Reflections on Isaiah 61

Isaiah 61 (Contemporary English Version)
1. The Spirit of the LORD God has taken control of me! The LORD has chosen and sent me to tell the oppressed the good news, to heal the brokenhearted, and to announce freedom for prisoners and captives.
   
2. This is the year when the LORD God will show kindness to us and punish our enemies. The LORD has sent me to comfort those who mourn,
   
3. especially in Jerusalem. He sent me to give them flowers in place of their sorrow, olive oil in place of tears, and joyous praise in place of broken hearts. They will be called "Trees of Justice," planted by the LORD to honor his name.
   
4. Then they will rebuild cities that have been in ruins for many generations.
   
5. They will hire foreigners to take care of their sheep and their vineyards.
   
6. But they themselves will be priests and servants of the LORD our God. The treasures of the nations will belong to them, and they will be famous.
   
7. They were terribly insulted and horribly mistreated; now they will be greatly blessed and joyful forever.
   
8. I, the LORD, love justice! But I hate robbery and injustice. My people, I solemnly promise to reward you with an eternal agreement.
   
9. Your descendants will be known in every nation. All who see them will realize that they have been blessed, by me, the LORD.
   
10. I celebrate and shout because of my LORD God. His saving power and justice are the very clothes I wear. They are more beautiful than the jewelry worn by a bride or a groom.
    
11. The LORD will bring about justice and praise in every nation on earth, like flowers blooming in a garden.

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Jesus proclaimed Himself as the Messiah in His hometown synagogue by reading from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah verses 1 and 2a of chapter 61 and pointing to its fulfillment in Himself. The full passage in Isaiah goes through verse 3 and describes what the Messiah was sent to do: He would bring healing and set captives free. He would also "proclaim the year of the Lord's favor" and "the day of our God's vengeance." For those in Zion who mourn, He will give them comfort and a crown of beauty. (61:2-3)

When Jesus read this passage in the synagogue, He stopped in the middle of verse 2 with proclaiming the year of the Lord's favor. Some commentators see this as an intentional distinction between the Messiah's first and second advents. In other words, the portion Jesus read in the synagogue referred to His mission at that time, and the portion He did not include, verses 2b and 3, refer to His second coming. At that time He would proclaim "our God's vengeance . . .".  The remainder of the chapter, verses 4-11 fit into the time frame of the Messiah's 2nd coming. It will be at that time that Israel will fulfill her role as God's people and God will fulfill all of His promises to His people.

At the Messiah's 2nd coming, Israel will be completely rebuilt and the other nations give her honor instead of the reproach she has known throughout much of her history. Also, Israel will be a nation of priests who mediate on behalf of others as did the Levitical priests.