Luke 4. “The eyes of all the synagogue were fixed on him.” (4:20) After having been baptized, filled with the Holy Spirit, and successfully rebuking the temptation of the enemy in the desert; Jesus began his public ministry. He began by preaching in the synagogues. Jesus was single-minded in his mission: “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God… for I was sent for this purpose.” (4:43)

What is this good news of the kingdom? It is summed up in the Isaiah 61 passage Jesus read to the crowd: “He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor, liberty for the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, liberty for those who are oppressed, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (4:18-19) This sounds like fantastic news! Because redeemer-messiah Jesus has come, the kingdom of God is breaking through on earth… the restoration of humankind has begun; a relationship with God is possible and with that comes freedom, healing, and the making of all things new.

We see what the good news of the kingdom looks like as we follow the ministry of Jesus in this chapter. Jesus teaches truth with authority (4:32) in a manner the people are not accustomed to. Jesus brought liberty and freedom to those who were oppressed by evil spirits (4:35,41). Jesus brought physical healing to Simon’s mother-in-law (4:38-39) and to many who were ill in the masses (4:40). He fulfilled what he proclaimed; and established his identity and authority in the process. This was truly good news.

Here is what stands out to me: “The eyes of all the synagogue were fixed on him.” (4:20) Everyone was watching him. “All spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that came out of his mouth.” (4:22) They were astonished at his authority and teaching (4:32), they were all amazed (4:36), and reports about him went out into every place in the surrounding region (4:37). In modern terms, the ministry of Jesus went viral… stories of what happened spread like wildfire (however that happened in the first century!) and everyone wanted to see it for themselves. They came to Jesus for healing, for freedom, or just out of curiosity to see if the stories were true.

Yet the crowd is fickle. Public opinion can turn so quickly. One minute everyone is amazed and astonished. The next minute they are filled with wrath and rise up as a mob to throw Jesus off a cliff! (4:28-29) We know from watching modern stories go viral that the crowd is indeed very unpredictable. One minute they love you, the next minute they hate you. Everyone has an opinion, and frequently their opinions are not entirely based on fact.

The good news of the kingdom of God is true – the offer of a restored relationship with God, freedom, and healing is there for all who will embrace it. Some will run to the savior and embrace the good news. Others will recoil and stand aside in skepticism, mockery, and denial.

Consider this: My husband and I work with an outreach ministry to the homeless and addicted, an organization that offers a pathway to sober-living and freedom. People come to the front door of this ministry every day. Some embrace all that is offered and begin their freedom journey. Others decide they do not want to be a part of it and walk away. It breaks my heart every time someone walks away – how could they not want to be free? This is a daily reminder of how people respond to the good news of the kingdom of God – everyone is watching, some will run to freedom, some will reject it.

How do you respond to this offer of restoration and freedom that comes from Jesus? How might you pray for those around you who are watching or who have turned away? What stood out to you from Luke 4?