Seekers for Jesus: January- March 2021

By R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation

Seekers for Jesus is a quarterly written especially for young people ages 12-14. In addition to introductory material and biblical exposition, each lesson contains a section to help students apply the lesson to life. Questions are interjected to gauge the student’s understanding of the presentation.

• Language: English
• Publisher: R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation
• Release date: Dec 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9781681677804

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Lesson

1

01/03/21

Preaching the Gospel by Helping Those in Need

Today’s Scripture

Luke 4:14–22

Background Scripture Luke 4

CHECK OUT TODAY’S LESSON

NRSV

THEN Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country.

15 He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.

16 When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read,

17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:

18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free,

19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor."

20 And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.

21 Then he began to say to them, Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.

22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth . . .

Today’s Word

Waiting for an answer to a problem can sometimes seem like it takes forever, especially when it comes to injustice or oppression. The world is full of injustice and oppression from people who want to put themselves over others. But really, the entire world, each person on earth, is oppressed by sin the moment they are born. Sin is a problem that needs an answer, an answer that the world waited for thousands of years for from the moment Eve ate the forbidden fruit.

Injustice against others will always be around as long as there is selfishness, and that will be present wherever there are humans because we’re oppressed by sin. We naturally look out for our own best interests. It takes an answer to that oppression of sin to want to make a difference in someone else’s suffering and eradicate injustice. God doesn’t want anyone to suffer; He loves us too much to wish us ill will or pain. This is why He sent Jesus to be the answer to our oppression of sin that causes injustice to others. When we accept Jesus, we become messengers of His answer to the problem of injustice.

Jesus is the Answer to Injustice and the Fighter for the Oppressed

At the beginning of today’s passage, Jesus had just returned from being tempted in the wilderness where He had used scripture to successfully fight against the devil’s temptation. He returned from the desert to His hometown of Nazareth where the people knew Him and His family. The Jewish people have a custom of attending synagogue on the Sabbath, and Jesus participated in this custom. Services at synagogue follow a similar format to what we experience in American churches: an opening prayer, time of praise, reading of the scriptures, and a sermon.

On this day, Jesus read from Isaiah 61. This passage talks about a person who has been anointed. In biblical times, people were anointed by having real oil poured over their heads to show that the Spirit of God was upon them and that they had been appointed for God’s purpose. But Jesus had been anointed by God because He was God’s Son. This was originally written by the prophet Isaiah hundreds of years before as a prophecy for a coming time. When Jesus read these words, they were becoming fulfilled. He read the four ways that He would be the answer to injustice: bringing good news to the poor, giving release for the captive and blind, setting the oppressed free, and proclaiming the year of the Lord’s favor.

Sin breaks our hearts and makes us slaves. There is only death and condemnation waiting when we follow the path of sin. Thankfully, Jesus came to give us a choice to be set free from this enslavement. He wants us to live free and happy lives full of joy and fulfillment. He wants us to tell others about this freedom from sin. The best part is Jesus didn’t just preach these things; it wasn’t just a nice bedtime story. It’s real and true and available to you right now!

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Even though Jesus made a way to escape the eternal oppression of sin, Christians still have to endure a sinful world that loves to hate. Christians have the freedom to no longer sin, but those who are not followers of Christ do not. They are lost to sin. And the response to Jesus’ message from the people in His own home town show just how lost they were. After He finished reading, Jesus sat down. His message was simple yet historical: Today the passage had been fulfilled. He is the anointed One. He is the prophecy come true! At first, the people were astounded. They remembered Jesus as the Son of a carpenter, a little Boy who probably played in their streets and ate in their homes. Now He was declaring Himself the Messiah and the Savior. Reading further into this chapter shows even more of this declaration. And it shows that the people’s disposition toward His message became more