Luke 4:18-21
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath 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,”
King James Version · the opening — all 4 verses are below
Textual note“Recovering of sight to the blind” is not in the Hebrew of Isaiah 61:1, which reads “the opening of the prison to them that are bound.” Luke’s written text follows the ancient Greek translation of Isaiah (the Septuagint). Why do the words differ from Isaiah 61? — The scroll in Nazareth →
Jesus reading Isaiah 61:1-2 in Nazareth and declaring 'This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.'
Read the whole passage — all 4 verses (KJV)
4:18The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath 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,
4:19To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
4:20And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
4:21And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
Fulfillment References
Isaiah 61:1-2 Matthew 11:5
How Traditions Read This Prophecy
Apostolic (Oneness) PentecostalIn the synagogue Jesus reads Isaiah 61 — 'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me' — and declares, 'This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.' He is the Anointed (Messiah) on whom the Spirit rests; God Himself, by His own Spirit, came to preach good news and set captives free. The Anointer and the Anointed meet in the one Lord Jesus.
JewishIsaiah 61 is the Spirit-anointed herald of jubilee and restoration; read of a prophet or of Israel's comfort, not claimed for an individual messiah in the synagogue.
CatholicChrist's inaugural sermon declaring Himself the Spirit-anointed fulfiller of Isaiah 61; the Jubilee realized in Him (cf. the Catechism).
ProtestantJesus announces His messianic mission, claiming Isaiah 61 fulfilled in Himself — the Spirit-anointed preacher of the gospel.
AcademicLuke programmatically places this 'Nazareth manifesto' at the start of the ministry; the omission of Isaiah's 'day of vengeance' is a noted redactional choice.
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Audio narration (listen to this prophecy read aloud), cross-references, Hebrew/Greek, Dead Sea Scrolls notes, a prophetic timeline, network maps, study tools and multi-tradition analysis in the interactive explorer.
Bible Prophecy Explorer · based on J. Barton Payne’s Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy catalogue · an openly Apostolic (Oneness) Pentecostal study resource — all traditions presented fairly. Pastor: C. Myles Young, D.Min. · Bishop: Nathaniel J. Wilson, Ed.D.