Luke iv. 21, 22. And lie began to say unto them, This day is tliis Scripture fulfilled in your ears. And all bare him witness, and ivondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth.
THE Sabbath was appointed as a day of rest ; yet not altogether for the rest of the body, but that the soul might be the more at leisure to acquaint itself with God. In this view it is a most gracious and merciful appointment ; because, the time being fixed, all are disengaged at once, and ready both to serve their God together, and to receive instruction re- specting their duty towards him. Our blessed Lord, after he had entered upon his ministry, employed every day in the execution of his work : but he availed himself especially of the opportunity which the Sabbaths afforded him, to instruct the people. At Nazareth, where he had been brought up, " he went into their synagogue, as his custom was;" and being called upon to read the portion of Scripture appointed for the day, he stood up and read a passage from the prophecies of Isaiah ; and then sat down to expound it. His exposition or comment is not given us : but the substance of it is set before us, in few, but com- prehensive, words.
It is our intention to consider, I. His comment on the Scripture —
When he told the people, that on that very day the passage which he had read to them was fulfilled in their ears, we must suppose him to have spoken to this effect :
'I am the person whom the Father has sent —
[' From my mean appearance you will be ready to think that I can have no pretensions to the office of the Messiah : but it is of me that the prophet speaks in the words which I have now read : I am the person on whom the Spirit has been poured out; "the Lord hath anointed ME, and sent me" to instruct and save the world.]