The Good News is Preached to the Poor

If you'd like, kick back, grab a cup of coffee or hot chocolate, and read the English version of a sermon I recently preached to our hospital staff:


Luke 7:14-22: “Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, ‘Young man, I say to you, get up!’ The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. They were all filled with awe and praised God. ‘A great prophet has appeared among us,’ they said. ‘God has come to help his people.’ This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country. John’s disciples told him about all these things. Calling two of them, he sent them to the Lord to ask, ‘Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?’ When the men came to Jesus, they said, ‘John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?’ At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses, and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. So he replied to the messengers, ‘Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.”

Many times in our lives we get our own ideas. They seem like good ideas at first, but many of them weren’t God’s ideas, and therefore weren’t the best. For instance, when I was young I had an idea that I was going to become a professional baseball player. I thought I would use my fame as a great player to share about God. As it turned out, I didn’t have nearly enough strength, speed, or coordination to be a professional. Now that I’m a missionary doctor here in Shell, I can see that being a pro ball player wasn’t the best idea. My four-year-old son, Caleb, gets good ideas at times. For instance, he gets the idea that he is Buzz Lightyear. That was a good idea for awhile until he found out how cool Batman was. I think the plans of the roads here in Shell seemed like good ideas at first, but it seems like every few months they have to be torn up for an improvement. Maybe those designs weren’t good ideas after all.

It’s not a big problem to have the wrong ideas about some issues, such as what will I eat for dinner tonight. However, some ideas need to be correct. Who is Jesus the Messiah? What is his purpose? These are the most important questions that we will ever ask ourselves, and this passage of scripture helps us to answer those questions.

God’s people, the Israelites, had their own ideas about what the Messiah would be like when he came. They had waited for hundreds of years for the coming of the Messiah, and most thought that he would come and kick out those who were oppressing them. The Israelites had a long history of being ruled by oppressive people, whether by the Egyptians, the Philistines, the Romans, or others. Hundreds of years earlier, God had raised up Moses to bring them out of slavery and into the promised land. Wouldn’t the coming Messiah do the same? Wouldn’t he be a military leader stronger than any other king? Before Jesus’ time, there weren’t many who understood that the prophecies in the Old Testament were talking about a Messiah who would restore their hearts.

John the Baptist was one of the few people who understood God’s idea of what the Messiah would be. He understood Christ’s purpose. John’s message was, “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” Because he understood God’s idea of the Messiah, he spent his time in the wilderness preaching and baptizing, preparing people’s hearts to receive Jesus. In Luke chapter seven, just after bringing a young man back to life from the dead, Jesus is approached by a couple of John the Baptist’s disciples. At that time John the Baptist was in prison, and he wanted to be sure that Jesus was the true Messiah. “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” “Eres tu el que ha de venir, o debemos esperar a otro?” Jesus’ answer is profound. “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.” Vayan y cuentenle a Juan lo que han visto y oido: Los ciegos ven, los cojos andan, los que tienen lepra son sanados, los sordos oyen, los muertos resucitan y a los pobres se les anuncian las buenas nuevas.”

By his answer to John’s disciples, Jesus was confirming his identity as the true Messiah. We know that He was claiming to be the Messiah because he was quoting words from the prophet Isaiah that were written approximately 700 years before. In predicting the coming of the Messiah, Isaiah says in chapter 29 verse 18, “In that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll, and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see.” In chapter 35 verse 5-6 he says, “Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy.” Jesus was powerful. His miracles fulfilled these prophecies. It was very important that Jesus was able to do these miracles, because the miracles were evidence that He was the Messiah and God’s son.

Bringing the dead back to life? Now that’s MY idea of a Messiah! In the past, as I thought about MY idea of who the Messiah is, I often made the mistake of focusing on Jesus’ power. He’s strong enough to do anything! But to really understand who the Messiah is, I should be sure to read Jesus entire answer, not just the first part that talked about the miracles. Jesus concluded his statement by saying, “The good news is preached to the poor.” ”A los pobres se les anuncian las buenas nuevas.” Again, Jesus is quoting the prophet Isaiah from chapter 61 verse 1: “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.”

Ok let’s review everyone’s ideas about who the Messiah is:
Israel: The messiah will be powerful and will kick out the oppressive Romans.
Dan: The messiah is powerful and can perform great miracles. He can do anything!
Isaiah/JTB/God: The messiah will perform great miracles and preach the good news to the poor.

Remember, it is extremely important that our ideas about Jesus, the Messiah, are correct. Why? Because, as Christians, we are followers of Christ. We need to know in whom we believe. Is Jesus your savior? I hope so. Not only that, as Christians our purpose during our time on earth should reflect His purpose.

What is my purpose on earth? What is my purpose today in Shell? If I read only the first part of this passage, I will be focused only on Jesus’ great miracles. As a follower of Christ, I may get the idea that my mission on this earth consists only of trying to do great things. For example, I may think, “I need to heal every person I lay hands on. I need to plant a new church at least every month and preach to thousands of people at a time.” Perhaps Jesus does want us to do these great things. I’m not saying that He doesn’t. If the Holy Spirit is leading you to preach to thousands or heal someone, you should be obedient and do it! If He wants you to plant a church, do it!

However, if you are like me, you are a follower of Christ but you are not performing great miracles on an everyday basis, and sometimes this leads to discouragement. Don’t get discouraged! We just need to read the whole passage and remember who Jesus the Messiah is. Yes he did great miracles, but preaching the good news to the poor was also an important part, perhaps the MOST IMPORTANT PART, of His mission. As followers of Jesus, we should have the same mission. We should share the good news with the poor.

So, if my idea of the Messiah is the same as God’s idea of the Messiah, if I am truly a Christian, I will have a very strong desire to share the good news with the poor. You know, God has a special place in His heart for the poor and needy. James 1:27 says, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” In Matthew 5:3, Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

As Christians, we need to look for the poor: those with little money, those with few friends, those who are destitute and depressed, and those are spiritually poor, that is, those who are slaves to sin. The poor are all around us, aren’t they?! We need to share the good news with the poor, the news that Jesus humbled himself and came to our dirty earth as a little baby. He grew up strong, without sin. He lived a life that was perfectly obedient. He performed great miracles. Because He was perfect, and because he is God’s son, He did something that nobody else could do: He paid the full price for our sin by dying on the cross. And He conquered death once and for all by His resurrection from the dead.

I would challenge you to look for a poor person today. If you know Christ Jesus, the Messiah, you have GREAT news to share with the poor. Sharing the good news with the poor was part of Christ’s purpose, and it should be our purpose as well.