Comfort, comfort my people,
says your God.
- Isaiah 40:1
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim 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,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.
They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.
- Isaiah 61:1-4
Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.
He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
- Luke 4:14-21
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
- 2 Corinthians 3:17
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
- 2 Peter 3:9
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
- Galatians 5:1
The Boilerplate
My wife took a Bible Study in 2011. (There was a note in the study guide that identified September 2 and that the study was being held on Friday mornings, or I might not have ever figured out what year.) My wife had become a Christian in 2000. She greatly respected the pastor’s wife who was also a pastor. The pastor’s wife spent time as the interim associate pastor, and this Bible study might have been during that time.
My wife passed away in March 2023, and I found this study guide as I was cleaning up. It is a Beth Moore study guide. Most of the questions are close-ended, mostly fill-in-the-blank. But my wife was eager to learn. She wrote her thoughts in the margins, sometimes encouraged to do so by Beth Moore. I will use her comments as I did once before, calling this a “with a little help” series in that my wife contributes. There is more to follow in that she wrote Scriptures and prayers in a notebook. Probably what she found in her personal Bible study, giving her encouragement through the long illness that took her life.
So, instead of writing about a topic at random, I am going to write on my wife’s comments in the Study Guide. It may follow the study guide topics, but it may not.
Discussion on this topic
Beth Moore starts this lesson with Isaiah 40:1, requesting everyone write it down, for Jesus has come. He is the comfort for the people of which the verse speaks. Then Beth Moore discusses Isaiah 61.
What happened just before Jesus reads from Isaiah 61:1-2 and then proclaims that this prophecy is fulfilled?
“He was tempted by the devil, while Jesus was on a fast.”
- My wife’s inner thoughts
My wife did not like fasts. It reminded her too much of the days she went to bed hungry because her parents told her there was not enough food for everyone. At an early age, my wife sacrificed for others and her family came before her.
Again Beth Moore points out a verse to illustrate an aspect of Christ’s reign. Second Corinthians 3:17 states that where there is the Spirit of God, there is freedom. So, we have comfort and freedom in Christ.
What did my wife think about the passage from Isaiah 61? What else does Jesus do?
“Preach Good News, bind up the brokenhearted, proclaim freedom for the captives, release from darkness for the prisoners, comfort the mourners, and provide for those who grieve in Zion.”
- My wife’s inner thoughts
My wife struggled, as we all do, when it came to giving God full access to our heart, that complete surrender. We all tend to take a step backwards every now and then.
Whenever I think of this, I remember the major, our senior class instructor, who taught us such topics as courtesy, proper decorum, etc. He was on the intramural basketball team, our big man since he was over six feet tall. He had one foul left after this very short person would try to steal the ball from him, and he would foul the young guy. He begged to be put back in the game. He told the coach, “Put me in coach. I have one foul left, and I know where I am going to use it.” As it turned out, the young short fellow on the other team was hip checked and went flying. A man who knew better, who taught others to be better, who, off the basketball court, practiced what he preached, was unable to resist the temptation. We all have our moments like that.
But Jesus never did. He was tempted and He resisted.
We often slip up and fall prey to being a captive to our self-desires, and we wish control of our own destiny, as if that was possible.
But what about those Christians who remain captives? My wife looked at 2 Peter 3:9 and Galatians 5:1.
“They’re losing out on the abundance God has in store for them.”
- My wife’s inner thoughts
May we all accept the Good News that Jesus came to earth to save us from our sin, and to set us free.
Soli Deo Gloria. Only to God be the Glory
Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley 
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