:43).

[4:18]  ³¹ sn Again, as with the previous phrase, regaining of sight may well mean more than simply miraculously restoring physical sight, which itself pictures a deeper reality (Luke 1:77-79; 18:35-43).

[4:18]  ³² sn The essence of Jesus’ messianic work is expressed in the phrase to set free. This line from Isa 58 says that Jesus will do what the nation had failed to do. It makes the proclamation messianic, not merely prophetic, because Jesus doesn’t just proclaim the message – he brings the deliverance. The word translated set free is the same Greek word (ἄφεσις, afesi") translated release earlier in the verse.

[4:18]  ³³ sn Again, as with the previous phrases, oppressed may well mean more than simply political or economic oppression, but a deeper reality of oppression by sin (Luke 1:77-79; 18:35-43).

[15:20]  ³¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the result of the son’s decision to return home. Greek style often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” but English style generally does not.

[15:20]  ³² tn Grk “a long way off from [home].” The word “home” is implied (L&N 85.16).

[15:20]  ³³ tn Or “felt great affection for him,” “felt great pity for him.”

[15:20]  ³⁴ tn Grk “he fell on his neck,” an idiom for showing special affection for someone by throwing one’s arms around them. The picture is of the father hanging on the son’s neck in welcome.

[15:20]  ³⁵ tn Grk “him”; the referent (the son) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[15:21]  ³⁶ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[15:21]  ³⁷ sn The phrase against heaven is a circumlocution for God. 1st century Judaism tended to minimize use of the divine name out of reverence.

[15:21]  ³⁸ sn The younger son launches into his confession just as he had planned. See vv. 18-19.

[15:22]  ⁴¹ tn See the note on the word “slave” in 7:2.

[15:22]  ⁴² sn With the instructions Hurry! Bring the best robe, there is a total acceptance of the younger son back into the home.

[15:22]  ⁴³ tn Grk “hand”; but χείρ (ceir) can refer to either the whole hand or any relevant part of it (L&N 8.30).

[15:22]  ⁴⁴ sn The need for sandals underlines the younger son’s previous destitution, because he was barefoot.

[15:23]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “And bring.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[15:23]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “the prize calf” (L&N 65.8). See also L&N 44.2, “grain-fattened.” Such a calf was usually reserved for religious celebrations.

[15:23]  ⁴⁸ tn The participle φαγόντες (fagontes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[15:24]  ⁵¹ sn This statement links the parable to the theme of 15:6, 9.

[15:24]  ⁵² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the result of the father’s remarks in the preceding verses.

[15:2]  ⁵⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[15:2]  ⁵⁷ sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.

[15:2]  ⁵⁸ tn Or “and the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 5:21.

[15:2]  ⁵⁹ tn Or “grumbling”; Grk “were complaining, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[15:2]  ⁶⁰ tn Or “accepts,” “receives.” This is not the first time this issue has been raised: Luke 5:27-32; 7:37-50.

[1:4]  ⁶¹ tn The adverbial participle ἀκούσαντες (akousante") is understood to be temporal and translated with “since.” A causal idea may also be in the apostle’s mind, but the context emphasizes temporal ideas, e.g., “from the day” (v. 6).

[2:7]  ⁶⁶ tn Or “having been rooted.”

[2:7]  ⁶⁷ sn The three participles rooted, built up, and firm belong together and reflect three different metaphors. The first participle “rooted” (perfect tense) indicates a settled condition on the part of the Colossian believers and refers to horticulture. The second participle “built up” (present passive) comes from the world of architecture. The third participle “firm [established]” (present passive) comes from the law courts. With these three metaphors (as well as the following comment on thankfulness) Paul explains what he means when he commands them to continue to live their lives in Christ. The use of the passive probably reflects God’s activity among them. It was he who had rooted them, had been building them up, and had established them in the faith (cf. 1 Cor 3:5-15 for the use of mixed metaphors).

[2:7]  ⁶⁸ tn The Greek text has the article τῇ (th), not the possessive pronoun ὑμῶν (Jumwn), but the article often functions as a possessive pronoun and was translated as such here (ExSyn 215).

[1:6]  ⁷¹ tn Grk “just as in the entire world it is bearing fruit.” The antecedent (“the gospel”) of the implied subject (“it”) of ἐστιν (estin) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:6]  ⁷² tn Though the participles are periphrastic with the present tense verb ἐστίν (estin), the presence of the temporal indicator “from the day” in the next clause indicates that this is a present tense that reaches into the past and should be translated as “has been bearing fruit and growing.” For a discussion of this use of the present tense, see ExSyn 519-20.