Church Fathers Commentary Luke 4:14-21

"And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and a fame went out concerning him through all the region round about. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all. And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and he entered, as his custom was, into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah. And he opened the book, and found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, Because he anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor: He hath sent me to proclaim release to the captives, And recovering of sight to the blind, To set at liberty them that are bruised, To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant, and sat down: and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, To-day hath this scripture been fulfilled in your ears." — Luke 4:14-21 (ASV)

Origen of Alexandria: After the Lord overcame the tempter, power was added to Him—that is, as far as its manifestation was concerned. Therefore, it is said, “And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit.”

The Venerable Bede: By “the power of the Spirit,” he means the displaying of miracles.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: Now, He performed miracles not from any external power or from having, as it were, an acquired grace of the Holy Spirit, as other saints do. Rather, being by nature the Son of God and partaking of all things that are the Father’s, He exercises by His own power and operation the grace that is of the Holy Spirit. But it was right that from that time He should become known, and that the mystery of His humanity should shine forth among the descendants of Israel. Therefore, it follows, “And his fame went out.”

The Venerable Bede: And because wisdom belongs to teaching and power to works, both are joined here, as it follows, “And he taught in their synagogues.”

The word “synagogue,” which is Greek, is translated in Latin as congregatio (congregation). The Jews were accustomed to use this name not only for the gathering of people but also for the house where they met to hear the word of God, just as we use the name “Church” for both the place and the company of the faithful.

However, there is this difference between the synagogue (which is called a “congregation”) and the Church (which is interpreted as a “convocation”): flocks, cattle, and other things can be gathered together, but only rational beings can be “called together.” Accordingly, the apostolic teachers thought it right to call a people distinguished by the superior dignity of a new grace by the name “Church” rather than “Synagogue.” The fact that He was magnified by those present was also rightly proven by the evidence of His words and deeds, as it follows, “And he was glorified by all.”

Origen of Alexandria: But you must not think that only they were happy and that you are deprived of Christ’s teaching. For even now He teaches throughout the world through His instruments and is more glorified by all people than He was at that time, when only those in one province were gathered together.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: He communicates the knowledge of Himself to those among whom He was brought up according to the flesh. As it follows, “And he came to Nazareth.”

Theophylact of Ohrid: This was so that He might teach us to first benefit and instruct our brethren, and then to extend our kindness to the rest of our friends.

The Venerable Bede: They gathered on the Sabbath day in the synagogues so that, resting from all worldly occupations, they could set their minds quietly to meditate on the precepts of the Law. Therefore, it follows, “And he entered, as his custom was, into the synagogue on the sabbath day.”

St. Ambrose of Milan: The Lord so humbled Himself to obedience in everything that He did not despise even the office of a reader, as it follows, “And he stood up for to read, and there was delivered unto him the book…” He received the book to show that He is the same one who spoke in the Prophets and to stop the blasphemies of the wicked who claim there is one God of the Old Testament and another of the New, or who say that Christ’s beginning was from a virgin. For how could He begin from a virgin, when He spoke before that virgin existed?

Origen of Alexandria: He does not open the book by chance and find a chapter containing a prophecy of Himself; rather, He does so by the providence of God. Therefore, it follows, “And when he had opened the book, he found the place…”

St. Athanasius of Alexandria: He says this to explain to us the reason for the revelation made to the world and for His taking upon Himself human nature. For as the Son, though He is the giver of the Spirit, does not refuse to confess as a man that He casts out demons by the Spirit, so also, inasmuch as He was made man, He does not refuse to say, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: In the same way, we confess that He was anointed, inasmuch as He took upon Himself our flesh, as it follows, Because he hath anointed me. For the divine nature is not anointed, but that which is related to us is. So also when He says that He was sent, we must understand that He is speaking of His human nature. For it follows, He hath sent me to preach the gospel to the poor.

St. Ambrose of Milan: You see the Trinity, co-eternal and perfect. Scripture speaks of Jesus as perfect God and perfect man. It speaks of the Father and of the Holy Spirit, who was shown to be a co-worker when He descended upon Christ in a bodily form like a dove.

Origen of Alexandria: By “the poor” He means the Gentile nations, for they were poor, possessing nothing at all—having neither God, nor Law, nor Prophets, nor justice, nor the other virtues.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Alternatively, He is anointed all over with spiritual oil and heavenly virtue, so that He might enrich the poverty of the human condition with the everlasting treasure of His resurrection.

The Venerable Bede: He is also sent to preach the Gospel to the poor, saying, Blessed are the poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: For perhaps He declares in these words to the poor in spirit that, among all the gifts obtained through Christ, a free gift was bestowed upon them. It follows, To heal the brokenhearted. He calls those “brokenhearted” who are weak, have an infirm mind, and are unable to resist the assaults of the passions; to them He promises a healing remedy.

St. Basil the Great: Alternatively, He came to heal the brokenhearted, that is, to provide a remedy for those whose hearts have been broken by Satan through sin, because sin, more than anything else, lays the human heart prostrate.

The Venerable Bede: Alternatively, because it is written, A broken and a contrite heart God will not despise, He therefore says that He is sent to heal the brokenhearted, as it is written, Who heals the broken hearted.

It follows, And to preach deliverance to the captives.

St. John Chrysostom: The word “captivity” has many meanings. There is a good captivity, of which St. Paul speaks when he says, Bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. There is also a bad captivity, of which it is said, Leading captive silly women laden with sins. And there is a physical captivity by our bodily enemies.

But the worst captivity is that of the mind, of which He speaks here. For sin exercises the worst of all tyrannies, commanding evil and destroying those who obey it. Christ frees us from this prison of the soul.

Theophylact of Ohrid: But these things may also be understood to refer to the dead, who, having been taken captive, have been loosed from the dominion of hell by the resurrection of Christ. It follows, And recovering of sight to the blind.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: For Christ, the Sun of Righteousness, has removed the darkness that the Devil spread over the human heart, making people, as the Apostle says, children not of night and darkness, but of light and the day. For those who once wandered have discovered the path of the righteous. It follows, To set at liberty them that are bruised.

Origen of Alexandria: For what had been so shattered and dashed about as humanity, which was set at liberty and healed by Jesus?

The Venerable Bede: Alternatively, to set at liberty them that are bruised means to relieve those who had been heavily burdened with the intolerable weight of the Law.

Origen of Alexandria: But all these things were mentioned first so that after recovering sight from blindness, after deliverance from captivity, and after being healed of various wounds, we might come to the acceptable year of the Lord. As it follows, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

Some say that, according to the literal meaning, the Savior preached the Gospel throughout Judea for one year, and that this is what is meant by “preaching the acceptable year of the Lord.” Alternatively, the “acceptable year of the Lord” is the entire age of the Church, during which, while present in the body, it is absent from the Lord.

The Venerable Bede: For not only was that year acceptable in which our Lord preached, but so also is the one in which the Apostle preaches, saying, Behold, now is the accepted time. After “the acceptable year of the Lord,” he adds, And the day of retribution; that is, the final retribution, when the Lord will give to everyone according to his work.

St. Ambrose of Milan: Alternatively, by “the acceptable year of the Lord,” he means this day extended through endless ages, which knows no return to a world of labor and grants humanity everlasting reward and rest. It follows, “And he closed the book, and he gave it again.”

The Venerable Bede: He read the book to those who were present to hear Him, but after reading it, He returned it to the attendant. For while He was in the world He spoke openly, teaching in the synagogues and in the temple. But as He was about to return to heaven, He committed the office of preaching the Gospel to those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word.

He read while standing, because in explaining the Scriptures written about Him, He condescended to work in the flesh. But having returned the book, He sat down, because He restored Himself to the throne of heavenly rest. For standing is the posture of a worker, while sitting is that of one who is resting or judging. So also, let the preacher of the word rise up to read, work, and preach, and then sit down—that is, wait for the reward of rest.

He opens the book and reads because, by sending the Spirit, He taught His Church all truth. Having shut the book, He returned it to the attendant because not all things were to be said to all people; rather, He committed the word to the teacher to be dispensed according to the capacity of the hearers. It follows, “And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.”

Origen of Alexandria: And even now, if we are willing, our eyes can look upon the Savior. For when you direct your whole heart to wisdom, truth, and the contemplation of the only-begotten Son of God, your eyes behold Jesus.

St. Cyril of Alexandria: Then He turned the eyes of all upon Him, as they wondered how He knew the writings which He had never learned. But since it was the custom of the Jews to claim that the prophecies spoken of Christ were fulfilled in certain of their leaders—that is, their kings—or in some of their holy prophets, the Lord made this announcement, as it follows, declaring that this Scripture was now fulfilled.

The Venerable Bede: This was because, as that Scripture had foretold, the Lord was in fact both doing great things and preaching even greater things.