Isaiah 61:1, commentary and pictures

The speaker is the Messiah himself, describing his own office and mission, upon whom the Spirit of the Lord rests as anointing, sending and power for service. He is anointed to bring good news to the poor, lowly, meek and contrite, to heal, comfort and restore the brokenhearted, and to proclaim release from bondage to sin, Satan, darkness, oppression and affliction. Jesus claimed these words as his own life-work when he read them in the Nazareth synagogue on the Sabbath and declared them fulfilled that day in the hearing of the people. His mission is spiritual liberation, healing and enlightenment for all peoples and classes, not leading armies or seizing earthly power, and by it he limits Satan's power and wrestles dominion from him to set captives free. That same anointing makes this the pattern and life-work of his representatives, who are to preach to the poor, relieve suffering, comfort the sorrowing and lead souls to Christ in tender, self-sacrificing labor.

Words and Context

The speaker is the Messiah himself speaking through prophecy, claiming these words as the description of his own divine character, office and mission. The ministry portrayed is his, spoken by him through Isaiah, announcing him as the Anointed One with the Spirit of the Lord upon him. He claimed the words for himself at the beginning of his public ministry in the synagogue at Nazareth, reading them as his own life-work. Divinity flashed through humanity as he read, and power drew acknowledgment of the gracious truth, though his humble life as a laborer did not match the expected pomp of a conquering king. His mission is to save men's lives, not to destroy them, and he never left an example of putting anyone to death for unbelief, in contrast to the spirit of persecution which comes from Satan.

The Spirit of the Lord God upon him means the Lord has anointed, sent, empowered and commissioned him for saving work on earth. Through the Holy Spirit the Lord works with the human agent, and the same Spirit that rested upon Christ anoints his people to preach good tidings to the meek, to bind up the brokenhearted, and to proclaim liberty to captives and opening of the prison to those bound. The Sun of Righteousness has arisen, and Christ waits to clothe his people with the garments of salvation for this work. This commission was fulfilled through his ministry of compassion and deliverance, carried out without outward display, so that beneath his human appearance people failed to recognize the glory of the Son of God.

The meek to whom good tidings are preached are the poor, lowly, humble and contrite. They include those who know they need a Saviour and can understand his words, and his teaching in public places and in the temple court made truth accessible to all who would hear, including Gentiles. He chose to take the message of truth to them rather than seek the highest place among teachers, living among the poor and lowly. The proud, self-sufficient religious leaders could not receive or join in these words.

Binding up the brokenhearted means healing, comforting, strengthening and restoring them in their sorrow, suffering and sin. God alone can bind up a broken heart and bring healing, and through sacrifice heaven is opened to humanity. He came to understand fallen humanity's needs and bore human griefs and sorrows, becoming through suffering a perfect Saviour through whose grace people may be perfected. Christ sends his children to reveal him as the one who removes burdens and gives rest, and his servants are to help, bless and heal. This binding-up care is the life-work of improvement appointed for all followers and the duty of all bought by blood to give life, meaning willingness to sacrifice personal interest for the good of others, going directly to the downcast all around inside the church, reminding them of privileges and not talking of difficulties. A spirit of surmising against one another neglects this work and brings weakness, as it did to the Jewish nation.

Proclaiming liberty to captives and opening of the prison means release from spiritual as well as outward bondage. The bondage is the power of evil, sin, Satan's power, darkness, oppression, heavy burdens and cruel bondage, and people are prisoners needing the light of truth. Every form of slavery is contrary to God's word, and this compassionate ministry stands in contrast to Satan's work of harming and imprisoning people. Liberty is not sentencing people to prison, exile, chain gangs or stocks, and it stands in contrast to followers of Satan who imprison and punish people for obeying God according to conscience. The freedom is the freedom of God's children enjoyed through repentance from sin, and those who receive it praise God and become a blessing to others. It is given when a person surrenders to Christ, for apart from divine power no genuine reform can happen, and only when his life becomes a vitalizing power can temptations from within and without be resisted. Surrender brings the mind under control of the royal law, subjection to the will of Christ restores perfect manhood, and obedience to God is freedom from slavery to sin and deliverance from human passion and impulse, so that cleansed in heart a person stands as conqueror of self and is made free.

As read and applied, the verse is understood to include recovering of sight to the blind, setting at liberty the bruised, freeing the oppressed and revealing the light of truth to the world. Its sacred office is that of reliever of the oppressed, liberator of captives, healer of the afflicted and revealer of the light of truth. That word was fulfilled in his ministry: the sick were healed, demoniacs restored, lepers and paralytics made whole, the dumb spoke, the ears of the deaf were opened, the dead were brought to life, and the poor had the gospel preached to them. Every miracle convinced some of his true character, and he stood as its living expositor concerning himself. With it is announced the acceptable year of the Lord and comfort to those who mourn.

Fulfilled in Nazareth

The verse identifies Jesus as the promised Messiah, the Anointed One, anointed by the Spirit of the Lord for saving work. That anointing sent Him to bring good news to the poor and meek, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim deliverance and liberty to captives, to free the oppressed and bruised, to restore sight to the blind, and to reveal the light of truth. His ministry to suffering people fulfilled this prophecy and showed His divinity, with His glory appearing in humble compassion toward humanity. His works showed both that He was the Messiah and how His kingdom would be established: not through armed force, military conquest, or overthrow of earthly rulers and an earthly throne, but by speaking to hearts through mercy, self-sacrifice, relief of suffering, and liberation of people.

Early in His Galilean ministry He came to Nazareth, the home of His childhood and youth where He had been brought up, and on the Sabbath stood up in the synagogue service to read when the roll of Isaiah was delivered to Him. He read this prophecy together with the proclamation of the acceptable year of the Lord, then closed the roll and expounded it with clearness and strength as concerning Himself. He declared it fulfilled that day in their hearing as His own life-work, standing as its living expositor. He had never attended school in their eyes, yet His explanation greatly amazed the people who knew Him.

That word was fulfilled in His ministry in detail: the sick were healed, demoniacs were restored, lepers and paralytics were made whole, the dumb spoke, the ears of the deaf were opened, the dead were brought to life, and the poor had the gospel preached to them. Whole villages were left without suffering by His going about doing good and healing all oppressed by Satan, and His work proved His divine anointing in love, mercy, compassion, and tender sympathy. Every miracle convinced some of His true character, though some rejected the evidence and resisted the light. At Capernaum this liberty appeared face to face with Satan over a man whose mind had been darkened and whose faculties were held by Satan: a ray of light roused the man to long for freedom, a terrible conflict followed as another will held him and spoke through him, the demon exerted all power to retain his victim lest Jesus gain victory, and He who had conquered Satan in the wilderness spoke with authority and set the captive free to happy freedom and self-possession, so that even the demon testified to His divine power.

His hearers at Nazareth first rejoiced under God's power attending His words, then rejected Him when He exposed their true condition and pride as Jews who regarded themselves as peculiarly favored of heaven. His humble background and spiritual mission conflicted with their expectation of a glorious prince who would establish David's throne by force, appear at the head of armies to bring a glorious earthly reign, break Rome's yoke, banish oppression, free John, deliver Israel from the Romans, and enthrone the nation. Their pride, prejudice, unbelief, and offense at the searching exposure of their condition led them to thrust Him out and seek His death, rather than receive salvation instead of earthly kingship, military conquest, and political liberation.

Faithful descendants in the Jewish nation who preserved the knowledge of God had strengthened their faith by dwelling on this promise, reading it with exceeding joy as assurance of the coming Anointed One. They also felt sadness because to fulfill the divine purpose He must endure suffering, though many still expected a mighty prince who would establish a kingdom in Israel and deliver the nations without understanding the nature of His mission. At His first visit to the temple Jesus understood that this prophetic mission was His and that He would also be the great Sacrifice for sin fulfilling Isaiah 53. He went into the wilderness alone to contemplate that mission as man's deliverer freeing captives held in torment by the destroyer and how to begin it, bracing Himself by fasting and prayer for the blood-stained path it required, with the whole plan of His work as deliverer laid out before Him during His long fast. This opening work of His prophetic mission, preaching the gospel to the poor and proclaiming the Lord's acceptable year, will also be the closing work of the world's history, fulfilling the plan of redemption toward which the Jewish ceremonies had pointed.

His coming set up God's kingdom among men in opposition to the kingdom of this world. He came at His first advent to limit Satan's power, to wrest dominion from Satan, and to set free those Satan had held captive. His authority over demons fulfills this mission by releasing the afflicted from Satan's control.

Nature of Christ's Mission

The anointed work is spiritual liberation from the power of evil, bondage, affliction and darkness, not appearing at the head of armies to establish an earthly kingdom by military conquest, overthrow of rulers, banishing of oppression by force, or political deliverance from Rome. It does not mean reigning on David's throne in Jerusalem, assuming kingly authority, subduing the Romans, using divine power to set John free from prison, or bringing a glorious earthly reign and national enthronement of Israel. Israel itself, though children of Abraham, is represented as in bondage, as prisoners to be delivered from the power of evil, as souls bound in slavery to be set at liberty, as in darkness needing the light of truth, and as blind eyes needing to be opened. John's despondency, doubt whether Jesus was the Messiah, impatience that He did not publicly proclaim Himself Saviour of the world, and expectation of deliverance came from indistinct ideas of this kingdom, and Christ's answer pointing to its fulfillment gently reproved impatience, taught the true character of the mission, and led him to yield in submission and faith to live or die as should best advance God's glory. The deliverance promised is altogether different from what pride expected, involving a close searching of deeds and a spiritual work that offends pride, arouses fear, and is resisted by unbelief worked by Satan to keep eyes blind and souls bound.

Its sacred office is that of reliever of the oppressed, liberator of captives, healer of the afflicted, and revealer of the light of truth to the world, relieving suffering and bringing freedom and light instead of bondage and darkness. It brings good news to the poor, lowly, meek and contrite, heals the brokenhearted, proclaims deliverance and liberty to captives and the oppressed, restores sight to the blind, sets free those who are bruised, and with it announces the acceptable year of the Lord. These are precious blessings brought to people held captive by Satan, concerning spiritual as well as outward bondage. Jesus stood as its living expositor concerning Himself.

He carried it out in humble compassion toward humanity, and His glory appeared in that compassion and reveals the character of God. Though the Son of God, rich and empowered and anointed by God, He came without outward display, worldly popularity, worldly wisdom, or recognition of His glory beneath His human appearance, becoming poor for humanity's sake, living among the poor and lowly, and teaching plainly and simply so that even children and the humble and unlearned could understand profound truths through faith. He did not conform to the standard of the world, did not exalt Himself above others, did not keep apart from fellow men, did not withdraw from the poor because He had less of this world's goods, and did not honor the wealthy while despising the poor. Though rejected, He carried out this work among the people.

His saving work and light are for people of every nationality and race and every class, reaching the needy, weak, neglected, lowly and sorrowful rather than only the highest ranks of society, the rich or the favored. He did not seek the highest place among Jewish teachers but chose to take the message of truth to the poor, teaching in public places, in the temple court and elsewhere where Gentiles could hear, making the words of truth accessible to all who would hear. Churches that bear His name must follow the same pattern and must not show superiority, separation, or partiality toward the rich against the poor, but those who share His Spirit use their gifts to serve and uplift others.

His healing power brought physical relief and, for many, conviction of sin and healing from spiritual disease, restoring the body while delivering from Satan's power and restoring the soul. His work is to bring hope and healing to the sorrowful and despondent, bind up their wounds, break oppression, take away sin, give His life to ransom the world, comfort those who mourn, open heaven to humanity through sacrifice, understand fallen humanity's needs, bear human griefs and sorrows, become a perfect Saviour through suffering, and call sinners to believe in Him and live that through grace they may be perfected as heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. Yet He had no healing message for those who rejected truth and treated it with contempt, and His silence before Herod did not mean indifference to suffering but was a severe rebuke to those willing to receive nothing.

He does this work gently and without harsh clamor, not breaking the bruised reed and not quenching the smoking flax, not failing nor growing discouraged until His mission is finished. It is restorative and life-giving work that lifts people up rather than casting them down, uplifting, bringing peace, happiness and gladness, freeing people from the harm that destroys life and liberty, and restoring people to God's moral image. He shared human poverty and grief, entered humble homes, spoke hope to the downcast and peace to the distressed, lifted the bowed down, comforted the sorrowful, and gives rest, comfort and joy to those sorrowing and burdened, including the afflicted mother failed by human sympathy whom Jesus loves and invites to come to Him with her children for salvation. This same tender, pitiful care belongs to every servant who must have His mind toward souls that are tempted, poor, afflicted, wounded in spirit and losing hope, and must not crush them with harsh, unpitying words or leave them helpless in misery, and those who fully follow Him share the honor of working with Him in that same restoring work.

Work Entrusted to Followers

The verse gives the pattern for God's people in this age, who as His representatives, witnesses and helping hand are to do the same work Christ did and announced at Nazareth, laboring together with Him for salvation in cities and foreign fields. The Spirit-anointed mission to bring good news to the meek, heal the brokenhearted, and proclaim freedom and release to captives and prisoners is directed to all who believe the Word and claim to be His children, including those engaged in education. That gospel work includes caring for health and relieving suffering, for followers are to preach the gospel and heal the sick under the commission Christ gave His disciples.

It defines the work required of shepherds, ministers, educators and physicians of the soul: preaching to the poor, comforting, restoring and saving souls through continual self-sacrificing labor, personal binding-up care and patient teaching. This means bringing good news to the meek and poor, healing the brokenhearted, proclaiming freedom to captives and prisoners, announcing God's favor and judgment, comforting mourners, and replacing sorrow and heaviness with honor, joy, praise and righteousness that glorifies God. Such labor is done among the poor by moving and spending means and strength without counting hours, unlike hourly trade work, and true guides must learn skill in restoring wounded church members, spending less time in formal preaching and more time in personal care. That restoring work calls for sanctified character, humble awareness of responsibility, weakness and failure, fear of God, refusal to trust human intelligence and planning, and earnest prayer for divine enlightenment before any move, rather than censure, control or mere formal preaching.

Followers continue it by tender, pitiful, kind and thoughtful help that removes burdens, breaks the yoke of oppression and gives rest, being touched by the infirmities, necessities, troubles and perplexities of those for whom Christ died. They are to extend comfort and practical help to all who mourn or seek relief, not only those easy to favor, and to search out the needy, sorrowing, weak and oppressed instead of waiting to be urged. Through personal, compassionate efforts they represent Him, lift up Christ, lead souls to Him as personal Saviour, and show sin-bound people the Saviour who brings help to sorrow and misery.

This includes gospel medical and health work that joins saving souls with healing and practical good for others, where care for bodily health can awaken interest in God. Those who claim present truth are commissioned to health reform and medical missionary work in accordance with the directions Christ gave the twelve when He sent them to preach that the kingdom of heaven is at hand with power to heal sickness and disease, cleanse lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils, freely giving as they freely received. It also embraces publishing work, as witnesses sending truth and solemn warnings into the world to lead people toward salvation alongside the announcement of the Lord's favor and judgment. It further embraces house-to-house and field labor, canvassing to bring people to the word and prayer, and ministry that prepares people to receive Bible truth.

The opening declaration urges each person to do the work God has left them instead of asking God to do it, acting on light already given to receive more, for God helps when help is needed. Neglecting guidance, counsel, warnings and reproofs already given is no reason to expect more light and blessing, while following known light leads to further light. The Lord putting His Spirit upon men and women qualifies and anoints them to labor, to speak without holding peace, to warn from God's dealings with His people, and to do much speaking and writing. Those who realize the Spirit is upon them go forth in humble faith into new fields and house-to-house work, Christ imparts grace to them that they impart to others, and the Lord gives them the same love for perishing souls given to the disciples of old.

His life under this anointing exemplifies seeking first God's kingdom and His righteousness, oneness with the Father, fulfilling the law, continual obedience to God's commands, and giving an example that in His strength humanity may render required obedience and stand perfect before the throne. Flowing from His humanity that made Him very tender toward humanity, His lessons to disciples were in perfect harmony with it, revealing love, mercy, compassion and tender sympathy in every act. He took human nature to reach human need, went about doing good and healing all oppressed by Satan so completely that whole villages were left without suffering, proving His divine anointing, and the poorest and humblest were not afraid to come to Him while little children were drawn to Him. His prayer prepared Him for active work among people, whom He sought wherever they lived and worked with personal sympathy and concern for their good, to relieve the sick, teach the ignorant, and break Satan's chains.

Practical Forms of Release

The anointed mission joins the saving of souls with healing of the body and practical good for others, caring for health and relieving suffering as part of preaching the gospel and following the commission to heal the sick, cleanse lepers, raise the dead and cast out devils, freely giving as freely received. The same liberty includes freedom from dependence on tea, coffee, tobacco and alcohol, gained through persistent effort and recovery of the body. Its healing brings both physical relief and deliverance from Satan's captivity, convicting of sin and curing spiritual disease.

Together with the following verses the commission calls for restoring what is ruined and rebuilding the foundations of past generations. This means giving the Sabbath of the fourth commandment its exalted place by pen and by voice, ringing out the truth in every way and presenting the true Sabbath in contrast to the false Sunday sabbath so all may choose. Those who do this are the repairer of the breach and the restorer of paths to dwell in.

Liberty to captives and release of the oppressed condemns every form of slavery as contrary to God's word. That promise was echoed in the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States, when those who gave their lives helped proclaim liberty to the oppressed, for God saw their suffering and moved men to work for their deliverance. It is also seen in the jubilee, when the land rests and the pious slave rises triumphant, shaking off chains while the wicked master is left confused and unable to understand God's voice. The same call requires helping freed people gain education and independence, with impartial love breaking down racial prejudice and separation.

The promised release belongs to the Christian hope of resurrection, when the Life-giver will break the tomb's fetters and free sleeping saints from their prison-house of death to immortal vigor. Those thus freed from pain, sorrow and death are reunited in the family chain, exalted and rewarded with an inheritance and everlasting life as all who kept the word of His patience. This opening of the prison is fulfilled in Christ's victory by death and resurrection breaking the destroyer's power and setting captives free, and in His ascension as conqueror carrying humanity to heaven so that humanity shares His triumph and assurance.

Opening prison doors also describes the power of Scripture truth to free people from error, superstition, ignorance and vice, calling them to spiritual liberty and enlightening and elevating them. This liberty comes by bringing the Scriptures to those held in darkness of error, with Christ standing by those who proclaim it to give the bread of life to hungry souls. The same liberating work raises up the degraded, restrains tyranny and frees the bound, and is joined to gospel ministry and medical missionary work that prepares people to receive Bible truth.

With the next verses the mission comforts all that mourn, reaching people in deepest misery and corruption through a mediatorial ministry of restoration so God may be glorified. It appoints to them that mourn in Zion beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning and the garment of praise for heaviness, that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord. This word is to be spoken to those with broken hearts, such as a bereaved widow left without the human strength she leaned on, turning her from feebleness of human sympathy to her best Friend whose love has followed her all her life. The Christian life under it is therefore not undue hardship as mourners in sackcloth and ashes, but joy, praise and the liberty of the sons of God, expressed in countenance, words and tone of voice while cooperating with God as helper so lives become a blessing to others.

Connected Promises and Warnings

The acceptable year of the Lord proclaimed with this anointing extends through the whole time of human probation, while God waits for seekers and receives every contrite one who comes to him. That acceptable year has come through Christ, who heals the sick, comforts the brokenhearted and proclaims deliverance to captives, restoring those who are sick, hopeless and afflicted. His coming fulfilled the promise of the Teacher, and this opening work of his prophetic mission will also be the closing work of the world's history.

With the next verses are added the day of vengeance of God and the comforting of all that mourn, giving to them that mourn in Zion beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning and the garment of praise for heaviness, that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified. This defines restoration, reformation and blessed spiritual medical missionary work, to be done as Christ sent his twelve to preach that the kingdom of heaven is at hand, healing the sick, cleansing lepers, raising the dead and casting out devils, freely giving as they have freely received. It has been neglected when God's messengers are condemned and their freedom restricted, which counterworks the very work to be carried forward. In contrast to Satan's followers who imprison and punish people for obeying God according to conscience, this is Christ's work of liberating and comforting, unlike Satan's work of causing suffering.

The Christian life under this promise does not call for undue hardship as a band of mourners in sackcloth and ashes, but for joy, praise and the liberty of the sons of God. Sharing Christ's purpose to glorify God means regarding the expression of the countenance, words and tone of voice, recognizing God as helper and cooperating with him to live Christlike lives, so that he blesses and fills with praise and makes lives a blessing to others. Amid black clouds, ignorance, superstition, darkness and strong masterful unbelief, believers must take up that same commission, reflecting light with pen and voice and praising God before the world. It requires physicians for the soul educated in the school of Christ and working in his lines, who go to the erring to talk, bind up, heal and restore rather than to censure and condemn and thrust them onto Satan's battleground with harsh words and reproach.

As part of Isaiah 60-65, these words are received when God's people stop complaining and turn from evil, and then the Lord manifests his power in the conviction and conversion of souls. They prove that God dwells in the high and holy place with the contrite and humble spirit to revive the spirit of the humble and the heart of the contrite, fulfilling the sure reconciliation of God to man and man to God when the conditions of brokenness and humility are met. The tempted are assured a personal share in this saving work, for faith in him as personal Saviour brings light, peace and hope because he has made reconciliation for sin.

He alone had power to break every bond, and when God gave his Son he gave all heaven, the great price paid for souls sunk in sin elevating man in moral value and showing every soul of great worth, though God will do nothing without the cooperation of the human agent. Apart from divine power no genuine reform can happen, and only when the life of Christ becomes a vitalizing power can temptations from within and without be resisted. Liberty to captives is given through the royal law when a person surrenders to Christ, the mind brought under control of the law and made one with Christ, so that subjection to his will restores perfect manhood and obedience to God is freedom from slavery to sin and deliverance from human passion and impulse. He came to save people under Satan's power and to set God's work right after unrighteous leaders had distorted it.

That mission would be useless if the poor and unlearned were not capable of understanding the Bible, and the verse proves the Bible is to be understood by every class, rich or poor, and that searching the Scriptures dispels error and leads to understanding of the revealed will of God. God's messengers are to bring good news and freedom rather than impose unauthorized rules or control others, and restricting the freedom of fellow beings through human judgments and traditions is warned against. Those who have learned the trade of the Master know how to deal skillfully with sensitive human minds and souls for whom Christ died, and to do this safely in positions of trust they must be thoroughly converted and thoroughly restored with quick discernment, with the Holy Spirit making hearts of stone into hearts of flesh so Satan cannot work through them to counteract the work Christ came to do. God's compassion heals those bruised and smitten and mercy is offered in their fallen condition, but those who persistently despise his grace will face punishment.

This belongs to his mediatorial ministry bringing restoration so that God may be glorified, reaching people in the deepest misery and corruption. The Lord as restorer of fallen humanity revives the humble and contrite, comforts mourners, turns mourning into joy and praise, and makes his people trees of righteousness for his glory. The surrounding promise adds comfort for mourners and change from grief to joy and praise, with rebuilding of old wastes and repair of waste cities and restoration of what has been ruined and rebuilding of foundations. Christ became humanity's mediator to come in human form, taking human nature without its sinfulness.