The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
Spirit.
Psalm 45:7 Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
Isaiah 11:2-5 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; …
Isaiah 42:1-4 Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles…
anointed.
Psalm 2:2,6 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, …
Daniel 9:24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
John 1:41 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.
to preach.
Luke 6:20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.
Luke 7:22 Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached.
Isaiah 29:19 The meek also shall increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
to heal.
2 Chronicles 34:27 Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, when thou heardest his words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and humbledst thyself before me, and didst rend thy clothes, and weep before me; I have even heard thee also, saith the LORD.
Psalm 34:18 The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
Psalm 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
to preach deliverance.
Psalm 102:20 To hear the groaning of the prisoner; to loose those that are appointed to death;
Psalm 107:10-16 Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron; …
Psalm 146:7 Which executeth judgment for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The LORD looseth the prisoners:
because He has anointed Me
Anointing in biblical times was a symbolic act of consecration, often involving oil, signifying being set apart for a specific role or task (e.g., priests, kings). Jesus is the Anointed One, the Messiah (Hebrew: Mashiach, Greek: Christos), fulfilling the messianic prophecies. This anointing is not with oil but with the Holy Spirit, indicating a spiritual mission and authority.
to preach good news to the poor
The "good news" or "gospel" is the message of salvation and the coming of God's kingdom. The poor, in this context, can refer to those who are economically disadvantaged, but also to the spiritually poor or humble (Matthew 5:3). Jesus' ministry focused on those marginalized by society, offering hope and redemption. This aligns with the prophetic tradition of caring for the poor and oppressed (Isaiah 58:6-7).
He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives
This phrase echoes the Year of Jubilee (Leviticus 25), a time when debts were forgiven, and slaves were freed. Jesus' mission includes spiritual liberation from sin and bondage (John 8:34-36). The captives can be seen as those bound by sin, demonic oppression, or societal injustices. This proclamation is a central theme of Jesus' ministry, offering freedom and restoration.
and recovery of sight to the blind
While Jesus performed physical healings, restoring sight to the blind (e.g., John 9:1-7), this phrase also symbolizes spiritual enlightenment. Blindness in scripture often represents a lack of understanding or spiritual insight (Isaiah 42:7, John 9:39-41). Jesus brings light to those in darkness, revealing truth and guiding them to salvation.
to release the oppressed
The oppressed are those burdened by sin, societal structures, or spiritual forces. Jesus' mission is to bring relief and deliverance, fulfilling the messianic prophecy of setting the oppressed free (Isaiah 58:6). This release is both physical and spiritual, offering a holistic salvation that addresses the needs of the whole person. Jesus' ministry consistently challenged oppressive systems and offered hope to those suffering.
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me” (Luke 4:18).
• Jesus reads Isaiah 61:1–2 and applies it to Himself, showing that He stands in the power of the Holy Spirit from the outset of His ministry (Isaiah 11:2; Matthew 3:16–17).
• Acts 10:38 confirms this reality: “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power.”
• Because the Spirit rests on Him without measure (John 3:34), everything that follows in the verse unfolds through divine authority, not mere human ability.
“…because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor” (Luke 4:18).
• “Good news” points to the gospel—God’s saving message of forgiveness and new life (1 Corinthians 15:1–4).
• “The poor” means those in material and spiritual poverty. Jesus consistently reaches out to both (Matthew 11:5; James 2:5).
• Isaiah 61:1 underscores the Messianic anointing: the Servant is divinely commissioned, not self-appointed.
• Practical look:
– He meets physical needs—feeding crowds (Mark 6:34–44).
– He meets spiritual needs—calling sinners to repentance (Luke 5:32).
“He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind” (Luke 4:18).
• Captivity includes every form of bondage—sin, Satan, fear, addiction (John 8:34–36; Hebrews 2:14–15).
• Jesus frees:
– The Gadarene demoniac (Luke 8:26–39).
– Prisoners of guilt like the thief on the cross (Luke 23:42–43).
• Sight to the blind happens both literally and spiritually:
– Literal: Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46–52), the man born blind (John 9:1–7).
– Spiritual: opening eyes “so that they may turn from darkness to light” (Acts 26:18; 2 Corinthians 4:4).
“…to release the oppressed” (Luke 4:18).
• Draws from Isaiah 58:6—God’s heart for those crushed by injustice, sickness, sorrow, or demonic tyranny.
• Jesus relieves oppression:
– Healing a bent-over woman bound by Satan for eighteen years (Luke 13:10–17).
– Inviting all weary souls, “Come to Me…and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28–30).
– Ultimately defeating every oppressive power at the cross (Colossians 2:15) and promising a world with “no more mourning or pain” (Revelation 21:4).
Luke 4:18 reveals the Messiah’s Spirit-empowered mission: bringing the gospel to those impoverished in any way, breaking every chain, opening blind eyes, and lifting the downtrodden. Jesus personally embodies and fulfills Isaiah’s prophecy, demonstrating that God’s kingdom arrives with salvation, freedom, healing, and justice for all who believe.
(18) The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.--The passage that follows reproduces, with a few unimportant variations, the LXX. version of Isaiah 61:1-2. The words "to heal the broken-hearted" are not in the best MSS. "To set at liberty them that are bruised" is not found in the present text of Isaiah. It is a legitimate inference that the passage which Jesus thus read was one in which He wished men to see the leading idea of His ministry. Glad tidings for the poor, remission of sins, comfort for the mourners, these were what He proclaimed now. These were proclaimed again in the beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount. We cannot fail to connect the opening words with the descent of the Spirit at His baptism. That was the "unction from the Holy One" (1John 2:20) which made Him the Christ, the true anointed of the Lord.Recovering of sight to the blind.--The English version of Isaiah rightly follows the Hebrew in giving "the opening of the prison to them that are bound." The blindness is that of those who have been imprisoned in the darkness.
Verse 18. - The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. St. Luke here quotes, with a few important variations, from the LXX. of Isaiah 61:1, 2. The clause, "to set at liberty them that are bruised," does not occur the present text of Isaiah. The bright, comforting words of the great prophet the Lord chose as giving a general summary of what he designed to carry out in his ministry. It could be no undesigned coincidence that the opening words of the passage contain a singularly clear mention of the three Persons of the blessed Trinity - the Spirit, the Father, and the Anointed (Messiah). Because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, etc. The common interpretation referred this passage to the state of the people on the return from the Captivity. Nothing, however, that the people had yet experienced in any way satisfied the brilliant picture painted in the great prophecy. A remnant certainly had returned several centuries back from their distant exile, but the large majority of the chosen people were scattered abroad; their own land was crushed under what seemed a hopeless servitude; poverty, ignorance, universal discontent, reigned alike in Jerusalem, garrisoned with Roman legionaries, and in the most distant of the poor upland villages of Galilee. Only could deliverance come and a golden age of prosperity return with the promised Messiah. This was the interpretation which the choicest spirits in Israel applied to the great Isaiah prophecy read that sabbath day in the little synagogue of Nazareth. This was the meaning which Jesus at once gave to it, only he startled his hearers by telling them that in him they saw the promised long-looked-for Deliverer. We only possess, it is evident, the very barest abstract of the words of the Teacher Jesus on this occasion. They must have been singularly eloquent, winning, and powerful to have extorted the wonder and admiration alluded to in the twenty-second verse.